Downloads and page views show that a language resource reached someone; they do not show by themselves that the language is being used or passed on. Begin with the change the community wants, then observe use in relevant relationships and settings. The language community should define the goals, indicators, and control over the information collected.

Community members recording everyday language use and intergenerational learning in an editorial illustration

Downloads measure activity, not language use

App installs, video plays, course enrolment, and digital resource counts can describe a program's reach or activity. They do not tell you whether a learner spoke the language with family, used it at a community gathering, or taught it to a younger relative. A video view is not automatically a conversation. UNESCO's Global Action Plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages aims to expand the functional domains in which Indigenous languages are used, including education, public services, culture, and economic life. Digital material can support that work, but uptake alone does not establish that a language is thriving. UNESCO Global Action Plan

Define the change the community wants first

Before choosing indicators for a grant report, ask community members which changes matter to them. A goal might be more conversations between children and elders, a place for the language in community meetings or ceremonies, or reliable opportunities for teachers and learners to meet. Priorities will differ. One community may want to widen the settings in which fluent speakers use the language; another may first need to record elders' knowledge or create learning beyond school. The people who speak, teach, and sustain the language need a role in choosing the goals, or outside reporting requirements can displace local priorities.

Observe use, transmission, and domains together

Once the goals are clear, identify where and with whom use can be observed. A community might track whether the language appears at home, in school, in care, local meetings, cultural events, or public services—and which generations participate. If intergenerational transmission is a priority, it may be useful to ask whether children and caregivers have regular opportunities to learn and speak together. Fluency is one possible indicator, not a universal test that works the same way for every language. Participation should be voluntary, and a score should not be used to judge an individual's identity or worth. Pair counts with community explanations of what changed and why.

What a specialist planning toolkit adds

The First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC) Language Revitalization Planning Toolkit asks communities to choose indicators in their own language plans and monitor whether the stated goals are being met. It offers fluency as one possible measurable indicator and calls for clear responsibility, review intervals, and targets. This is practical planning guidance developed in a First Nations and British Columbia context, not a compulsory global standard. Applied thoughtfully, the approach means agreeing who collects information, when it is reviewed, and who can access it—and allowing the community to revise measures that no longer fit its goals. FPCC Monitoring and Evaluation toolkit

Treat consent and data control as part of evaluation

Recordings, names, family conversations, and local vocabulary can be sensitive. Agree in advance what may be documented, who can listen or download it, how long it will be kept, and how access or withdrawal requests will be handled. A project that optimizes public views can create pressure to publish material that participants would rather keep within the community. A private learning group or an in-person conversation may matter more than an open resource. The group funding or hosting the project should not set ownership and access rules unilaterally; communities need a meaningful say in storage, use, and disclosure.

Avoid declaring success from one number

Language revitalization rarely fits into a short campaign metric. Enrolment or downloads can increase while chances to speak, intergenerational conversation, and community autonomy remain unchanged. A small number of participants may still represent sustained learning relationships or renewed use at a meaningful local event. UNESCO's plan calls for monitoring and evaluation, but it does not prescribe one scorecard for every language. Report several community-chosen signals, why they matter, and what they cannot show. If an external funder requires a different measure, distinguish that reporting purpose from the community's own goals. Do not give a number more meaning than the underlying observations support.

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