RECORD OF EARTH’S LANGUAGES HEADING TO THE MOON FOR SAFEKEEPING

A memory disk containing 275 languages will be launched on a lunar landing craft this winter in an effort to preserve the Earth’s linguistic diversity in the event of a global calamity. A Japanese firm called Ispace has put the project together, with the support of UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) policy of passing down humanity’s cultural heritage. The memory disk retains the 275-language translations of a section of the preamble to the UNESCO Constitution that details the significance of preserving language diversity and culture.
* Did they include Klingon, Elvish and Pig Latin?
* They should have had 275 translations of the phrase: “Warning aliens: Those people on Earth are idiots.”
* Because when the world blows up, it’s going to be important that the survivors all speak Etruscan? And who’s gonna run to the Moon to the get the dictionary?
* Do you know what the least spoken language in the world is? Sign language! Ha!
* Never mind languages – how can we preserve a record of humanity’s mixed drink recipes?