Just before New Year a happy piece of news came from Paratype company — a new typeface was produced which includes characters of all minority languages in Russian Federation. Presently only one typeface is freely distributed - PT Sans.

PT Sans is developed among others for the official federal program aimed at assembling a collection of typefaces for use by businesses, government officials in the multilingual environment. According to the project's mission this will help spread and develop minor languages. Still in 2010 non-Russian nations face great obstacles in communicating in their languages. Every nation is coping in its own unique way. Users of Chuvash language have been trying numerous methods too: creating special fonts, mixing Cyrillic and Latin characters (present official standard in Chuvashia - CVLat blog), and some use Latin script.

The project is realized with the help of Federal Agency on Press and Mass Communications of Russia.

The typeface includes 8 fonts — 4 regular; 2 caption; 2 condensed.

In 2010 the work will be continued, PT Serif is promised to be distributed next.

CVLat Blog introduced a Chuvash adaptation which fits Chuvash standards. Available here: CVLat Blog

It took Chuvash nation more than two centuries to translate the Bible into their native language, after converting to Russian Orthodoxy. Among the first to translate was the spiritual teacher Ivan Yakovlev in the 19th century, who settled it to his disciples to complete his undertaking. Translation stopped during the Soviet period to resume in 90's, and to be completed by writer Eva Lisina, sister of poet Gennady Aygi in our century. The Holy Book will reach its readers in 2009.

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World Report 334, October 1998