Welcome to the SEI Blog

Explore the work of the Script Encoding Initiative at UC Berkeley. Stay connected with our mission to support linguistic diversity through research and technology.

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News on SEI and our collaborations with linguistic communities, conferences, etc.

Posts from experts sharing their insights on script preservation and Unicode encoding.

Latest research reports, studies, and articles on script history and encoding.

In-depth looks at the scripts we are encoding and updates on new scripts being considered for Unicode.

Get to know the people behind SEI and their roles in preserving and encoding scripts.

From Stone to Screen: Designing a Maya Hieroglyphs Typeface from the Classic Period

Alexandre Bassi, 2025

Script Features
Vector drawing of the front of Stela D Maya monument in Copán (Honduras)

Interview with Toral Cowieson: On Stewardship of the Unicode Consortium

SEI Team, 2025

Interviews
Toral Cowieson on the cover of MultiLingual magazine

Reflections on the 2025 Unicode Technology Workshop

Anushah Hossain, 2025

SEI Updates
Bird's eye image of ARTEM, school of Art, Management, and Technology, in Nancy, France

Interview with Neil Patel: Surfacing the Market for African Fonts

SEI Team, 2025

Interviews
Image of the Kigelia - A typeface for africa font booklet

Typewriters, Script, and Modernity in India

Karthik Malli, 2025

Guest Contributions
A rough illustration of the various levels of Malayalam script simplification

Invisible Connectors: ZWJs and ZWNJs from Arabic to Emoji

Bryce Hoenigman, 2025

Guest Contributions
Photo from the surroundings of Stanford’s Cecil H Green Library

The Making of a Unicode Release: A Peek Inside Unicode 17.0

Anushah Hossain, 2025

Script Features
cover page of the Unicode Standard 17.0 - Core Specification

Introducing the 2025-26 Research Fellows: Studies in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nigeria

Anushah Hossain, 2025

SEI Updates
The dish is decorated with hammered designs and depicts a mermaid in the center with a forked scaly tail and wearing a crown, encircled by nsibidi symbols.

Interview with Charles Riley: The Long Road to African Script Support in Information Systems

SEI Team, 2025

Interviews
Vai manuscript

In memoriam: Andrew West

Debbie Anderson, 2025

SEI Updates
headshot of Andrew West

Interview with Oreen Yousuf: Researching African Scripts from a Distance

SEI Team, 2025

Interviews
Nolence Mwangwego teaching a classroom the Mwangwego script at a chalkboard

Interview with Jan Kučera: On the Promises and Perils of Script Encoding

SEI Team, 2025

Interviews

Preserving Heritage in the Digital Age: The Bété Digital Inclusion Project

Adam Yeo, 2025

Guest Contributions
Handwritten Bété script by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré and first version of the Bété typographic character

Lampung Script and the People: Reflection from my SEI fieldwork in Sumatra

Ariq Syauqi, 2025

Guest Contributions
Contemporary use of Lampung script on a building sign

Opening the Field: A New Fellowship for Script Research

SEI Team, 2025

SEI Updates
Conversation with Lampung script users, enthusiasts, and experts in a home

Interview with SEI Founder, Debbie Anderson

SEI Team, 2025

Interviews
Debbie Anderson and Rick McGowan with a macbook displaying global writing systems

A New Rubric for “Script Readiness”

Anushah Hossain, 2025

Research Insights
Map of unencoded scripts from SEI website

A Refresh for SEI

Anushah Hossain, 2025

SEI Updates
Screenshot of new SEI homepage