I’ve been building the Universal Open Textbook Initiative (https://uotinitiative.org) for the past year to solve a problem I noticed: high-quality open educational resources exist, but they’re scattered across the internet and almost entirely in English.
What it is: A repository of 79 open textbooks in 5 languages (English, Arabic, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Polish), covering Kindergarten through Master’s level. Everything is Creative Commons licensed or similar, no account needed. More textbooks and translations in the works.
How it works: I curate the highest quality open textbooks from sources like MIT, TU Delft, OpenStax, and CK-12. I prioritize professional human translations whenever available. When no human translation exists, I use DeepL Pro’s state-of-the-art translation technology and queue the title for human review. Each translated textbook page clearly indicates whether it’s human-translated or machine-translated.
Why I built this: When you’re a homeschooling parent in the Middle East, a teacher in rural Africa, or running an NGO in South America, finding quality textbooks in your language is difficult. This platform makes world-class educational content accessible to anyone, anywhere.
What’s next: I’m developing an AI-enhanced learning layer where students can select any textbook and get personalized diagnostic quizzes, lessons, and practice exercises based on that textbook in their native language.
What I’m looking for: Feedback on the platform and approach; Volunteers to review machine translations (especially if you’re a native speaker of supported languages); Ideas for reaching educational institutions and NGOs who could benefit from this.
Happy to answer any questions.
Interesting project! Is there a Creative Commons open textbook for social work you could add to the mix?
Thanks for the suggestion! Will do.
Oh, cool! Thank you!