3 Ways Government Translation Initiatives Are Shaping The World

Language can play an important role in politics, especially in multicultural systems that are composed of varying language minorities. The national government’s approach to language in these systems can have a serious impact on the affected populations. Three recent cases from the UK, Canada, and India highlight the importance of language and how government translation services and initiatives can affect the body politic of their nations.

Minority Language Recognition in the UK and Government Translation

In the next few weeks, the Identity and Language bill will be presented in Westminster. It will grant Irish official status in Northern Ireland, allowing the Irish language to be used in courts and making legal translation easier and more streamlined. In addition, two commissioners will be appointed representing the Irish and Ulster-Scots languages respectively. The job of these commissioners will be to oversee the newly created Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, which aims to protect the two languages and cultures. By granting official status to both Irish and Ulster-Scots, the British government hopes to improve cooperation and mutual understanding between the Ulster British and Irish populations of Northern Ireland. In a region of the world that has previously been racked with violence, language initiatives like this one can help maintain the peace that was implemented in the Belfast Agreement.

Government Translation in Quebec

On the other side of the Atlantic, in Quebec, another piece of legislation is generating great interest. Bill 96 passed in Quebec’s National Assembly. The bill makes serious changes to the status of the two official languages in Quebec, French, and English. Because of Quebec’s strong francophone tradition, the provincial government is seeking to expand the influence of the French language. New immigrants to Quebec must now interact with the provincial government entirely in French after six months. Opponents of the bill take issue with this part of the bill, arguing that there will be greater costs associated with immigration translation and immigration translation services. The legally mandated number of bilingual judges will now be decided by the justice minister, who happens to be responsible for French-language issues. The bill also includes many changes to academic translation and the education system vis-a-vis the influence of French and English. The bill is controversial, with supporters claiming it will protect the French language in Canada, while detractors argue that the bill is a case of government overreach.

Government-Sponsored AI And Tech Solutions To Language Barriers In India

Language plays a huge role in the governance of India; the country has 22 officially recognized languages and hundreds of dialects/languages spoken across the country. In an effort to break down language barriers, the Indian government has sponsored a platform called “bashini” which will provide startups and tech companies with access to AI and natural language processing technologies. By creating an open-source forum for language technologies, the Indian government is hoping that its vibrant tech sector will create new solutions in the language translation service industry. In particular, better language translation and interpreting services could help bring Indians together and break down the language barriers that exist in an extraordinarily multilingual nation.