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On Tuesday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced a significant expansion of translation services in the Lower House of Parliament. The new languages added to the service include Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Sanskrit, and Urdu.
This move aims to accommodate the linguistic diversity of India and ensure that more MPs can participate in the proceedings in their preferred language.
Current Translation Services
Until now, the Lok Sabha provided translation services in ten languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, along with Hindi and English. This expansion takes a step toward providing services in all 22 languages listed under Schedule 8 of the Constitution.
Birla highlighted the ongoing efforts to extend translation services further, depending on the availability of human resources. The Lok Sabha aims to become a model for linguistic inclusivity, setting a benchmark for legislative bodies worldwide.
India’s Unique Legislative Translation Service
“Indian legislature is the sole democratic institution in the world providing simultaneous translation services in several languages. Every world forum has appreciated the idea of simultaneously translating the proceedings into 22 languages,” Birla proudly stated.
The decision, however, faced criticism over the inclusion of Sanskrit. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran questioned the necessity of adding Sanskrit, arguing that it is “not communicable” and not an official language of any state.
Referring to the 2011 Census, Maran pointed out that only 73,000 people reportedly speak the language. “Why is taxpayers’ money being spent on a language that is non-communicable?” he asked.
Defending the decision, Speaker Birla stated, “In which part of the world do you stay? Sanskrit has been the root language of India. Why do you have an issue with Sanskrit?” His remarks led to strong reactions from the Opposition.
Previous Real-Time Interpretation Initiative
This announcement follows an earlier plan issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on June 28, 2023, to enable real-time, two-way interpretation in all 22 officially recognized languages.
The extension of translation services underscores a progressive step towards linguistic inclusivity within India’s legislative processes. However, the debate over the relevance and practicality of certain languages, such as Sanskrit, continues to fuel political discussions.
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