Promoting indigenous language use
To ensure citizens have greater access to services, government departments must intensify their use of indigenous languages
Many more people will be able to understand and make use of government services if they are communicated to in their own language.
According to the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), promoting the use of indigenous languages in the Public Service will also ensure that more people feel included in state programmes.
PanSALB Acting Executive Head of Languages Nikiwe Matebula says several government departments and entities are promoting indigenous languages well, by ensuring that their information is available in all official languages. These include the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS),
South African Revenue Service (SARS), Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).
These departments all have language units manned by professional linguists, their communication and documentation is of good quality and they have developed proper language policies that govern public servants' language use.
“The DSAC is charged with terminology development and the development of languages in the country, hence it is very good in ensuring that all languages are promoted. In our monitoring of the development and promotion of languages by the state, we found that the GCIS, SARS and DPWI are doing a very good job,” Matebula says.
Despite this progress, many government departments and entities are not meeting indigenous languages' promotion standards.
One of the challenges is that state entities, municipalities and provincial and national government departments do not have language units. The lack of these units means that there are no professionals at these institutions to translate documents and content produced for public and official use, she says.
Better access to services
Matebula adds that the lack of these language services severely hampers the ability of ordinary people to access government services.
“If people can access services in their home language, they would utilise government services more often. When you speak to someone in their home language, they will feel comfortable using that service as they are serviced in a language they understand.
“To achieve this goal, state entities, municipalities and departments must start to properly resource language units that will be responsible for translating documents and translating between public servants and members of the public when there is a language barrier,” she says.
Another way to improve the use of indigenous languages is to have people who speak and
write in the indigenous language that is dominant in the area, at the service desks of public service facilities.
The PanSALB is readily available to assist departments with the formulation of these policies and units.
Address citizens in their language
Matebula says government officials must use indigenous languages when they address members of the public as this will help to get government's message across to communities.
“If you have an MEC or Minister speaking in a predominantly Xitsonga community and they are fluent in the language, their speech should be written in Xitsonga.”
In addition, government officials should respond to communication in the language that they received it.
Government should also make use of the PanSALB Act 59 of 1995 to develop policies that promote communicating in all official languages. This will formalise how translations and all language-related materials are dealt with, says Matebula.
The use of professional linguists in the country's courts helps to ensure that people get a fair trial and justice is served for all parties.“The use of professional translators in court ensures that translations are accurate in terms of meaning and the technical aspects of a language.This ensures that people who appear in court understand all that is happening,” says Matebula.
On the road to improvement
The PanSALB, which was established in terms of Section 6 of the Constitution, is already in collaboration with several state entities, municipalities and departments to improve the use of indigenous languages.
Through its national languages boards
(NLBs), which are based in all nine provinces, the institution is developing standardised spelling protocols in languages. Standardised spelling will help to shape indigenous languages that often have different spelling for names, even though it's the same language, says Matebula.
The PanSALB is also, through the NLBs, working to standardise Sign Language. Matebula explains that Sign Language used in Cape Town differs from that used in Polokwane.This has led to complaints from the public to the PanSALB about news channel translators during President Cyril Ramaphosa's addresses to the nation.
Through the NLBs, the PanSALB is also working with all spheres of government to promote languages that are spoken in specific parts of the country.
“The NLBs promote the use of a language that is dominant in a particular area. For instance, in KwaZulu-Natal, the NLB works to ensure that government documents and messaging is available in different languages spoken in the province. In areas like Nquthu, we make sure that information is available in SeSotho as this is a language which is widely spoken in the area.”
In addition to promoting the 11 official languages, the PanSALB is also promoting the San, Khoe (this is the way to spell the language, but the tribe is spelt Khoi) and Nama languages.
Matebula says the PanSALB also promotes multilingualism and ensures the protection of all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese,Tamil, Telegu, Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit and other languages used for religious purposes.
To ensure the increased use of indigenous languages in the country, the Public Service must chart the course in their usage, she adds.