Road set out for indigenous languages into the future

Departments will be established to translate documents into four versions

In an effort to promote multilingualism and to maintain indigenous languages in the province, the department of sport, recreation, arts & culture (Dsrac) held the annual Eastern Cape language indaba this week.

Working with the Steve Biko Arts Centre and the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), the indaba also celebrated International Translation Day, which was observed on September 30.

Among keynote speakers were Dsrac MEC Fezeka Nkomonye, education MEC Fundile Gade, provincial legislature deputy speaker Mlibo Qoboshiyane and academics from various institutions of learning.

The three-day event focused on language development, publishing in indigenous languages, language regulations and the need to equip languages to enhance communication.

Dsrac developed an Eastern Cape Provincial Language Act which was passed by the Eastern Cape legislature in 2016.

One of the key requirements of the act was that Dsrac develop a policy in the form of regulations.

Leading the proceedings, Nkomonye said the purpose of the gathering was to introduce the Eastern Cape Use of Official Languages Act to language stakeholders and the public.

“The provincial language indaba also seeks to encourage the production of quality publications and to arouse interest in the study of languages, translation and interpreting,” Nkomonye said.

Nkomonye said the language act meant that every government department, entity and enterprise would establish a language unit to “translate government documents into the four official languages”.

Nkomonye listed the official languages of the Eastern Cape as isiXhosa, Afrikaans, English and Sesotho.

She said the language act would “take care of all language needs of that particular government department, entity or enterprise and develop policy which is consistent with the provincial language regulation”.

She said the Eastern Cape Use of Official Languages Act regulations would be implemented in government departments, entities and enterprises.

Nkomonye said sustaining indigenous languages and promoting multi-lingualism was a matter of importance. “It is important that we preserve and sustain indigenous languages, as languages carry with them issues of identity, culture and heritage.

“If we let our indigenous languages die we will lose our roots, our personality and our being, and assume someone else’s identity,” Nkomonye said.

“The department also subscribes to the notion of multilingualism. We believe that multilingualism is emancipating. It allows diverse linguistic groups to assert themselves and live peacefully with other linguistically diverse communities, ” Nkomonye said.

The provincial language indaba was started in 2015 as the language summit.

In 2019, it was changed to the book fair, to encourage and promote the publishing of books in indigenous languages.

This year’s indaba “discussed many issues relating to language such as terminology and lexicon development, economics of language, creative writing and the history of the printing press in the province,” Nkomonye said.

Languages carry with them issues of identity, culture and heritage

If we let our indigenous languages die we will lose our roots, our personality and our being