Government's Translation Service

Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) how are the minimum translation standards set for the four official languages used in Ministries and Government agencies; (b) how does the Government ensure that staff in the relevant departments are able to vet outsourced translated works; and (c) what are the plans to enhance the competence and capacity of the Government's translation service.

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As Members are aware, English is our common working language. Government communications is thus chiefly conducted in English. But when major announcements are communicated to the public, this is done in all four official languages. We recognise that good translations and effective communications go hand in hand. Hence translations presented by Government agencies should be clear, concise and correct.

Our Ministry has a Translation Department to support the whole-of-Government on national initiatives. It produces quality translated materials in all vernacular languages whenever required. Some of these examples include key political speeches, annual Budget materials and other important Government announcements. Some agencies have their own bilingual officers who oversee their own websites and other channels of communications.

MCI's translators go through a stringent test to assess their language capabilities before they are recruited. The test requires officers to be able to do two-way translations, that is, from mother tongue to English and English to mother tongue. These translators are assessed every year based on their performance, including vetting their translations. Bilingual officers at the various Government agencies are not required to take the same translation tests. They undergo a language test to assess their language proficiency. For example, for officers whose Mother Tongue is Chinese, the officers will need to obtain a Grade 5 or 6 at the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK). These officers have to retake the language tests once every two years to be re-certified, to ensure they maintain their proficiency. Some of these bilingual officers are designated to vet the translations that their agencies outsource.

The Member has expressed concern about what happened recently at NHB's website. To clarify, NHB included a "Google Translate" button on its website to provide visitors with the option to translate the website content into any one of the 72 languages currently offered by Google. After a Lianhe Zaobao reader expressed concerns that the Chinese translation provided by Google Translate was erroneous, NHB acknowledged the mistake and swiftly removed the Google Translate function. As for STB's "Your Singapore" Chinese website, STB has been in the process of "trans-creating" their Chinese website over the past year, using the English version as a guide. The process is still ongoing.

We have been working continuously to raise the competency and capabilities of our translators. Since July this year, MCI has been working with other Ministries and agencies to enhance the whole-of-Government's

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translation and vetting capabilities. More details will be announced in early 2014.

As the Member will be aware, building language and translation capabilities are not something we can do overnight. Let me assure the Member that the Government will strive to ensure the three official vernacular languages – Chinese, Malay and Tamil – are used properly in translations. We will continue to improve our translation services for there is a continued need for the Government to reach out to all Singaporeans in all the four official languages. As Members who have been listening to my remarks in Chinese, Malay and Tamil translations will attest, we have excellent translation services in this House.