South Africa is a country of much linguistic diversity. Her present and future require an appreciation of the people and their languages as well as an ability to communicate with them in those languages. For this purpose, the government and the private sector have started to provide a range of services to people in their own languages. The new situation seems to have put translation and interpreting on the pedestal. This paper thus discusses some factors that are in my view closely related to the need of translation and interpreting services in the country, including the country’s historical heritage, the hegemonic position of English, the new constitution, the people and their languages, education and migration. The implications of the paper’s perspectives are open to further scrutiny and discussion.
Abstract
South Africa is a country of much linguistic diversity. Her present and future require an appreciation of the people and their languages as well as an ability to communicate with them in those languages. For this purpose, the government and the private sector have started to provide a range of services to people in their own languages. The new situation seems to have put translation and interpreting on the pedestal. This paper thus discusses some factors that are in my view closely related to the need of translation and interpreting services in the country, including the country’s historical heritage, the hegemonic position of English, the new constitution, the people and their languages, education and migration. The implications of the paper’s perspectives are open to further scrutiny and discussion.
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