China will build a new training and proficiency authentification
system to standardize minority language translation, said Dainzhub
Angbon, director of the China Translation Association's Minority
Language Translation Commission in Lhasa on Monday.
Speaking at the 11th National Symposium on Minority Language
Translation, the official said the China Translation Association
has already granted certificates to 77 senior translators.
Dainzhub said the Tibet
Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region have already developed rules and
regulations on minority languages.
He said China must apply information technology to minority
language development, promote bilingual teaching methods and save
endangered languages.
According to the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, more than 60
million people from 55
minority populations within China use more than 80 spoken
languages and about 40 written languages.
Of the 56 ethnic groups in China, including the Hans, the Hui
and Manchu use the same language as the Han people, while the
others have their own spoken and written languages.
China has about 300 minority language translation organizations
with part-time and full time staff of more than 100,000.
(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2005)