Feds urged to incorporate language strategy into government online initiative

Canada’s watchdog on government language issues is warning the federal government to be sure to integrate both official languages into its evolving Government On-Line initiative. In a report released June 13, the Commissioner of Official Languages (COL) outlined a series of recommendations to proactively ensure government content is posted in both English and French and stressed the need for a cohesive strategy by the various departments involved. High on the list of key areas, the COL is urging the government to keep a close eye on what it is posting to ensure that a flood of content doesn’t hit cyberspace in exclusively one language. Commissioner Dyane Adam says implementing the report’s recommendations shouldn’t be a burden at this point since departments are already in the midst of making decisions about other online accessibility issues. The key danger, she says, is that departments may not be making focused choices about what to post, resulting in an overwhelming volume of information with which federal translators can’t keep up. "We have to make sure that we’re not (posting) everything that’s in our drawers at the office," she tells Canadian NEW MEDIA, stressing the need for guidelines to ensure relevancy. She notes that translators are already in short supply as the replacement staff lag retirees and globalization pressures lure many translators to the international stage. The recommendations listed by the COL’s report urge the Treasury Board Secretariat to, among other things, create a "single document which takes into account the recommendations made in this report and that includes all official language guidelines concerning the provision of online services and on-line interaction with the government in the context of Government On-Line, and ensure the dissemination of the guidelines." Adam says the creation of an all-encompassing policy document isn’t onerous and won’t require a huge outlay of resources. She notes that the government’s online initiative isn’t due to come to fruition until 2005 and that by working on language issues in conjunction with other challenges, the guidelines should emerge smoothly. Other recommendations include the establishment of a policy for dealing with the vast catalog of specialized texts such as scientific and historical documents. Adam concedes that it may not be possible to post the information – much of it invaluable to research and academic communities – in both languages. But, she says, her office is working with other departments to examine the feasibility of a central storage library, where detailed descriptions of holdings in French and English could be attached to the documents. One issue that might prove contentious is the recommendation to more clearly identify on government web sites clients’ rights to receive information and interact with the departments in the language of their choice. For the moment, according to the COL’s report, most sites provide a link under "Important Notices" that leads to the text of the Official Languages Act but without explanatory material. The report urges the Treasury Board to implement a common logo or button to lead people to more helpful information right from each of the departments’ home pages, despite the Treasury Board’s insistence that there is not enough room to "accommodate everyone’s needs." As it stands, there are clearly marked French and English options mandated under the government’s new Common Look and Feel standards. The commissioner’s office, however, says simply giving the option is not enough and that users must actively be informed that they have a choice of languages. The report also calls for increased funding to accelerate the development of automatic and computer-assisted translation devices, a move that would mean greater uniformity of language and translation quality across the government board.

Feds urged to incorporate language strategy into government online initiative

News | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

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