Bodo, Manipuri join four other new languages in Parliament's translation expansion
The other new languages added to the translation services are Dogri, Maithili, Urdu & Sanskrit
Guwahati, Feb 11: Two languages from the Northeast, among six, were included in the Parliament’s translation services on Tuesday.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made the announcement, stating that the translation services will now be available in six additional languages - Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Urdu, and Sanskrit.
"This initiative aims to facilitate better communication and representation for lawmakers who speak these languages," he told the Lower House.
Before this expansion, translation services were available in 10 languages - Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu, alongside Hindi and English.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, Speaker Birla emphasised the democratic framework of India’s parliamentary system, highlighting efforts to provide translations in all officially recognised languages as resources become available.
He noted that this initiative has garnered international praise for its inclusivity.
“India’s parliamentary system is a democratic framework that provides translations in so many languages. When I discussed this effort at the global level, everyone on international platforms praised it. Our aim is to include all 22 officially recognised languages in the future,” Birla said.
However, the inclusion of Sanskrit sparked debate in the House. DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran objected to the allocation of resources for Sanskrit translation, citing census data that indicates only about 73,000 people speak the language.
He questioned the necessity of this expenditure, suggesting it was influenced by ideological considerations.
In response, Speaker Birla defended the decision, asserting that Sanskrit holds a foundational place in India’s linguistic heritage.
He reiterated the commitment to including all 22 recognised languages in Parliament's translation services and questioned Maran's objection to Sanskrit specifically.
“This is India, whose mool bhasha has been Sanskrit. That’s why we mentioned 22 languages, not just Sanskrit. Why do you have an issue with Sanskrit?” Birla asked Maran.