MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1974
ORIGINALITY IS OUR AIM.
SAYS CHINESE LANGUAGE COMMISSIONER
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ORIGINALITY WILL IN FUTURE MARK ALL CHINESE TEXTS OF GOVERNMENT CORRESPONDENCE AND DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY ARE DRAFTED INDEPENDENT OF THE ENGLISH VERSIONS.
THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AUTHORITY OF THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT IS TRYING TO ATTAIN THIS GOAL, THOUGH AT PRESENT IT IS STILL LARGELY OCCUPIED WITH TRANSLATION WORK,
THE COMMISSIONER OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AUTHORITY, MR. AUGUSTINE CHUI, SAID TODAY THAT IF ORIGINAL DRAFTING WAS ACHIEVED, THE PROBLEMS WHICH MIGHT HAVE ARISEN FROM THE PRESENT METHOD OF DIRECT TRANSLATION COULD BE AVOIDED.
MR. CHUI POINTED OUT THAT THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AUTHORITY WAS PREPARING A HANDBOOK ON CHINESE DOCUMENTARY FORMS AND STYLES. IT AIMS AT IMPROVING AND STANDARDISING THE METHOD OF COMMUNICATION IN CHINESE.
WHEN READY, THE HANDBOOK WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO ALL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TO SERVE AS GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING DOCUMENTS AND FOR REPLYING TO LETTERS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, HE ADDED.
REFERRING TO THE ENGLISH-CHINESE GLOSSARY OF APPLIED LEGAL TERMS, HE DISCLOSED THAT IT WOULD BE PUBLISHED NEXT YEAR.
THE GLOSSARY CONTAINS ALL ESSENTIAL LEGAL TERMS, TECHNICAL TERMS USED BY VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, WITH AN APPENDIX COVERING TITLES OF ALL ORDINANCES.
MR. CHUI NOTED THAT THIS TRANSLATION PROJECT, WHICH BEGAN IN NOVEMBER 1972, HAD GONE THROUGH SEVERAL STAGES OF COMPILATION, TRANSLATION, RESEARCH AND EDITING.
THE MANUSCRIPT WAS FIRST REVIEWED BY A NUMBER OF LANGUAGE SPECIALISTS AND LEGAL EXPERTS AND THE FINAL DRAFT WAS RE-EXAMINED AND PROOF-READ SEVERAL TIMES,
HE ADDED THAT ALL PUBLIC COMMENTS AND ADVICE ON THE COMPILATION OF THE GLOSSARY HAD BEEN CAREFULLY WEIGHED AND ANALYSED BEFORE THE FINAL DRAFT WAS AGREED UPON.
+EXTRA CARE MUST BE EXERCISED IN COMPILING THE BOOK AS ANY MINOR MISTAKE OR AMBIGUITY CAN GIVE RISE TO LEGAL CONTROVERSY.+
ON THE SUBJECT OF STAFF TRAINING, THE COMMISSIONER INDICATED THAT THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AUTHORITY HAD CONSULTED THE TWO LOCAL UNIVERSITIES ON SUCH MATTERS AS IN-SERVICE TRAINING AND INDUCTION PROGRAMMES.
AMR. CHUI