XN000022-1986-01-19 — Page 4

3

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 1986

+THIS IS WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS STILL GIVING SERIOUS AND DETAILED CONSIDERATION TO THESE MATTERS. IN ANY EVENT, IT IS STILL INTENDED THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF CIVIL SERVANTS CAN SPEAK AND WRITE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE WITH FLUENCY BEFORE 1997,+ MR HSU SAID.

WITH REGARD TO THE TRANSLATION OF HONG KONG LAWS INTO CHINESE MR HSU SAID A RECOMMENDATION MADE BY THE CHINESE LANGUAGE COMMITTEE IN 1972 COULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED RIGHT AWAY DUE TO DIFFICULTIES. HOWEVER, AS AN EXPEDIENT MEASURE, +EXPLANATORY NOTES-MEMORANDA ON BILLS ARE BEING PROVIDED IN CHINESE AND EXPLANATORY PAMPHLETS ARE BEING ISSUED IN CHINESE BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ON THOSE ORDINANCES THAT ARE OF WIDE PUBLIC INTERESTS, HE SAID.

FURTHERMORE, MR HSU POINTED OUT THAT THE LAW TRANSLATION UNIT HAD BEEN SET UP IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE DIVISION IN EARLY 1984 TO EXPEDITE THE TRANSLATION WORK.

UP TO JANUARY 15 THIS YEAR, AS MANY AS 109 ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS HAD BEEN TRANSLATED INTO CHINESE, OF WHICH 17 WERE FOR PRIORITY TRANSLATION ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE UMELCO OFFICE.

+OF THESE 109 ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS, 83 HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED WHILE OTHERS ARE BEING FINALISED OR PROOF-READ.. ALL OF THESE ARE OF WIDE PUBLIC INTEREST, HE SAID.

MR HSU EMPHASISED THAT THE TRANSLATION OF THE LAW FROM ONE LANGUAGE INTO ANOTHER WAS A COMPLICATED AND FORMIDABLE TASK.

HE SAID THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS A PLAN TO LAUNCH A PILOT SCHEME ON PARALLEL DRAFTING OF BILLS IN BOTH LANGUAGES.

THE DEPARTMENT HAS SELECTED FROM THE CHINESE LANGUAGE DIVISION NINE CHINESE LANGUAGE OFFICERS WITH POTENTIAL AND PROVEN ABILITY IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH TO JOIN ITS LAW DRAFTING DIVISION.

STARTING FROM THE END OF THIS MONTH, THESE OFFICERS WOULD BE UNDERGOING A FIVE-MONTH TRAINING COURSE.

+THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO RECRUIT A TEAM OF LAW DRAFTSMEN WITH LEGAL BACKGROUND AND GOOD LINGUISTIC SKILLS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE TO DRAFT AN AUTHENTIC VERSION OF THE LAW IN CHINESE.

+FOR THIS REASON, APART FROM SELECTING CHINESE LANGUAGE OFFICERS OF THE RIGHT CALIBRE, THE DEPARTMENT ALSO INTENDS TO RECRUIT QUAL IF IED LAWYERS WHO ARE WELL-VERSED IN BOTH LANGUAGES TO TAKE PART IN THE PROJECT, NOW ONLY AT ITS EXPERIMENTAL STAGE, HE SAID.

THE PLAN WAS TO HAVE ALL NEW BILLS DRAFTED IN BOTH LANGUAGES FIRST, AND TO PRODUCE AN AUTHENTIC CHINESE VERSION OF ALL EXISTING LEGISLATION WHEN SUFFICIENT MANPOWER WAS AVAILABLE.