Official Languages Agency established
The Official Languages Agency which has taken on an enhanced role to promote the greater use of Chinese in the Civil Service is formally established today (Monday).
The setting up of the new independent agency to replace the former Chinese Language Division under the Chief Secretary's Office is one of the recommendations of the Working Group on the Use of Chinese which released its report last September.
The Commissioner for Official Languages, Ms Choi Ying-pik, pointed out that the reorganisation would give the agency a clear identity and a more authoritative status to take the lead on the language front and effect a change in the culture and attitude of the Civil Service.
She said a proper institutional framework would facilitate the goal of achieving a biliterate (English and Chinese) and trilingual (in English, Cantonese and Putonghua) Civil Service.
"The work ahead will include producing more guidelines and reference materials to assist officers to draft documents in Chinese; to keep closer contacts with policy branches and departments about the progress on this issue.
"In addition, more departments will implement pilot schemes to try out the use of Chinese on a systematic basis when communicating with the public.
"The Agency will also oversee a three-year project to provide Chinese word processing facilities and training for secretarial, clerical and executive grades staff within the Civil Service," she said.
Ms Choi stressed that the move to improve Chinese capability of civil servants should not in any way minimise the importance of maintaining a good standard of English in the civil service.
"Proficiency in English and Chinese are equally important. However, in view that the use of Chinese has lagged far behind in the past, it is now a priority task of the government to introduce a package of proactive measures to implement the recommendations of the Working Group," Ms Choi said.
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