FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INTERPRETERS DISAPPOINTED IN GOVERNMENTS

RESPONSE TO STUDY ON TRANSLATION BUREAU
OTTAWA, October 17, 2016 The Canadian chapter of the International
Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC Canada) is extremely disappointed in
the governments response to the study on the federal Translation Bureau in which
the House of Commons Committee on Official Languages recommended sweeping
changes to the Bureau.
This is largely a status quo report that ignores serious problems at the Translation
Bureau that are undermining Canadas official languages ambitions that were
articulated by the Commons Official Languages Committee, said Linda Ballantyne,
AIIC Canada spokesperson.
In June of this year, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official
Languages published a comprehensive report on the problems in the Translation
Bureau, sparked when the Bureau introduced an automated translation tool, known
as Portage, throughout the federal public service. The Committee found
fundamental problems at the Bureau going well beyond issues related to Portage
that are undermining access for Canadians to federal institutions and services in the
official language of their choice. The Committee formulated major recommendations
that would fundamentally reform the Bureau.
Today, the federal government has failed to stop the race to the bottom that
ensued when the Translation Bureau became a Special Operating Agency,
commented Linda Ballantyne, AIIC spokesperson. This means that the lowest cost
will continue to trump quality in translation and interpretation services and, as a
result, will negatively affect equal access to the proceedings of federal institutions
in the official language of choice.
The response fails to address recommendations for adequate funding for the
Translation Bureau and for a study on the status of the Translation Bureau as a
special operating agency and the impact of privatizing specific translation and
interpretation services on federal institutions ability to meet their language
obligations regarding communications with and services to the public.
AIIC was founded in 1953. It includes close to 3,000 members worldwide, in 89
countries and 23 AIIC regions. AIIC Canada members work in Canada and in other
parts of the world, but their most important client is the Transla that provides
parliamentary and conference interpretation services in both Official Languages and

Foreign Languages. For over 60 years, AIIC has promoted high standards of quality
and ethics, and worked for the benefit of all conference interpreters and for the
profession as a whole.
-30For more information:
Jim Thompson 613-447-9592
Lyse Huot 819-827-1964