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TRANSLATION AND EDITING POLICY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

**1. Introduction

2. Definitions
3. Purpose
4. Rationale
5. Guiding principles
6. Legal context
7. Scope of application
8. Clients, documents and costs**

8.1 Clients

8.2 Documents accepted for translation and editing

8.3 Costs

**9. Service delivery

10. Conditions of acceptance
11. Procedure for receiving documents
12. Estimated turnaround times
13. Record-keeping and database of documents
14. Amendment**

"municipal document" means a document that is or is to be used for official municipal purposes;

"Municipality" means the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality established by Gauteng Provincial Notice 6770 of 1 October 2000;

"panel of external translators and editors" means the panel of individuals and agencies contracted by Language Services to translate and edit municipal documents;

"policy" means the Translation and Editing Policy of the Municipality;

"source language" means the language in which a document is originally written;

"target language" means the language into which a document is or has to be translated;

"translation" means the translation of a text in a source language into a target language, and "translate" has a corresponding meaning; and

"translator" means a person who translates documents from a source language into a target language.

3. PURPOSE

The primary purpose of this Translation and Editing Policy is to ensure a language service of a consistently high standard in order to satisfy clients' expectations and, at the same time, raise the professional image and status of language practitioners.

This policy provides guidelines on –

Š the in-house translation and editing of municipal documents; and Š the outsourcing of municipal documents for translation and editing.

4. RATIONALE

The policy is aimed at putting in place a framework to regulate editing and translation in the Municipality.

5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

This policy is based on the guiding principles of the National Language Service of the national Department of Arts and Culture. The guiding principles, adapted for the Municipality, are the following:

Š Competence in a language is different from competence in translation and editing.

Š Language practitioners are generalists first, able to work in a variety of subject fields, but may also be specialists in particular subject fields. Š A high standard of translation and editing is essential if the sphere of local government is to communicate effectively with the people it serves. Š The procedure for appointing and using editors and translators on the panel of external translators and editors is subject to the approval of the head of the Municipality's Corporate Services Department.

6. LEGAL CONTEXT

The policy is governed by the following documents and amendments to them:

Š The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (specifically the Bill of Rights and the Founding Provisions) Š The White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (Batho Pele White Paper), 1997 Š The Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act 2 of

Š The 2004 draft language policy of the Gauteng Provincial Government Š The draft language policy of the Municipality, 2006 Š The National Language Policy Framework (NLPF) Š The South African Languages Bill, 2000

7. SCOPE OF APPLICATION

The policy applies to –

Š all language practitioners employed by the Municipality; Š all individuals and agencies on the panel of external translators and editors of the Municipality; and Š all clients who request translation and editing services from Language Services.

8. CLIENTS, DOCUMENTS AND COSTS

Language Services renders a service to a variety of clients and therefore deals with numerous types and categories of municipal documents. Since Language Services does not cater for all the official languages of South Africa, it may outsource municipal documents to the Municipality's panel of external translators and editors.

8.1 Clients

The primary task of Language Services is to facilitate communication between the Municipality and the residents of Tshwane, communication

9.2 In editing and translating municipal documents, Language Services does not accept responsibility or liability for factual errors in the municipal documents made by the writers/compilers of the documents. Clients are responsible for verifying the accuracy of facts and information contained in municipal documents submitted to Language Services for editing.

9.3 Language Services adheres to the strict quality control measures adopted internationally by the language professions and abides by the code of ethics of the South African Translators' Institute. Language Services will comply with the requirements set by the proposed Language Practitioners' Council for South Africa, which will regulate the training of language practitioners and control their accreditation and registration.

9.4 The language practitioners of Language Services regularly attend tailor-made translating and editing courses offered by tertiary and other institutions to hone their editing and translating skills.

9.5 Chief language practitioners are responsible for ensuring that the language practitioners of Language Services and the editors and translators on the panel of external translators and editors produce work of the required standard and deliver work on time.

10. CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE

10.1 Language Services accepts requests for the translation and editing of municipal documents for official purposes only. No requests for translating or editing personal or private documents are considered.

10.2 Clients may send their documents to the head of Language Services or to any chief language practitioner or language practitioner of Language Services.

10.3 Clients must keep a record of documents submitted to Language Services and should take care not to duplicate requests for translation and editing.

10.4 The particulars of a suitable contact person must be provided when submitting documents for translating or editing as the client/sender is not always knowledgeable about the contents of a specific document.

10.5 Requests for editing and translation can be made in person, or by post, fax, telephone or e-mail.

10.6 All municipal documents intended for translation and editing must be submitted to Language Services in typed format, where possible, preferably electronically (via e-mail or fax or on CD/memory stick). The

municipal document must be in a format accessible to Language Services.

10.7 Strategic municipal policies and by-laws must be cleared with and approved by the Legal Services Division before being submitted for editing and translation.

10.8 Only the final text intended for publication and circulation may be submitted for editing and translation to prevent a waste of professional time and effort (and a multiplication of costs in the case of outsourcing).

10.9 If any of the conditions of acceptance are not complied with, the documents will not be accepted by Language Services and will be returned to the client.

11. PROCEDURE FOR RECEIVING DOCUMENTS

11.1 All municipal documents submitted for translation and editing are recorded in the official work register of Language Services.

11.2 The language practitioner coordinating the editing and/or translation of a municipal document negotiates a due date with the client.

11.3 Where there is a lack of capacity in Language Services and a municipal document needs to be outsourced, the chief language practitioner responsible for outsourcing, or the language practitioner concerned, will outsource the document according to strict internal procedures and in line with the Municipality's procurement policy.

11.4 Language Services records the due date negotiated between the client, Language Services and the editor or translator on the panel of external translators and editors, as well as all the details of the request, in the work register for the panel of external translators and editors. The due date will allow time for quality control by Language Services where necessary.

12. ESTIMATED TURNAROUND TIMES

12.1 The following production norms can be used as a guideline for municipal documents of a general nature (These production figures apply under optimum conditions.):

Translation An average of 1 500 to 1 750 words (5 to 5,5 pages of 250 words each) per translator per day

Editing An average of 3 000 to 3 300 words (10 to 11 pages of 250 words each) per editor per day

Š edited documents and translations in the official languages of the Municipality; Š documents translated from/into foreign languages; and Š outsourced documents.

14. AMENDMENT

The policy will be amended by Language Services as and when required, and all stakeholders will be informed of such amendments.