The TRANSLATION AND LINGUISTIC RIGHTS COMMITTEE of International PEN - language rights
the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee (TLRC) of International PEN - links and documents
Girona Manifesto (2011), “Respect for all languages and cultures is fundamental to the process of constructing and maintaining dialogue and peace in the world”.
Quebec Declaration
(2015): “Promoting values of openness, acting for peace and freedom and against
injustice, intolerance and censorship, translation invites a dialogue with the
world”.
PEN Charter: “use what influence they have in favour of good understanding and mutual respect between nations and people”.
Berne Convention on the protection of literary and artistic work (1886), link/.
Universal Copyright Convention as revised at Paris on 24 July 1971, with Appendix Declaration relating to Article XVII and Resolution concerning Article XI 1971, link/.
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), link/
Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), link/
UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001), link/
Recommendation on the Legal Protection of Translators and Translations and the Practical Means to improve the Status of Translators (1976), link/
United Nations General Assembly Resolution on “The
role of professional translation in connection with nations and fostering
peace, understanding and development”, 2017. Link/
United Nations Legal Framework for Linguistic Rights
The connection between language and freedom of expression is enshrined in international legal doctrines, as follows:
International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966; 1976), link/
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx
ICCPR Article 27
“In those States in which ethnic, religious
or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not
be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to
enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use
their own language.”
The United Nations Human Rights Committee
General Comment No. 23 (interpreting the ambit of Article 27)
“The Committee observes that this article
establishes and recognizes a right which is conferred on individuals belonging
to minority groups and which is distinct from, and additional to, all the other
rights which, as individuals in common with everyone else, they are already
entitled to enjoy under the Covenant […]”
“The terms used in article 27 indicate that
the persons designed to be protected are those who belong to a group and who
share in common a culture, a religion and/or a language. Those terms also indicate
that the individuals designed to be protected need not be citizens of the State
party, just as they need not be nationals or citizens, they need not be
permanent residents […]”
“The existence of an ethnic, religious or
linguistic minority in a given State party does not depend upon a decision by
that State party but requires to be established by objective criteria.”
“Although article 27 is expressed in
negative terms, that article, nevertheless, does recognize the existence of a
"right" and requires that it shall not be denied.”
Declaration
on the Human Rights of Individuals who are not nationals of the country in
which they live. Adopted by General Assembly
resolution 40/144 of 13 December 1985
https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/dhriwnncwtl/dhriwnncwtl.html
“1.
Aliens shall enjoy, in accordance with domestic law and subject to
the relevant international obligations of
the State in which they are present, in particular the following rights:
[…] (f) The right
to retain their own language, culture and tradition”
UNESCO
– Legal Framework
UNESCO
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(Article 14.1) Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their
educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages
in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.
UNESCO
Convention Against Discrimination in Education (Article
5.1) Provides a qualified right of members of national minorities to carry on
their own educational activities, including the maintenance of schools and,
depending on the educational policy of each state, teaching of their own
language
UNESCO
Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious
and Linguistic Minorities (1992)
(Article 4.2) States shall take appropriate
measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have
adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to have instruction in
their mother tongue.
(Article 4.4) States should, where
appropriate, take measures in the field of education, in order to encourage
knowledge of the history, traditions, language and culture of the minorities
existing within their territory. Persons belonging to minorities should have
adequate opportunities to gain knowledge of their society as a whole.
UNESCO
Convention on Cultural Diversity (2005) and the
International Fund for Cultural Diversity
Education is where the most headway is
being made on the issue of language rights advocacy. Studies have shown that it
is empirically better for children to learn in their mother tongue. This means
organizations that aim to improve the state of education in the world would be
the natural advocates for mother language publishing.
UNESCO’s recognition of the important
relationship between language and education is clear in the organization’s
three-part rationale for supporting multilingual education:
UNESCO supports mother tongue instruction
as a means of improving educational quality by building upon the knowledge and
experience of the learners and teachers.
UNESCO supports bilingual and/or
multilingual education at all levels of education as a means of promoting both
social and gender equality and as a key element of linguistically diverse
societies.
UNESCO supports language as an essential
component of inter-cultural education in order to encourage understanding
between different population groups and ensure respect for fundamental rights.
UNESCO. 2003. Education in a Multilingual
World. Paris, UNESCO. Advocacy Kit for Promoting Multilingual Education. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001521/152198e.pdf
Regional
Bodies (Europe)
Convention
for the Protection of National Minorities (Europe)
Articles 5 and 6 oblige states to be tolerant to, take measures and
promote the conditions necessary to promote linguistic diversity. Article 11(1)
recognizes the right of every person belonging to a national minority to use
his or her surname (patronymic) and first names in the minority language and
the right to official recognition of such names. Article 14 provides for the
right to learn in a minority language. Minority language rights are also
inferred from freedom of expression.
European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
(European Language Charter) (restricted to citizens) Uses the words ‘regional’
and ‘minority’ languages interchangeably and obliges states to take measures to
protect minority languages (in addition to official languages) in the regions
where they are spoken most.
It defines minority languages and confirms
the value of language as an expression of cultural wealth. It enjoins state
parties to encourage and or facilitate the use of minority languages in speech
and writing, in public and private life and promote study and research on
minority languages at tertiary institutions in areas where regional languages
are spoken.
Article 8 obliges states to make available
a substantial part of pre-school, primary, secondary, technical, vocational,
university and higher education in the relevant regional or minority languages.
Article 9 obliges states to ensure that, if
the interests of justice are not hampered, minority languages are used in
criminal and civil proceedings and proceedings before the courts that involve
administrative matters in both procedural and substantive issues. Article 10
provides for the use of minority languages by administrative authorities and in
public service including use of minority languages in family names, documents
used, deliberation, and recruitment.
Article 11 obliges states to guarantee the
use of minority languages in the media. States should ensure that there is at
least one radio station and television channel in a minority language and must
encourage the training of journalists in minority languages.
Article 12 enjoins states to facilitate the
use of minority languages in all cultural activities.
Article 13 obliges states to guarantee the
use of minority languages in economic and social life that includes public and
private companies and hospitals. It even encourages state parties to enter into
bilateral agreements that benefit regional language speakers who speak a
similar language.
The Convention further obliges states
parties to submit periodic reports which are examined by a committee of experts. Opportunity
for PEN’s advocacy.
Regional
Bodies (Africa)
Cultural
Charter for Africa
Article 17 recognizes the need to develop
African languages with a view of ensuring cultural advancement and accelerating
economic and social development. It enjoins state parties to formulate a
national policy in regard to languages.
Article 18 further grants state parties the
discretion to choose one or more African languages to introduce at all levels
of education.
Article 19 further states that ‘the
introduction of African languages at all levels of education should have to go
hand-in-hand with literacy work among the people at large.’
2. COMMITTEE
WORK SHORT OVERVIEW 2015-2019
*including
Committee’s events, actions taken, statements and Resolutions
Between 2015 and 2019,
160 active members participated in person at the meetings of the TLRC,
belonging to 75 different PEN centers:
Afrikaans PEN; American PEN;
Argentina PEN; Bangladesh PEN; Basque PEN; Belarusian PEN; Belgium/Flanders
PEN; Belgium French PEN; Bolivia PEN; Cambodia PEN; Canada PEN; Catalan PEN;
Chile PEN; Croatian PEN; Cuban PEN; Czech PEN; Delhi PEN; English PEN; Eritrea
PEN; Estonian PEN; Esperanto PEN; Finnish PEN; French PEN; Galicia PEN ; Gambia
PEN; German PEN; Guatemala PEN; Hong Kong (Chinese Speaking) PEN; Hong Kong
(English Speaking) PEN; Hungarian PEN; Independent Chinese PEN Centre; Iranian
PEN in Exile; Japan PEN; Kazakhstan PEN; Kurdish PEN; Lithuania PEN; Macedonia
PEN; Malawi PEN ; Mali PEN; Malaysia PEN; Mauritania PEN; Mayan PEN (aspiring);
Melbourne PEN; Morocco PEN; Myanmar
PEN; Nepal PEN;
Nigeria PEN; Norwegian PEN; Perth PEN; Philippines PEN; Poland PEN; Portugal
PEN; Puerto Rico PEN; Québec PEN; Serbia PEN; Slovakia PEN; Slovene PEN; South
Africa PEN; South India PEN; Suisse Allemande PEN; Swedish PEN; Swiss Italian
and French Speaking PEN; Swiss French PEN; Sydney PEN; Taipei Chinese PEN;
Tibet PEN; Tibet in Exile; Togo PEN; Trieste PEN; Turkey PEN; Uganda PEN;
Ukrainian PEN; Wales Cymru PEN; West Bengal PEN; Zimbabwe PEN
The Committee activity
was in this period regular, with annual meeting in spring and the one-day
session at the PEN International congress in fall. Only the 2020 spring meeting
was postponed due to Covid 19 crisis for late 2020. The meetings were realized in
four continents: India and Philippines for Asia; South Africa in Africa; Mexico
in South America; Canada and United States in North America and Spain,
Switzerland and Ukraine for Europe. It is worth noting that most of the
activities were promoted in the regions of high linguistic diversity and were
not taking place in usual centers of political or economic power. The goal to
bring PEN debates and activities to places where linguistic rights are a public
and existential issue was thus achieved. In addition, there was an intense work
with PEN International Secretariat in London to prepare the activities and the
strategic planning of the Committee. Thanks to the active member’s
participation and the coordination of the London office, TLRC realized several
important projects and advocacy initiatives in this period, as listed below.
MEETING OF THE TLRC AT
THE PEN CONGRESS
September 2014, Simona Škrabec (Catalan PEN) was elected as a chair of
TLRC. She was reelected September 2017 for the second term, until fall 2020.
The meetings of TLRC were always held the first day of the congress, with good
attendance of the delegates and a lot of interesting proposals and debates. This
summary only refers to Committee formal work and to the documents approved at
the congresses.
80st
congress in Bishkek, Kirgizstan, 29 September 2014
Josep Maria Terricabras finished his six-year term as a Chair of TLRC.
There have been three official candidates for the Chair of the Committee. One
of them was not able to assist to the Bishkek meeting. The others two were
Kaiser Özhun (Uyghur PEN) and Simona Škrabec (Catalan PEN). She was elected by
an absolute majority for next term (2014-2017).
81st
congress in Quebec, Canada, 13 October 2015
Quebec Declaration about Literary translation was approved after a long
and intense debate with 25 votes in favor, no in contra, no abstentions.
Resolution about Portuguese orthography and Occitan language were discussed and
prepared for the approval by the Assembly.
82nd
congress in Ourense, Spain, 26 September 2016
Declaration on the Portuguese language, already presented in previous
meetings, was discussed again, but did not pass to the formal approval by
Assembly. A discussion about the document prepared by Emmanuel Pierrat on Folklore
Law took place at the TLRC meeting because it affects the literature of the
First Nations. Nevertheless, a formal statement about this issue was not
developed.
83rd congress
2017, Lviv, 18 September 2017
Simona Škrabec
(Catalan PEN) was elected as a Chair of TLRC for three years term with 19 votes
in favor. Two (2) invalid votes were cast. The result of the Committee votes was
taken as a recommendation to the Main Assembly, which approved the
re-election.
The Committee members
participated at the workshop about the Theory of Change to examine where the
Committee has influence, opportunities, and expertise.
84th congress in Pune, India, 25-26 September 2018
TLRC promoted the publication
of Padmagandha anthology and organized
for that occasion a “speed dating session” between international PEN authors
and local translators. The initiative was very well received.
85th congress in Manila, Philippines, 30 September 2019
The Declaration on Indigenous Languages, that was written in Chiapas, was presented and the delegates were
asked to translate it in their own languages.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Barcelona, Spain, 21-23 April 2015
Although for PEN International,
it is a priority that the TLRC meeting is held outside Europe in order to have
more participation of American and African centers, the PAN-African meeting
planned for early 2015 was postponed due to the financial situation of PEN
International. The former agreement with SIDA ended in December 2014 and new
funds were not available. For this reason, the meeting of TLCR took place in
Barcelona and not in Africa. Catalan PEN provided the financial support that
made it possible.
Johannesburg, South Africa, 10-11 March
2016
Representatives
from several African countries participated in the meeting, as well as writers
invited from Angola and Sudan, and representatives from other PEN centers. The meeting
was dedicated to discussing the circulation and publication of African
literatures in African languages. Projects relating to mother-tongue education
were presented and the promotion of creative writing, critical thinking and
African stories was discussed. The debate on the challenges of publishing in
“minority” languages, based on examples from the UNESCO report on the creative
industry in Nigeria, Kenya, Haiti and Serbia, was particularly memorable. The
Quebec Declaration on the importance of literary translation was presented and
discussed in depth and it was agreed to produce new translations of said texts
in several African languages. The session ended with a round table discussion
on literature and war, which was very emotive.
Bangalore, India, 26-28 April 2017
Bangalore epitomises the south of India and
lesser-known languages such as Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada. With
this meeting, multilingualism was really honoured.
La reunión del Comité de Traducción y Derechos
Lingüísticos (CTDL) del PEN International tuvo lugar en Indian Institute
for Human Settlements (IIHS). El programa ofreció las
intervenciones de los conferenciantes realmente destacados de la cultura india.
Pudimos conocer de cerca los escritores, traductores, editores y activistas que
trabajan con las lenguas tamil, kannada y telugu. A Bangalore, los
editores que participaron en los debates dieron numerosos ejemplos de su
obstinación y demostraron que sí es posible llevar adelante proyectos
editoriales independientes. Sus éxitos fueron percibidos por la sala como un
claro ejemplo a seguir.
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland,
21-24 June 2018
Switzerland is
particularly well placed to honor multilingualism, with its three official
languages, fourth national language and 19 other languages and dialects. The
meeting was held in Biel / Bienne, genuinely bilingual city. The meeting took
place under the auspices of PEN Swiss Romand. Thanks to the generosity of the
Swiss institutional sponsorship, a great number of delegates from Africa, South
America and Asia were able to travel to the bilingual city of Bienne/Biel. The
delegates had a great opportunity to see and to understand how the Swiss model
of coexistence and respect for the linguistic diversity works.
San Cristóbal de las
Casas, Mexico, 2-4 May 2019
PEN Internacional organizó este
encuentro del Comité en colaboración con la Oficina de la UNESCO en México, la
Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas (UNICACH) y el Instituto Nacional de
Lenguas Indígenas de México (INALI). Participaron en la reunión alrededor de
noventa participantes entre los delegados de los centros PEN, los ponentes
locales e invitados institucionales. De los centros PEN, fueron presentes los
delegados de quince centros de Europa, África y Asia, como también de América
Latina y América del Norte. A parte, se recibió también un informe escrito
sobre la situación de las culturas aborígenes en Australia, así que realmente
eran presentadas las realidades indígenas de los cinco continentes.
La delegación de los escritores
y activistas indígenas de Chapas fue numerosa. Participaron en los eventos unos
cuarenta autores literarios y activistas. También cabe destacar la amplia
representación de las instituciones, des de la Oficina UNESCO en México,
Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas, Subsecretaria de Educación Pública, Consejo
Estatal para las Culturas y Artes de Chiapas, Instituto Nacional de Bellas
Artes, Secretaría para el Desarrollo Sustentable de los Pueblos Indígenas,
UNICACH e INALI.
Yangon, Myanmar, 18-19
May 2020 [postponed]
PROJECTS
Declaration of Québec. Quebec, 13 October 2015
At the spring meeting
in Barcelona, the Committee prepared the French, English and Spanish version of
the Declaration to be approved at the Quebec congress. It was also organized
the publication of articles related to this document, published in a special
issue of the webzine Visat of the Catalan PEN (issue 20, fall 2015). The
text of the Declaration was simplified to be more effective. In drafting the
Declaration, the following documents were consulted: the Berne Convention on the protection of literary and artistic work,
the Universal Copyright Convention
and the Recommendation on legal
protection for translators and translation. These recommendations have been
integrated into the preface to the declaration.
At the Johannesburg
meeting (2016), the Quebec Declaration,
was presented in detail to all African members who were not able to travel to
the congress in Quebec or participate in the previous sessions for the drafting
of the final text. The Declaration found a warm reception among the PEN members
from the African continent because translation is one of the most important
ways of ensuring the development of languages that are marginalized.
Translations of the text of the Declaration into several languages were
accepted.
All translations of
the Quebec Declaration can be found on the PEN International website.
Protocol for Ensuring Language Rights. San Sebastian, 15-16 December 2016
The project was
developed under the umbrella of the San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture
2016. The Organizing committee was formed by KONTSEILUA (Platform that
comprises associations which work for the promotion of the Basque language),
LINGUAPAX International, CIEMEN, ELEN (European Language Equality Network),
UNPO (Unrepresentated Nations and People Organization) and PEN International. This
project started as an initiative undertaken by social entities and involved
international organizations and specialist to establish a Protocol for
Ensuring Language Rights (2016).
The Protocol was presented at Summit on European Language Diversity in
San Sebastian. The basis of this project is The Declaration of Linguistic
Rights (1996).
Strategies for circulating the Protocol will also be developed,
principally through organizations, which form part of civil society throughout
the European continent. It should be emphasized that although the Protocol is
mainly aimed at European countries, the text may also be of use for other
countries around the world and specifically the PEN International centers.
De las conclusiones se desprende como especialmente
relevante la consideración de que en el ámbito de los derechos lingüísticos hay
que elaborar una nueva terminología. Los conceptos que utilizamos para
referirnos a esas cuestiones deberían ser despojados de los viejos perjuicios y
maneras de pensar basados en la exclusión o la marginalización. Se subrayó
también la importancia de la sociedad civil organizada para poder conseguir
impulsar esos cambios de actitud. Se analizan dificultades de introducir las
lenguas maternas en los sistemas de enseñanza estatales y de las estrategias
para impulsar los cambios de percepción. Los cambios en el uso de las lenguas
minoritarias sólo se podrán conseguir si cambia también su consideración social
y la valoración de su utilidad en todos los ámbitos de la vida cotidiana.
Cultures Oxygen. Lviv, 18
September 2017
In 2015, PEN
International has been awarded the UNESCO International Fund for Cultural
Diversity (IFCD) grant for the project as an Inter-Regional Research, Advocacy
and Development Program. The project was coordinated by Simona Škrabec, the
Chair of TLRC. It was specifically dedicated to collaboration with publishers.
The title of the project was “Developing the minority language creative writing
industry in Kenya, Haiti, Serbia and Nigeria.” This was a 18-month project,
running from May 2014 to November 2015. First, a mapping exercise was
undertaken by the research team in each country to review and analyze the major
challenges. Then, national advocacy campaigns were carried out with key
stakeholders in the sector to advocate for the support to local publishing
industries. PEN International provided expert advice and workshops directly to
writers and cultural actors through the PEN Centers in each country at key
literary festivals and book fairs.
El informe Culture’s Oxygen se presentó editado en
papel en el congreso de Lviv. Entre sus conclusiones más importantes es la idea
de que los mercados del libro pueden cambiar y que el público lector puede con
el tiempo mostrar sus preferencias por la producción basada en la diversidad
lingüística. Esperemos que los proyectos como el
promovido por la UNESCO sobre las lenguas minoritarias tuvieran continuidad en
otras regiones del mundo, especialmente en América Latina. PEN México publicó
una presentación del informe Unesco en su blog PEN Piensa.
Make space! Lviv, Ukraine,
18 September 2017
TRLC participated
actively in frame of the PEN International campaign Make space!, that aimed to develop strategies for the support for
displaced writers. The campaign focused on displaced communities and addressed
some of the most serious cases of writers in prison related to language rights
(i.e. from Tibetan, Uyghur and Kurdish communities and other communities’
victims of repression in the field of language rights). The PEN Centers that
are active in the defense of Linguistic Rights informed about their workshops,
school visits, newsletters and translations of displaced writers. TRLC
activities include supporting writers in need, holding dialogue with
stakeholders over the refugee crisis and supporting mother-tongue education.
PEN centers work with refugee writers, including readings in libraries,
translating and publishing writings in the Centre’s magazine as well as
awareness raising and pushing to become an ICORN city.
The hard copy of the
Report about the campaign was presented at the Lviv congress.
Anthology Padmagandha. Pune,
India, 26 September 2016
Thanks to the
publishing house Padmagandha Prakashan, the delegates attending the congress
were able to see their writings translated and published in Marathi. TLRC
organized for that occasion a “speed dating session” between international PEN
authors and local translators. The initiative was very well received.
Linguistic Rights. Special Issue of PEN Opp, Sweden, October 2019
The PEN Opp blog (Sweden) project is
meant for the writers who cannot publish in their own countries or writers who
write on issues of freedom of expression. The blog wants to provide a
democratic head start and link writers, readers and members of the media. PEN
Opp also publishes texts that have been smuggled out of prison or pieces that
through self-censorship have struggled to even be imagined. They publish
articles, poetry, essays and to date have published 30 issues with 322 writers
from 55 countries. They also publish the text in the original language, in
Swedish and in English. They now have readers in around 150 countries. October
2019, special issue was dedicated to Linguistic Rights, with contributions from
Chiapas May meeting about indigenous languages.
Protect Linguists event. New York, United
States, 11 December 2019
On 11 December 2019, a panel
discussion was held at United Nations headquarters in New York to raise
awareness of the pressing need for greater legal protection of local civilian translators
and interpreters in conflict and post-conflict zones. The #ProtectLinguists
event was co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Spain and the Republic of Fiji
as well as the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), with the
cooperation of the world language community. Red T, a non-profit organization
dedicated to the protection of translators and interpreters in high-risk
settings, spearheaded this initiative to further Red T’s vision of a world in
which translators and interpreters can work free from persecution, prosecution,
imprisonment, abduction, torture and assassination. This is why PEN International is joining
Red T and the world language community in urging the United Nations to issue a
Resolution or a similar international legal instrument to protect translators
and interpreters in high-risk settings worldwide.
Writing the future in
indigenous languages. Mexico City, 26 February 2020
One of the outputs from Chiapas
was the development of a book, presented in February 2020 at the International Congress
of Languages at Risk, organized by Secretaria de Cultura and INALI in Mexico
City. This book is prepared in partnership with UNESCO and other local
institutions from Chiapas. The on-line version contains all the contributions
and an anthology of literary writings of the participants (approx. 300 pages).
The hard copy will be published by UNESCO during the 2020 with the selection of
articles and final recommendations about the strategies to protect and
cultivate the literature in indigenous languages.
3.
SWOT Analysis
Analysis is based on “Theory of Change” session (London, 5 September and
Lviv, 16 September 2017) and additional surveys at congress and Committee
annual meetings. Some of the points were
never mentioned in these sessions and are left uncomplete.
TRLC met the conclusion
that the UN approach to translation and linguistic rights is as a soft issue rather
than human rights issue. PEN’s most successful advocacy is around International
Translation Day (30 September) to highlight specific cases. PEN has been also
working successfully for the promotion of educating mother-tongue language
together with UNESCO.
|
Strengths Internal · Solid network of
contacts and initiatives. · The Committee has
managed to maintain stability and its members have increased their
participation in the team projects. · A very
satisfactory level of coordination and working together with the London
office. All of the Committee’s major projects have been developed with the
active participation of PEN International and its central office. · The capacity of
the Committee to be involved in larger projects in coordination with other
institutional bodies. · Centres
interested and interacting with TLRC · Committee members
are active and representative · Will/ buy-in from
PEN international membership External |
Challenges Internal · To develop a long-term collaboration because the responsible
persons in the centres change with frequency. · Many of the centres are not able to attend the international
Committee meetings with regularity. · PEN centres on
local level organize activities that are not always transmitted to the
international level. The London office should collect information in an
active way. Waiting for centres to send information does not happen in the
majority of cases. · Better
collaboration with the London office is necessary on advocacy on linguistic
rights to be much more visible at the international level. · A
general training on how to conduct advocacy on linguistic rights by Centres
and at the international level. External · The Committee
does not have any funds available for activities and consequently any project
need to be financially supported by other agents. ·
The planning and final decisions about
meetings and projects are difficult to secure because they always depend on
the ability to obtain sufficient funding. |
|
Opportunities Internal · Translation
recognised as central component of free expression · PEN is
seen to have a strong position and voice on translation as a freedom of
expression issue · Increase
in allocated budgets for translation to/ from minority languages · Resources
for translation available as a result of PEN Centres advocating at national
level · PEN
Centres have tools, confidence and skills to advocate for translation issues/
against discrimination at national level · Translation
mainstreamed in to writers at risk work where possible · Buy in
from TLRC & PEN membership in relation to policy created by PEN · Policy
created by PEN on translation at FOE issue External · Increase
in translation (periphery to periphery, periphery to centre) · Increase
in opportunities for publications of translation · Literature
in translation is more available e.g. bookshops, libraries · Increase
in cultural infrastructure of translation · Within
schools, made representative literature available · Increase
visibility of translators · Strengthened
network of translators · Strengthened
network of literary organisations (working on promotion of translation) · Bring
ignored language issues into the public, and higher sphere of influence · Impulse
the proper transfer of ideas between different languages · Promote
and protect native language. · Raise
level of consideration of those local actors. Impulse local meetings and
workshops · Develop
advocacy of top level to influence educational policy. · Raise
awareness of parliament and government · Use
modern platforms much as media/ social media |
Threats (risks) Internal External · According
to a long period of censorship and propaganda, people don't want to respect
the languages and cultures of the minorities · The
will of racists and nationalists to destroy what is not theirs |
4.
STRATEGIC FOCUS FIELDS for 2020-2023
Goal:
Organisational shift in PEN International towards translation and linguistic
rights
Linguistic Rights
Promote
Linguistic Rights as collective rights in line with the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (Article 7.2.2) and as
tools of cohesion, identification, communication and creative expression (Article
8.1).
Promote new terminology and a new
discourse for language rights. Raise awareness and understanding that
linguistic rights means to promote equality, coexistence, diversity, and social
justice. The multilingualism of any country should be seen as an advantage and not
an obstacle for economic growth.
Promote positive changes in the use of
literature and language in education, which will lead to changes in the
perceived value applied to linguistic communities and changes in self-awareness
of linguistic communities.
Promote through mother tongue education
a sense of past and belonging to the children. Marginalized languages and
cultures need to build their own symbolic narratives in the way that they can
recognize their own reality reflected in literary and cinematographic
narratives.
Promote language equality and allow
languages now in situations of disadvantage to achieve equality.
Promote together with social entities
to peaceful coexistence of different languages in a common territory. Help to
find ways that language community also develop the leadership of social
entities.
Promote
awareness that the problems related to indigenous languages are real, tangible
and urgent: Linguistic indigenous communities and every one of their speakers
today no longer accept living in invisibility. Indigenous peoples are
determined to recover shared memories, to rebuild identity and heal wounds. The
world today needs to recognise and transmit the value of indigenous knowledge.
The preservation of indigenous languages and cultures can save the future of
humanity.
Translation
Develop
collaboration with international network of Translator’s Associations that work
for the protection of Translators and Interpreters in conflict situation.
Develop a network of professionals in
literary translation inside PEN International and build connection with
Associations of Literary Translators worldwide.
Develop a draft project on 100 works in
less visible languages. A worldwide collection of the literature of those
languages should be a main project for the next 100 years of PEN International
Develop a manual of good practises in
publishing industry referring to the respect for language and cultural
diversity
Develop recommendations and measures
that can increase the cultural and linguistic diversity of world literature
Promote cultural diversity in the global
publishing industry
Promote the use of legal framework to
protect linguistic and literary legacy of smaller cultures in front of global
cultural exploitation
Promote translation of literary works
on all levels and get involved as PEN International in relevant literary
festivals on local and international level
Promote studies about the circulation
of translated literature on global and local scale
Promote the respect for the particular
historical background of literary works in all languages
Promote artistic value of literary
translations and study their impact
Support credibility of ethnic
expression
Support space for freedom of expression
(PEN OPP, former Dissident blog)
Support more translations to smaller
languages/ indigenous languages
Support literary translation exchange
projects
Support the development of mother
tongue educational resources
Support gender-sensitive translation
projects
Support PEN writers in African national
languages and make visible translations in/from African languages. Support existing
initiatives e.g. Jalada https://jaladaafrica.org/
Support literary readings at the TLRC meetings
and PEN Congresses. Ensure that the readings are well prepared and follow the
good practices in respect of linguistic diversity.
Create public debates on the issues of
translation (including in national newspapers)
Create platforms for writers outside of
their communities (ICORN placements etc)
Create next generation of local actors
Create additional resources for Centre
led projects (fundraising & fund management)
Create young writers translation
workshops
Ensure PEN statements and reports are
available in three languages. Translate PEN written work from civil society
projects into various languages
Increase
understanding of importance of translation
Increase
interaction between languages
Increase in young
membership interested in translation
Increase
visibility of translators and translating at PEN meetings and events
5.
RESOURCES
Partners and
Networking
(One of the main projects should be to establish a map of possible
alliances in regional and international level. This list is just a start…)
Translations
organizations and academic research
AIIC Conflict Zone Interpreter Project
Red T
International Federation of Translators (FIT)
CEATL,
professional working conditions of the translators
Columbia University, project Language justice: https://languagejustice.wordpress.com/
LAF, Literature
Across Frontiers (LAF). The initiative is based in Aberystwyth University, its
main mission is to promote literature, and provide a platform for literacy
exchange, translation and literacy policy debate.
Swiss Literary
Institute
Linguistic Observatory
for Italian-Speaking Switzerland
Pedagogical University
of Chur
Swiss Arts Council Pro
Helvetia
LEKHANA,
Bengalore, India
Education
SIL International,
dedicated to mother tongue education especially in Africa and Asia countries
Garabide (Basque
Coungry): https://www.garabide.eus/espanol/
PRAESA, South
Africa: https://uct.academia.edu/CaroleBloch
; http://www.praesa.org.za/our-team/
VARSHA
SAHASRABUDDHE (PEN South India): Going the Bilingual Way: https://youtu.be/3GDcBr0oN5M
Civil society
KONTSEILUA, Platform
that comprises associations which work for the promotion of the Basque language
IIHS (Indian
Institute for Human Settlements)
Forum du
Bilinguisme, Switzerland, an organization created in 1996
Linguistic rights
LINGUAPAX
International
CIEMEN
ELEN (European
Language Equality Network)
UNPO
(Unrepresentated Nations and People Organization)
Oficina de la UNESCO
en México
Universidad de
Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas (UNICACH)
Instituto Nacional de
Lenguas Indígenas de México (INALI)
International Refugee Assistance Project
Amnesty International’s Language Resource Centre
World council of indigenous people
Kurdish Language Institute
Indian Treaty Council
Academy Aimara Languages
Academy Maya Languages
Internal
Resources
Membership
Capacity: From 2014, the database of members is regularly updated. 160 active
members from 75 different PEN centres. Global reach, good regional
representation. Activities and membership concentrated in linguistically and
culturally diverse regions.
6.
COMMITTEE’S ACTIVITIES for 2020-2023
Events (including online events)
Tweet/ fb in more languages
Creation of young
translator’s award
TLRC Translation prize
On-line platform to publish
translations, especially poetry
Use alternative literacy: spoken word,
slams, etc.
Campaigning and online actions
Use
International Mother Language Day (21 February), World Poetry Day (21 March), World
Day for Cultural Diversity for Cultural Dialogue and Development (21 May) and
International Translation Day (30 September) as key focus days for campaigning
on Linguistic Rights Issues
Coordinate the
campaigns PEN International is already carrying out
Work closely with
the Writers in Prison Committee in the cases of imprisoned writers that are
related with the Linguistic Rights issues
Work closely with
Women Writers Committee in awareness of situation in which women are exposed as
speakers of marginalized or minority languages
Work closely with Writers
for Peace Committee in issues related to peaceful consistence of linguistic
diversity
Campaign “Around
the world in 80 languages” (recover the idea)
Protection & Advocacy
*including Committee’s statements and Resolutions
Produce clear
message based on thorough analysis of the situation: TRLC should identify
national and international organizations to ensure there is no unnecessary
duplication or conflict. TLRC should build support and coordinate advocacy and
follow-up actions with other organizations on the basis of individual mandates,
capacities and tactics. The wider the coalition, the greater the chances of
success. TLRC should always rely on international human rights legal standards
(ICCPR, Regional Standards) and be very selective about what information you
choose to include, especially around sensitive cases
(Translation)
Campaign to make translators at risk visible. Analizar la
situación de los traductores perseguidos o en peligro, tanto los que trabajan
en zonas de conflictos armados como los que son perseguidos por otras causas,
como el control ideológico o religioso de los libros que hayan traducido.
Campaign
for United Nation General Assembly resolution on role of translators
Campaign to highlight specific risks
facing translators systematically in FOE / UPR report. Write an advocacy
briefing paper on importance of translation as intersecting with FOR
Promote the
initiative that the rights acquisition requirements for translations were waved
completely for the languages included in the list of endangered languages
maintained by UNESCO. An endangered language implies relatively small numbers
of copies, and less effective publishing/bookselling infrastructure. Their
creativity should not be restrained by economic efforts they cannot be able to
satisfy. The standard international price tag, which renders the small-scale
publication financially infeasible. Often, the publishers plainly ignore the
request understanding that it is, as far as money is concerned, not worth
spending time on.
Promote interest of literary agents and publishing industry to work with
smaller languages. Define the criteria to be followed in the topic of literary
awards and establish the main points that should guide the Committee when
advising institutions on how to actively promote linguistic diversity and
visibility of the authors of small or threatened cultures. Call on the Swedish Academy to draw greater attention to indigenous,
minority and minorized languages for the Nobel price candidates.
Promote cross
border collaboration in literary magazines or anthologies. For example, the
translations of poetry works between nations in conflict (such as China and
Uygur) or to connect regions where several different languages are used (such
as an Anthology of Caribbean Literature)
Promote a debate
about the protection of folklore legacy that is not covered by copyright law.
First Nations are sometimes encouraged to publish their literary works as
collective creations, included into the concept of folklore. The problem also
lies how to protect the rights for oral literature. The Committee must help these
people to organise, to counter exploitation and provide useful legal
information for languages that have suffered from imperialism.
(Linguistic Rights)
Develop training
sessions how to use the international legislation to ensure the respect of
linguistic rights.
Develop strategy
to be present at Human Rights Council UN:
UN Human Rights
Council (side event)
UN Human Rights
Council (oral statement)
SR Freedom of
Expression
SR Minority
Rights – Key 2014 thematic report
SR Cultural
Rights
SR Right to Education
In relation to
non-citizens, migrants and refugees (Global Campaign context)
Develop,
at the Centre level, a strategic advocacy with the relevant Governmental bodies
with the purpose of improving Linguistic Rights:
CCCPR &
CESCR: Advocacy Opportunity to submit periodic reports on the situation of
language rights under Article 27 of particular country
Inter-American
Commission (hearing)
Develop
submissions and interventions before human rights bodies on key countries/issues
where Centres can drive advocacy at national and international levels: Myanmar,
Syria, Colombia, Belarus
Develop projects which address
linguistic rights work through the Civil Society Programme i.e. advocacy for
bilingual education in indigenous communities. Children should have the
opportunity to learn not only their mother tongue and the dominant State
language, but also other international languages to avoid the direct linguistic
domination.
Develop RANs, UPRs, Open Letters, Op-Eds
Research
Map tendencies
in translation of literature in regional and global context. Study the
possibility of second “To be translated or not to be” report (2007) in
collaboration with other institutions, publishers and university.
Map indigenous languages cultural
industry. Propose UNESCO report on indigenous languages and literary
creativity.
Map alliances of NGOs for TLR
Map allies in publishing
industry for translation that respects diversity
Produce a list of books
that deal with diversity in a creative way
Produce a list of authors
that would promote literature diversity and good practices in translation
Centre
development
Develop PEN membership by welcoming
indigenous writers to PEN International, either by developing appropriate PEN
Centres (like the proposed Maya PEN) or through Committees of Writers in
Indigenous Languages within existing centres (like in PEN Argentina)
Give visibility to the leadership of
those PEN members/Centres in PEN’s advocacy at the national and regional level
Provide resources and guidance to
Centres in support of their work to address linguistic and translation rights
and show how they underpin enjoyment of other rights
Provide training to Centres and share
learning from successful projects in mother tongue education and inclusion of
local literatures in schools curricula (eg. experience of PEN Philippines)
Develop strategies and learning material
that can be used in promotion of the use of local languages among children and
young adults
Other
activities
Insistir en la necesidad que los delegados en las
reuniones del Comité presenten sus intervenciones por escrito, en forma de artículos
breves, a fin de que puedan ser compartidos más fácilmente con los centros que
no hayan podido acudir a la cita
7.
PROJECTED OUTCOMES
Including tools
developed for the Centres use
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