Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696585650102.pdf (Vanuatu)
LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 GOVERNMENT OF VANUATU i © Language Services Department (LSD) 2020 All rights for commercial / for profit reproduction or translation, in any form, reserved.

LSD authorises the partial reproduction or translation of this material for scientific, educational or research purposes, provided that LSD and the source document are properly acknowledged.
Permission to reproduce the document and/ or translate in whole, in any form, whether for commercial / for profit or non-profit purposes, must be requested in writing.
Design and Layout by Abel Consolidate Photo Credit: Cover Image © Vanuatu Cultural Center Archives Page 64 © Leah Bani All Other Images © Language Services Department Produced by: Language Services Department Ministry of the Prime Ministry Government of Vanuatu Port Vila, Vanuau P : +678 33355 November 2020 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 GOVERNMENT OF VANUATU 1 WE, the people of Vanuatu… CHERISHING our ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity… From the Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu National and official languages (1) The national language of the Republic of Vanuatu is Bislama.
The official languages are Bislama, English and French.

The principal languages of education are English and French.

(2) The Republic of Vanuatu shall protect the different local languages which are part of the national heritage, and may declare one of them as a national language.
From Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu Right of a citizen to services in own language (3) The A citizen of Vanuatu may obtain, in the official language that he uses, the services which he may rightfully expect from the administration of the Republic of Vanuatu.

(4) Where a citizen considers that there has been a breach of sub-article (1) he may make a complaint to the Ombudsman who shall conduct an enquiry in accordance with Articles 62 and 6W3.
(5) The Ombudsman shall, each year, make a special report to Parliament concerning the observance of multilingualism and the measures likely to ensure its respect.

From Article 64 of the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu A vibrant cultural identity underpinning a peaceful, just and inclusive society The country was founded on Melanesian values of respect, harmony, unity and forgiveness.

These values shape our cultural heritage, which is the country’s strength.
They are expressed through our oral traditions, languages, performing arts, social practices… From the National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030, p.3 2 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 SOC 6- Strong and Effective Institutions: A dynamic public sector with good governance principles and strong institutions delivering the support and services expected by all citizens of Vanuatu Policy Objective SOC 6.4- Strengthen national institutions to ensure they are cost-effective and well- resourced to deliver quality public services.
From the National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030, p.12 Five (5) Strategic Priorities for the MPM Corporate and Business Plans (1) Promote effectiveness and efficiency of institutions for improvement of service delivery.

(2) Set policy & legislative directions for the Government.

(3) Build institutional & human resource capacity.

(4) Progress availability & accessibility of information for all.

(5) Provide and enable a framework for a safe, secure, inclusive & equitable Vanuatu.
From the Corporate Plan of the Ministry of the Prime Minister 2.1 To launch & implement the Department’s Language Policy (1) Director, Admin Officer, and DG to finalise the alignent of Language Policies with NSDP by Q3, 2020 using Recurrent budget (Activity 2.1.1) (2) Director, Admin Officer, and DG to launch the Language Policies by Q4, 2020 using Recurrent budget (Activity 2.1.2) From the Business Plan of the Language Services Department THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 3 Table of Content 06 Foreword 08 Acknowledgement 10 12 13 14 18 General Authority and Purpose Policy Objectives Structure of the LSD, Recruitment and Review Definitions 20 Application 21 General Translation Services 23 24 26 27 28 30 32 34 36 38 Legal Translation Services Translation Services to Non-Governmental Institutions and Individuals Translation Speed and Respect of Datelines Internal Revision Services Revision of Documents Translated by Private Translators Interpretation Services to Government Institutions or Meetings Interpretation Services to Non-Governmental Institutions or Individuals Contracting Out of Translation, Revision and Interpretation Services Recording of Translation, Revision and Interpretation Services Confirmation of Translations Disseminated through Government Network 4 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 40 Procedures of Obtaining Services from LSD 42 Conflictual Situation 44 LSD Website and Database 46 Translation, Revision, Interpretation
 and Terminology Statistics 47 Language Awareness 48 Translation, Revision and Interpretation Working Tools 50 Vanuatu National Language Council 52 Language Staff Development 53 Internship & Holiday Jobs 54 Acting Positions 55 Succession 56 Partnerships 57 Assets 58 Cleaning Services 59 Organization of Meetings and Trainings 60 Leave, Absence and Lateness 61 Behavior Management 62 Implementation 63 Policy Review THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 5 Foreword On behalf of the Ministry of the Prime Minister (MPM), I am delighted to present to you the Language Policy of the Language Services Department (LSD).
The LSD started to deliver language services to the Government of Vanuatu since the independence of the country in 1980, but without a policy that could guide its services.

The Language Policy for the Language Services Department is an end product of a five (5) year commitment for the sake of better service delivery to the Republic of Vanuatu and its citizens.
This Policy comes with a vision to implement the Article 3 and the Article 64.1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu and aims to deliver Government services in the three (3) official languages of the nation.

Through this Language Policy, the LSD will now better handle the language services that it delivers to the nation in terms of translation, interpretation, revision and terminology.

The Policy will serve as a guide to all the activities of the Department.
Thus, the Business Plan of the Department, usually established in line with the MPM Corporate Plan, will be guided by the Policy.

6 6 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 The Policy will be administrated by the Coordinator of the Vanuatu National Language Council (VNLC) under the Language Services Department, and will be implemented in collaboration with all the sections under the Department.
I commend the efforts of the LSD Director and staff for the coordination of the establishment of this Policy and all the institutions and people whose contributions have allowed it to happen for better language service delivery to the Republic of Vanuatu and its people.
E P R L B U I C OF VA N U A T U DIRECTOR GENERAL PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE DIRECTEUR GENERAL BUREAU DU PREMIER MINISTRE R E P U BLIQUE D E V A U U AT N Gregoire NIMBTIK Director General Ministry of the Prime Minister FOREWORD THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 7 Acknowledgement The Language Services Department (LSD) has been operating without a policy since it was created just before Vanuatu gained its independence in 1980.
The idea of having one came out some seven (7) years back, but its establishment finally happens this year, 2020, after the current Department’s leadership decided to fully commit itself to the drafting of the Policy, as well as to the consultation, awareness and survey that led to this achievement.
Therefore, as Director of the Language Services Department, I’d like to take this opportunity to pause and salute my administration and technical officers for the good spirit of unity and cooperation that dwells in them.

This has stirred up their commitment to contribute to the drafting of the Policy and to carry out the consultation, awareness and survey that allowed the finalization of the document.
I also acknowledge the input of the secondary schools and nearby communities in the provinces of Torba, Sanma, Malampa, Penama, Shefa and Tafea.

Valuable comments and contributions were gathered at the time of consultation in each area visited.

Thus, I convey the gratitude of the Department to chiefs, heads of household, mothers and secondary school students who took their time to attend the consultations organized in their areas to give their highly regarded contributions.
8 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Consultations were successfully conducted thanks to each Provincial Education Office and the offices of Area Administrators in each province that facilitated the communication with secondary schools and communities.
Furthermore, the Provincial Education Officers (PEOs) and Acting PEOs, the School Improvement Officers (SIOs), the School Coordinators, the Area Administrators and Area Secretaries, the school Principals and the Chiefs of visited areas in the six (6) provinces had played a very vital role in gathering the students and community members together for consultation, survey and awareness.

Recognition is expressed to you all!


Most importantly, sincere appreciation is conveyed to the office of the Director General of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and the Honorable Prime Minister for supporting the Language Services Department to have a Policy that could better guide its language services to this nation.
L B U RE P I C OF VAN U A T U LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Stewart GARAE Director DIRECTION DES SERVICES LINGUISTIQUES R E P U BLIQUE D E V A U ATU N Language Services Department ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 9 General The Language Services Department (LSD), established just before the country’s independence in 1980, has grown into a very strategic Department in the Government services delivery.
The services it provides to the Nation in terms of language keep on increasing that it now needs guidance for the delivery of these services.

Therefore, this Policy is developed to guide the language services provided to the people of the Republic of Vanuatu in terms of translation, revision, interpretation, terminology, language awareness and the work of the Vanuatu National Language Council.
It outlines clear procedures of providing these services and of obtaining them, as well as the responsibilities of the technical officers in carrying out the delivery of these services.

10 10 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Vision To implement Section 3 and Section 64.1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu.

Goal To assist in delivering Government services in the three official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu.
Values Quality language services to the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu and its people in the three (3) official languages of the nation are our concern.

Mission To Promote Vanuatu’s official languages for the purpose of efficient Government services delivery.
GENERAL THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 11 11 11 Authority and Purpose The Language Services Department was established by virtue of Order No.1/PM/79 of 17th January 1979 and placed under the responsibility of the Prime Minister.
The purpose of the Department is to assist the Government in implementing Article 3, Chapter 1, of the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu declaring Bislama, English and French as the three official languages of the Republic, as well as Article 64.1 of Chapter 9 which stipulates the right of a Vanuatu citizen to “obtain, in the official language he uses, the services which he may rightfully expect from the Republic’s administration”.
This assistance aims at facilitating communication between speakers and users of the three official languages both internally and externally, as well as enabling the Government to communicate effectively to its people and with two of the largest linguistic and cultural streams of the world when dealing externally with cultural, educational, development, technical and economic matters.
12 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Policy Objectives The objectives of this Policy are: 1 2 3 To establish the principles of a working relationship between ministries, departments, semi-Government and constitutional organizations within the executive, legislative and judicial arms of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu.
To provide the procedures that the Language Services Department should follow in order to expediently meet the Nation’s expectations and the legal requirements regarding the availability and quality of trilingual communication in the Government services delivery, as per the Section 64.1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu.

To ensure all Government documents are in the three (3) official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu.
POLICY OBJECTIVES THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 13 13 Structure of the LSD, Recruitment and Review The Language Services Department is under the Ministry of the Prime Minister and is headed by a duly appointed Director.

As head of the Department, the Director has the overall responsibilities over the LSD.
The Director shall be assisted by the four (4) section heads which are Principal Language Officers (PLOs) and the National Coordinator of the National Language Council – officers that can act on behalf of the Director.

The officers of the LSD are appointed on merit by PSC, on recommendation of a duly appointed selection panel, when a position becomes vacant in the Department and is advertised openly to the public at large.

The Department shall take in short term interns for practical purposes.
Due to the technicality of its work, the Department shall recommend for the Public Service Commission to allow internal transfer of LSD officers to occupy higher positions in the Department’s structure – except for the position of administration staff.

14 14 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 6 7 The LSD is divided into seven (7) sections, six (6) of which are technical sections, namely: a.
Administration b. Vanuatu National Language Council (VNLC) (technical) c. French Section (technical) d. Legal Section (technical) e. Bislama Section (technical) f. English Section (technical) g. Revision and Terminology Section (technical) Each Section has a head of Section, who is a Principal Language Officer, except the Administration Section where the Director oversees the administration staff.
Technical sections are, in general, composed of Principal Language Officers, Senior Language Officers and Language Officers, except for the VNLC.

The structure of the Language Services Department shall be reviewed every three (3) to five (5) years.
STRUCTURE OF THE LSD, RECRUITMENT AND REVIEW THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 15 Structure of the LSD, Recruitment and Review 8 On the right is the new structure of the Department (as approved on 23 November 2018 by the Public Service Commission).
Director National Coordinator Vanuatu National Language Council 16 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 French Section (Technical) Principal Langugage Officer (French) Legal Section (Technical) Principal Langugage Officer (French - Legal) Bislama Section (Technical) English Section (Technical) Principal Langugage Officer (Bislama) Principal Langugage Officer (English) Revised Section (Technical) Reviser and Terminologist Senior Language Officer (French) x 3 Language Officer (French) Senior Language Officer Interpreter (French) Senior Language Officer (French Legal) Senior Language Officer Interpreter (French Legal) Senior Language Officer (Bislama) x 2 Senior Language Officer Interpreter (Bislama) Senior Language Officer Interpreter (English) Language Officer (English) Admin.
and Finance Officer Secretary/Librarian Cleaner THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 17 Definitions Translation A conversion of written communication from one language to another.

In the case of this Policy, the languages concerned are Bislama, English and French.

Interpretation An oral translation and includes both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation.

In the case of this Policy, as for translation, the languages concerned are Bislama, English and French.
Revision Proofreading and correction of translated documents.

The languages concerned are Bislama, English and French.

Department The Language Services Department (LSD) established by virtue of Order No.1/PM/79 of 17th January 1979.

VNLC The Vanuatu National Language Council that needs to be revived for the purpose of dealing efficiently with language matters in the public sector and the private sector.
18 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Terminology A computerized collection of terms records organized into files bank for information storage and retrieval purposes, and accessed by terminal, and where the set of data stored in the bank constitutes the terminological data base.
Language Awareness carried out by the LSD officers in schools and communities Awareness around the country promoting the three official languages of Vanuatu and their importance in the public administration, in schools and in the nation as a whole.

Internship Senior secondary or university students applying to attach with the Department for experience in translation, interpretation and administration for a short period of time.
Attachment Attachment of LSD officers with other Government ministries, departments and/or other institutions for a short period of time, in order to learn more about their activities, to understand their work and to gather proper and adequate terminology used in these areas that, in turn, could be used in translation, revision and interpretation.
DEFINITIONS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 19 Application This Policy is enforced as a guideline to the work of the LSD in order to uphold the Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu and, as such, will be implemented across all Government ministries, departments, semi-Government organizations, constitutional bodies and the legislative assembly of the Republic.
Its application comes into force when it is approved and officially launched by the Honorable Prime Minister who is responsible for language matters in the country.
20 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 General Translation Services 1 2 The Language Services Department provides general translation services requested by the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu through Government ministries and departments or other Government institutions, semi-Government and constitutional organizations within the executive, legislative and judicial arms of the Government.
This means that any Government document for public use, such as policies, plans, reports, letters, vacancies, notices, strategies, etc., could be translated into the three (3) official languages, which are Bislama, English and French.

The Department is generally responsible for the quality of the Government documents translation work.

Therefore, the LSD translators are required to produce quality translations (95% to 100% exploitable).
GENERAL TRANSLATION SERVICES THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 21 General Translation Services 3 4 These translation services are provided free of charge, except for: • Work involving translators to travel overseas with a ministerial delegation; and • Specific translation work outside the work profile of a translator.
In the case of services provided by a translator within the scope of these exceptions, the following rates shall be applied: Services Rates In case of travelling overseas 10,000 VUV/day with a ministerial delegation (apart from travelling package) Specific translation work 1,500 VUV/hour performed outside work profile 22 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Legal Translation Services 1 2 3 The Language Services Department also provides legal translation services requested by the legislative assembly of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu through the State Law Office (SLO).
All Government bills, orders, instructions or any other legal documents from the SLO will be translated, free of charge, by the Legal Section of the LSD.

And as for general translation services, quality in legal translation services is to be taken into account by the legal translators (95%-100% exploitable).

Any legal document from private institutions or lawyers to be translated into either the three official languages will be charged 20 VUV/word.
Any private institution or lawyer wishing their document to be translated by the LSD must first make an arrangement with the Department before obtaining the approval of sending their document for translation.

No amount is paid directly to the Language Officer providing the translation services.

The LSD will receive the full amount paid, then will offer the Officer concerned 30% of the amount.
If more than one (1) officers were involved in the translation services, they will then share 50% of the amount paid.
LEGAL TRANSLATION SERVICES THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 23 Translation Services to Non-Government Institutions and Individuals 1 2 3 The Language Services Department provides translation services, free of charge, only to Government ministries and departments or other Government institutions, semi- Government and constitutional organizations within the executive, legislative and judicial arm of the Government.
Any document from private agencies, institutions, organizations or individuals to be translated in either the three official languages will not be free of charge.

The LSD will charge the translation of such document at the rate of 20 VUV/word.

Any private agency, institution, organization or individual wishing their document to be translated by the LSD must first make an arrangement with the Department before obtaining the approval of sending their document for translation.
No amount is paid directly to the Language Officer providing the translation services.

The LSD will receive the full amount paid, then will offer the Officer concerned 30% of the amount.

If more than one (1) officers were involved in the translation services, they will then share 50% of the amount paid.
24 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 4 5 In the case where a translator hasn’t respected the dateline requirements, a penalty shall be imposed to him/her – he/she will be offered only 15% of the amount instead of 30%.

The amount to be paid by a private agency, institution, organization or individual to the LSD for translation services must be settled before the translation work is actually sent back.
A bill established by the LSD Administration & Finance Officer based on the number of words is to be sent to the client in advance, before translation work commences.

For documents of 5,000 words and above, 50% of the amount shall be deposited at commencement of translation.

The other 50% shall be fixed at the completion of translation.
TRANSLATION SERVICES TO NON-GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 25 Translation Speed and Respect of Datelines 1 2 3 4 A LSD translator is required to translate between 1,000 words (minimum) and 2,000 words (maximum) per day.
Any Government ministry and department or any other Government institution, semi- Government and constitutional organization within the executive, legislative and judicial arm of the Government shall submit their documents for translation well before the due date of translation, using the LSD Translation Request Form.

Clients shall be mindful of the translation speed of a translator (1,000 words/day) so that return dates of the translated documents are fixed reasonably.

E.g.
E.g.

A document of 10,000 words should be given 10 working days (excluding public holidays and weekends) to be translated.

A translator is required to respect the translation dates reasonably fixed by the client.

Should the translated document be returned late for a valid reason, it shall not exceed a week lateness, or two weeks for a serious case.
26 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Internal Revision Services 1 2 3 Internal revision services are provided for quality purposes.

The Language Services Department provides proofreading and correction or revision services for translated documents done by the Department’s Language Officers (LOs).

Documents translated by PLOs and SLOs, which are professional translators, or the Director, do not necessarily have to go through revision.
INTERNAL REVISION SERVICES THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 27 27 Revision of Documents Translated by Private Translators 1 2 3 Private translators include all translators not employed in the Languages Services Department.
All documents translated outside the Language Services Department and sent to the Department for proofreading, correction or revision shall be charged at the rate of 1,000 VUV/page – if the font size of the writing is 11 or above (font preferred could be Times New Roman, Arial and Calibri).

In the case where the font size is below 11, proofreading, correction or revision services will be charged at 2,000 VUV/page.
No amount received from the proofreading, correction and revision services is paid directly to the Reviser.

The LSD will receive the full amount paid, then will offer the Officer concerned 30% of the amount.

28 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 4 In the case where a reviser hasn’t respected the dateline requirements, a penalty shall be imposed to him/her – he/ she will be offered only 15% of the amount instead of 30%.
The amount to be paid to the LSD for revision services must be settled before the revision work is actually sent back to the institution responsible.

A bill established by the LSD Administration & Finance Officer is to be sent to the client in advance, before revision work commences.
REVISION OF DOCUMENTS TRANSLATED BY PRIVATE TRANSLATORS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 29 Interpretation Services to Government Institutions or Meetings 1 2 3 4 The Language Services Department deals mainly with interpretation (simultaneous or consecutive) to Government institutions, semi-Government and constitutional organizations within the executive, legislative and judicial arm of the Government or their related meetings.
The Language Services Department shall provide, free of charge, simultaneous or consecutive interpretation services to any Government institution or any meeting organized by a Government institution, semi-Government and constitutional organizations within the executive, legislative and judicial arm of the Government.

Simultaneous or consecutive interpretation services are only provided in the three (3) official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu, namely Bislama, English and French.
In the case where an interpreter should travel out to deliver interpretation services, all travelling expenses and travelling requirements (in terms of funds) must be met by the Government institution requesting the service.
30 30 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 5 6 7 Interpreters from the Language Services Department shall always make themselves available for any interpretation services requested by a Government institution from the executive, legislative and judicial arm of the Government.
Should an interpretation service be delivered, interpreters shall require background information about this service to be received well in advance in order to familiarize themselves with the matter concerned before handling it.

Request for interpretation services must be submitted to the Department well in advance of their requirement in order to permit scheduling.
INTERPRETATION SERVICES TO GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS OR MEETINGS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 31 Interpretation Services to Non-Government Institutions or Individuals 1 2 3 4 In the case where a Government interpreter from the Language Services Department is requested for simultaneous or consecutive interpretation services by non-government institutions or individuals, the services provided shall be charged at a rate of 3,000 VUV/ hour.
No amount received from the interpretation services is paid directly to the interpreter.

The LSD will receive the full amount paid, then will offer the Officer concerned 30% of the amount.

If more than one (1) interpreter are needed in one simultaneous or consecutive interpretation session, the interpreters shall organize themselves according to the number of hours of this session.
The simultaneous or consecutive interpretation services shall only be provided in the three (3) official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu, namely Bislama, English and French.

32 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 5 6 7 In the case where an interpreter should travel out to deliver interpretation services, all travelling expenses and travelling requirements (in terms of funds) must be met by the non-Government institution or individual requesting the service.
Should an interpretation service be delivered, interpreters shall require background information about this service to be received well in advance in order to familiarize themselves with the matter concerned before handling it.

Request for interpretation services must be submitted to the Department well in advance of their requirement in order to permit scheduling.
INTERPRETATION SERVICES TO NON-GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS OR INDIVIDUALS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 33 33 Contracting out of Translation, Revision and Interpretation Services 1 2 3 4 The Language Services Department shall contract out, to a private translator, any document that it has received and recorded for translation, but cannot translate it because of time constraint.
The Language Services Department shall contract out, to a private reviser, any translated document that it has received and recorded for revision, but cannot revise it because of time constraint.

Contracting out, by the Language Services Department, of translation services shall be done only if the client owning the document concerned agrees to pay for the contracted services at the rate of 25 VUV/word.
Contracting out, by the Language Services Department, of revision services shall be done only if the client owning the translated document concerned agrees to pay for the contracted services at the rate of 1,500 VUV/page.
The Language Services Department shall contract out, to a private interpreter, an 34 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 5 6 7 interpretation service only if the client requesting this interpretation service agrees to pay 3,500 VUV/hour of the interpretation session.

No amount due for translation, revision or interpretation services provided shall be paid directly to the private translator, reviser or interpreter.
The LSD will receive the full amount paid, then will offer the Officer concerned 70% of the amount.

Any qualified and certified translator, reviser or interpreter wishing to be contracted by the LSD for translation, revision or interpretation services shall abide to the conditions aforementioned.
CONTRACTING OUT OF TRANSLATION, REVISION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 35 Recording of Translation, Revision and Interpretation Services 1 2 3 4 Recording of documents is necessary for follow up and reference.

It also complies with the RTI Act.


Any document received by the Language Services Department for translation into either French, Bislama or English, shall be well recorded, by the LSD Secretary, with all necessary information concerning the document.
Any document received for translation and recorded by the Department’s Secretary shall be dispatched to the right Section and shall be recorded (with all necessary information concerning the document) by the Section’s head (PLO) before dissemination to translators for translation work.
Where a document received for translation is not understandable or parts of it are not understandable, the respective LSD Section heads are required to call the author of the document to rewrite it, or clarify or rewrite these confusing parts.

36 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 5 6 7 Any document received by the Language Services Department for revision shall be well recorded, by the LSD Secretary, with all necessary information concerning the document.
Any document received for revision and recorded by the Department’s Secretary shall be dispatched to the right Section and shall be recorded (with all necessary information concerning the document) by the Section’s head (PLO) before dissemination to the Reviser for revision work.
Any request to the Language Services Department for interpretation services shall be recorded by the Secretary before allocating the task to the right Section which Section’s head shall, in turn, record the interpretation service concerned.
RECORDING OF TRANSLATION, REVISION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 37 Confirmation of Translations Disseminated through Government Network 1 2 3 Any document to be disseminated for public consumption, through the Government Network, must be in the three (3) official languages (Bislama, English and French), or, in worst cases, in English and French.
Any document, in the three (3) official languages, to be disseminated through the Government Network must be confirmed by the Language Services Department for quality reasons.

The public expects Government documents that are clear and grammatically accurate for better understanding, therefore, a document in the three (3) official languages full of serious errors and/or minor errors must not be published in the Government Intranet (for quality reasons).
The Language Services Department is not responsible for any material translated outside the Department and circulated through the Government Intranet without confirmation from the LSD.

38 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Therefore, before instructing the OGCIO to circulate such material through the Government Network, institutions responsible are required to seek revision services from the LSD by applying section 12 of this Policy.
This measure is a practical step to minimize errors in a translated document and to address and preserve quality of documents disseminated through the Government Intranet for public consumption.
THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 39 Procedure of Obtaining Services from the LSD 1 Translation services are obtained by completing a Translation Request 3 Interpretation services are obtained by completing an Interpretation Form and returning it to the LSD with Request Form and returning it to the the document to be translated.

LSD.
LSD.

The Translation Request Form is used The Interpretation Request Form by the Department for the purpose of: is used by the Department for the • Registering documents for purpose of: translation; • Registering the interpretation • Scheduling translation tasks; services; • Following up translation work • Scheduling the interpretation progress; • Statistics; and • Filing.
services delivery; • Following up of the progress of the interpretation services; • Statistics; and 2 Clients should refer to subsection 3 • Filing.

of section 10 of this Policy when they fix the return date of their translated document.

40 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 4 Revision services are obtained by completing a Revision Request Form and returning it to the LSD.
The Revision Request Form is used by the Department for the purpose of: • Registering documents for revision; • Scheduling the revision services; • Following up of the progress of the revision services; • Statistics; and • Filing.

5 All materials under translation or revision by the Language Services Department shall remain LSD properties until they are completed and returned to their respective clients.
PROCEDURE OF OBTAINING SERVICES FROM THE LSD THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 41 41 Conflictual Situations 1 2 3 4 In the event of conflict between clients and the Language Service Department relating to translation, revision or interpretation, the Department, through its Director, may: • establish priorities and allocate resources accordingly; and • call the two parties to sit together and solve the differences.
In the case where a translation or revision is delayed and the return date requirement is not respected for a valid reason, the Department, through its respective Section heads (PLOs), could call the client to discuss another reasonable date to return the translation work.
In the event of conflict between a client and the Language Service Department relating to the use of a technical term, the Department, through its Director, may call the client and the Department to agree for the technical term to be used.

In the case where a technical term is used specifically in Vanuatu or the Pacific island countries, the term must be referred to the Vanuatu National Language Council for endorsement and inclusion in the LSD and Vanuatu Government Terminology Bank.
42 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 5 In the case where non-Government institutions or individuals have not paid the Language Services Department for services provided to them in terms of translation, revision or interpretation, the Department, through its Administration and Finance Officer, may carry out a follow-up with them, or, after three (3) attempts of following- up, may seek other avenues to solve the matter.
CONFLICTUAL SITUATIONS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 43 LSD Website and Database 1 2 It is essential for the Language Services Department to have a Website and Database for the following reasons:: • To carter for information about the Department and its role in the Government machinery; • To disseminate awareness information related to the use of official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu; • To allow other Government ministries and departments, as well as constitutional, statutory and semi-Government bodies and institutions, to have online access to their documents in the three (3) official languages; • To cater for the establishment of a terminology bank for the LSD and the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu establish priorities and allocate resources accordingly; and call the two parties to sit together and solve the differences.
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) shall help to set up the LSD Website and Database.
44 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 The Website and Database shall be managed by the Revision & Terminology Section of the LSD, in partnership with the OGCIO, for the following reasons: • Past documents belonging to other ministries, departments, constitutional bodies, statutory bodies and semi-Government institutions and translated by the LSD into the three (3) official languages shall be put on-line, taking into account the RTI Act; • Technical terms used in Vanuatu and the Pacific region shall be entered regularly in the terminology bank; • Current documents translated into the three (3) official languages by the LSD shall be put on-line The OGCIO shall intervene to maintain the technical parts of the LSD Website and Database, as well as its overall update.
The terminology bank shall also be subject to improvement and updating.

3 4 5 LSD WEBSITE AND DATABASE THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 45 45 Translation, Revision, Interpretation and Terminology Statistics 1 2 Statistics of all translation, revision, interpretation and terminology 3 sessions shall be well-recorded and statistics shall be well-kept for the work shall be well-kept by the LSD purpose of: Secretary.
• Follow-up on work progress; • Reference; All translation and revision documents • Statistics of interpreters.

shall be well-recorded and statistics shall be well-kept for the purpose of: • Follow-up on work progress; • Reference; 4 All technical terms entered in the terminology bank shall be well- numbered and their statistics shall • Statistics of translators and be well-kept for the purpose of revisers.

amendment and updating.


All interpretation requests and 46 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Language Awareness The Language Services Department has the duty to promote the official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu among its population.

And strategically, language awareness programs are carried out in schools and communities around the country.

Awareness programs are organized by the LSD administration and carried out by the different sections of the Department.
All officers shall be involved in one way or the other in the awareness programs.

At least, three (3) islands shall be visited each year.
1 2 3 LANGUAGE AWARENESS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 47 Translation, Revision and Interpretation Working Tools 1 2 3 A translator, reviser or interpreter from the Language Services Department shall have a quiet and peaceful working environment where he/she could think seriously and concentrate on his/her reading, writing and research.

Each translator, reviser and interpreter shall be equipped with a computer set connected to the Internet and Government Network.
The computer shall have Internet connection which will enable the downloading of online dictionaries, encyclopedias, terminology banks and other similar resources.

Each translator, reviser and interpreter shall also have access to a library where he/she could use, for work purposes, such previously mentioned resources and other books and documents such as consolidated acts, orders, gazettes, etc.
Each translator, reviser and interpreter shall have access to office telephones (only for 48 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 4 5 6 work purposes), photocopy machine, office laptop and projector in order to facilitate their work.

Each translator, reviser and interpreter shall have access to the Department’s vehicle (only for work purposes) in order to facilitate their work.
Each translator, reviser and interpreter shall have access to different websites (only for work purposes) in order to facilitate their research work.

TRANSLATION, REVISION AND INTERPRETATION WORKING TOOLS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 49 49 Vanuatu National Language Council 1 2 3 4 The Vanuatu National Language Council (VNLC) shall be operated through the National Coordinator VNLC whose position is accommodated in the LSD structure.
The VNLC shall manage the Language Act, the National Language Policy and the LSD Language Policy and ensure their implementation and review.

The National Coordinator of the Vanuatu National Language Council shall report to the Director of the Language Services Department.
The VNLC shall deal with matters related to the official languages of the Republic of Vanuatu, such as: • Sign and information boards to be in the three (3) official languages; • Letterheads to be in the three (3) official languages; • Traffic signs to be in the three (3) official languages; • Indication boards and signs for all Government ministries and departments, 50 50 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 all constitutional and statutory bodies, all state-owned enterprises and semi- Government institutions to be in the three (3) official languages; • Names of divisions, sections, units, offices and positions within a Government ministry or department, a constitutional and statutory body, a semi-Government institution or a State-Owned Enterprise to be in the three (3) official languages; • Websites created within a Government ministry or department, a constitutional and statutory body, a semi-Government institution or a State-Owned Enterprise to be in the three (3) official languages.
The VNLC shall approve all terms to be entered into the LSD terminology bank.

5 VANUATU NATIONAL LANGUAGE COUNCIL THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 51 Language Staff Development The LSD shall encourage its staff to pursue further studies.

The LSD shall seek and organize, on continuous basis, short trainings for its staff to be carried out over-seas or internally.
The LSD shall encourage ongoing on-the-job trainings to be coordinated by PLOs that are Section heads.

A LSD staff pursuing further studies must come back to serve under the Department after the end of his/her studies.
The LSD shall encourage attachment of LSD officers with other Government ministries and departments and/or other institutions for a short period of time, in order to learn more about their activities, to understand their work and to gather proper and adequate terminology used in these areas that, in turn, could be used in translation, revision and interpretation.
52 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 INTERNSHIP AND HOLIDAY JOB Internship and Holiday Job The Language Services Department shall allow senior secondary school and university students to do internship or holiday job within its offices.

Interns shall be added to the LSD staff payroll if they are recruited under the Internship Program of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Under this Program, the period of internship is six (6) months minimum.
Other students doing holiday job at the LSD, for a minimum period of two weeks, may receive a sort of appreciation, according to the discretion of the Department.

The LSD is responsible for the recruitment of interns, as well as their supervision by its Section heads.

All students doing internship or holiday job within the LSD shall abide to the PSC rules and work ethics, just like any other LSD permanent officer.
INTERNSHIP AND HOLIDAY JOB THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 53 Acting Positions 1 2 Any LSD officer shall be allowed to act in a higher position than his/ hers, only if the position concerned is vacant or if the officer actually occupying it is on study leave.

Officers acting on higher positions within the LSD are subject to the normal process of acting in the public service.
54 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Succession 1 2 The Language Services Department shall establish a succession plan that should be updated regularly according to situations like officers’: • Retirement; • Transfer; and • Resignation.

Succession planning shall also take into account • New university graduates; and • Advertisement and recruitment.
THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 55 Partnership 1 2 The Language Services Department shall establish partnership with other line departments and ministries, constitutional and statutory institutions, private sector institutions, non- Government organizations (internally or externally) and civil society communities.
Partnerships shall be established for the purpose of facilitating: • School and community awareness; • Short trainings; • Pursuit of further studies; • Private translation, revision and interpretation related activities; and • Attachment with other ministries, departments or any other Government institutions.
56 56 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Partnership Assets 1 2 All Department’s assets shall be The vehicle shall have only three (3) accurately recorded by the LSD drivers: Administration and Finance Officer • The Administration Officer, first and carefully monitored in their use.

driver; • Another staff member (to All working tools used by the LSD staff be nominated by the LSD are Government assets managed by administration), second driver; the Department.
They include desks and tables, • The Department’s Director, third driver – but the Director is also entitled to the Department’s chairs and armchairs, computer vehicle.

sets and telephones, filing cabinets and cupboards, photocopiers and All drivers shall abide to the PSC printers, laptops and projectors, rules concerning the use of G-plated icebox and kitchen utensils, cleaning vehicles.

equipment and products, stationaries and toiletries, curtains and electronic cables, and the Department’s vehicle.
4 The Department’s vehicle must go through servicing in a regular basis and repair when necessary.

3 The Department’s vehicle shall be used only for professional purposes, as per PSC instructions.
ASSETS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 57 Cleaning Services 1 Cleaning services shall be provided in a daily basis, for the sake of safe and healthy working environment, in the following premises: • Administration offices; • Technical staff offices; • Reception and library; • Toilets; and • Corridor.

2 3 4 The decoration plants shall be kept clean and watered on a regular basis.

The Department’s vehicle shall be kept clean on a regular basis.
The cleaning products must always be stored in a safe place, for security purposes.

58 58 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Organization of Meetings and Trainings The Department’s meetings shall be organized by the LSD administration team in a regular basis (according to meetings’ schedule) and records of each of them (such as minutes) shall be well kept by the Department’s Secretary.
In the case where another LSD staff member is nominated to take the minutes of a meeting in the absence of the Secretary, the minutes taken by this officer must be handed to the Secretary for recording and filing.

Trainings shall be organized by the LSD administration team according to the needs of the Department and records of each of them shall be well kept by the Department’s Secretary.

Trainings are usually organized for technical and administration staff.
Technical staff are obliged to attend any training organized by the Department.

1 2 3 4 5 ORGANIZATION OF MEETINGS AND TRAININGS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 59 Leave, Absence, Lateness All staff of the LSD are entitled to take twenty one (21) working days leave 6 Any LSD staff absent for medical reasons is required to provide a annually, as per the Public Service medical certificate as prove of his/ Staff Manual (PSSM).

her absence.
her absence.

All staff of the LSD are entitled to sick leaves, as per the PSSM.

7 Any LSD staff absent for a reason other than medical shall provide All staff of the LSD can take a valid evidence acceptable by the MPM HROs and the PSC compassionate leaves, as per the Human Resource Development PSSM.

Any other leave that a staff of the LSD intends to take must be in compliance with the PSSM.
Any LSD staff with exhausted annual leaves shall not take any annual Unit, otherwise the absence will be deducted from his/her annual leaves.

Any absence without valid reasons will be deducted from annual leaves.

Lateness shall have valid reasons, otherwise it will be deducted on 8 9 leave during the year concerned, annual leaves following a proper otherwise it will be deducted from his/ process.

her salary.
her salary.

60 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Behavior Management 1 2 3 All LSD staff shall always uphold the PSC work ethics.

Behaviors considered as bad are not tolerated in the Language Services Department.

Any bad behavior in the LSD shall be dealt with according to the PSC disciplinary process.
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 61 Implementation This Language Policy shall come into force upon its signing and official launching by the Honorable Prime Minister who is responsible for language matters.

62 LANGUAGE POLICY FOR THE LANGUAGE SERVICES DEPARTMENT / VERSION 01 2020 Policy Review 1 2 3 4 This Policy shall be reviewed every five (5) years, as of its effective date.
A Review Committee shall be established within the Language Services Department to coordinate the review.

The review may take into account all the Policy stakeholders.

Amendments to the Policy shall be made during its review.

POLICY REVIEW THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU / VERSION 01 2020 63 HALOULIRANPANI NALARA TARAPEI TSUUBUNG MWAMAK RANTAVUHARANKAREARobong HAREA IPASMETEVARENERES RORPONGNDAMTUMPHORHMORE VISOKONMALPONGTEVIR LAPLAPEN MANGORISE