NEW DELHI: The Government is considering a Rs. 250-crore project to promote translations — not only of literature but texts in practically every domain of study, and between various Indian languages instead of just to and from English — to increase access to knowledge and strengthen people's participation in education.

The proposal of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has been broadly approved by the Planning Commission. And, it is powered by the fact that the suggestion first came from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself.

Translation Mission

Acting on Dr. Singh's idea, the NKC has said that a National Translation Mission (NTM) should be set up to promote and disseminate good quality translations to broadbase education that has perennially suffered from limited access to well translated material in various domains of study.

Besides identifying the gaps, the NTM will help public sector and private organisations involved in translation work to re-examine their priorities, improve quality and widen awareness.

A spin-off is the employment potential of the translation industry. It can create between 2,00,000 and half-a-million jobs. A back-of-the-envelope calculation is that translation activities can absorb a substantial part of the educated unemployed youth.

According to a letter written to the Prime Minister by NKC Chairman Sam Pitroda, it will require an allocation of Rs. 250 crore over the entire Eleventh Plan — Rs. 80 crore for organisational costs, manpower and scholarships, and Rs. 170 crore for related activities, including funding other collaborating institutions.

The NKC has also sought one-time support for the NTM for creating and developing infrastructure.

Though the NKC has made out a case for ploughing considerable amount of money into this task, Mr. Pitroda states in his letter that public intervention of such magnitude does not have to be a permanent feature. It should be limited to a "set of measures to kick-start a process of encouraging private initiative such that the largely commercially viable provision of high quality translation in different areas becomes feasible."

Some of the activities proposed as part of this mega-exercise are creation of a National Register for Translators, translator education, translating pedagogic materials at all levels — including primary to tertiary education — particularly in natural and social sciences, a national web portal on translations as a one-stop shop for related information, and promoting machine translation.

As for the NTM, the NKC is of the view that it should be an autonomous entity either under the administrative control of the Union Human Resource Development Ministry or the Culture Ministry.

Broad contours

Providing the broad contours of the NTM, Mr. Pitroda said: "It would be a relatively small body in terms of its own infrastructure and be flexible in organisation but would have a budget sufficient to enable it to carry out targeted funding in identified areas. It would not function in a centralised way but will require involvement at many different levels, including State and local levels, and coordination with many different agencies."

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