English speeches in the Assembly should not be translated into Welsh on the official record of proceedings, a report said today.
Campaigners said they would consult lawyers about challenging the decision to stop producing a full Welsh version of the record.
The Assembly Commission, which handles day-to-day business in Cardiff Bay, last year proposed ending Welsh translations of English exchanges in the Senedd chamber to save £250,000.
An independent panel, appointed by the Commission, said a verbatim record of proceedings should be published in the original language spoken.
It will be accompanied by a record of the contemporaneous translation from Welsh to English as it is heard in the chamber during plenary sessions.
The panel also called for the online broadcasting service Senedd TV to be the principal record kept for historians.
It added Assembly staff should have or should acquire some skills in the Welsh language, ranging from the ability to meet and greet to drafting and translating legislation.
Chairwoman Menna Machreth said: "It's a disgraceful decision."The Assembly's claims that they're trying to create a bilingual society are a sham: they're not treating the Welsh language equally.
"English will end up being the only official language of business in the Assembly - they're leaving Welsh on the sidelines.
"What hope is there for the future of the language if even our politicians don't take it seriously?’’
No comments:
Post a Comment