[lg policy] Lost in Translation: Shortfalls in the implementation of Sri Lanka’s official languages policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Lost in Translation: Shortfalls in the implementation of Sri Lanka’s
official languages policy
<http://groundviews.org/2017/02/20/lost-in-translation-shortfalls-in-the-implementation-of-sri-lankas-official-languages-policy/>
[image: Amalini De Sayrah] Amalini De Sayrah
<http://groundviews.org/author/amalini-de-sayrah/>

on 02/20/2017


*Featured image courtesy Sharanya Sekaram
<https://lk.linkedin.com/in/sharanyasekaram>*

The Official Language Act of 1956 replaced English as the official language
of then-Ceylon with Sinhala, failing to give recognition to the Tamil
language. It was only three decades later, in the 1987 13th Amendment to
Article 18 of the Constitution, that both Sinhala and Tamil were granted
recognition as official languages of Sri Lanka. In 2009, a further twenty
years later, Gazette 25 laid down the National Language Policy, stating
regulations that state offices and government departments had to offer
services in both languages.

Though this policy is in place, shortfalls in implementation mean that
individuals and communities across the island face various struggles with
daily life and basic administration.
On International Mother Language Day, which falls on February 21, it is
vital that we recognise how an issue as seemingly small as language
inequality can hinder an individual’s daily life, access to services and
search for justice.

http://groundviews.org/2017/02/20/lost-in-translation-shortfalls-in-the-implementation-of-sri-lankas-official-languages-policy/
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