Translation Bureau
{{Short description|Institution of the government of Canada}}
The Translation Bureau is an institution of the federal government of Canada operated by Public Services and Procurement Canada that provides translation services for all agencies, boards, commissions, and departments of the government. {{as of|December 2022}}, the bureau employs 130 interpreters, of which about 70 are on staff and 60 are freelancers. It is one of the largest "government organizations dedicated to translation".
The bureau was transferred from the Department of the Secretary of State to Public Works and Government Services Canada in June 1993, when the then government reorganized agencies to consolidate groups primarily tasked with providing services to other government organizations, referred to as common service organizations (CSOs).
The number of interpreters employed by the bureau affects the number of Parliamentary committee sessions that can be conducted. Freelance interpreters are not accredited by the Translation Bureau. Public Services and Procurement Canada only works with accredited interpreters, prioritizing those with an open contract.
Tasks of interpreters include live interpretation during House of Commons debates and committee meetings, and translation of documentation such as Acts of Parliament, bills, correspondence, and reports.
The bureau has investigated the use of various technologies to provide its services, including neural machine translation and artificial intelligence. It has used a statistical machine translation system named Portage developed by the National Research Council Canada since 2016. This system is used in conjunction with human translators.
In January 2019, the bureau began providing translation services in Dene, East Cree, Plains Cree, and Mohawk.
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite magazine|url=https://thewalrus.ca/how-canada-accidentally-helped-crack-computer-translation/|title=How Canada accidentally helped crack computer translation|last=Mitchell|first=Christine|magazine=The Walrus|date=7 March 2022|access-date=8 March 2022}}
{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qf21r|encyclopedia=How Ottawa spends, 1996-97: Life under the knife|title=Public works and government services: Beautiful theory meets ugly reality|editor-last=Swimmer|editor-first=Gene|last=Roberts|first=Alasdair|publisher=McGill–Queen's University Press|date=1996|pages=171–204|jstor=j.ctt9qf21r }}
{{cite news|url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2022/12/13/work-interrupted-new-hires-remote-interpretation-set-to-boost-committee-capacity-in-new-year/358881/|title=Work, interrupted: new hires, remote interpretation set to boost committee capacity in new year|last=Ryckewaert|first=Laura|work=The Hill Times|date=13 December 2022}}
{{cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/parliament-hill-interpreters-concerned-over-translation-quality-if-feds-hire-non-accredited-staff-1.6031216|title=Parliament Hill interpreters concerned over translation quality if feds hire non-accredited staff|last=van Dyk|first=Spencer|work=CTV News|date=17 August 2022|access-date=15 December 2022}}
{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/translator-house-of-commons-1.5016715|title=Cree translator in House of Commons 'proud' to be part of history|last1=Wapachee|first1=Celina|last2=Wapachee|first2=Cheryl|work=CBC News|date=13 February 2019|access-date=15 December 2022}}
{{cite press release|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/translation-bureau-establishes-industry-advisory-committee-853750347.html|title=Translation Bureau establishes industry advisory committee|author=Public Services and Procurement Canada|publisher=Canada NewsWire|date=15 August 2019|access-date=15 December 2022}}
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External links
- [https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/bt-tb/index-eng.html Translation Bureau] at Public Services and Procurement Canada
- [https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._1561/page-1.html Translation Bureau Regulations] at Justice Laws
Category:Federal departments and agencies of Canada