The NTC Celebrates 10th Anniversary by Outlining Priorities for Next Phase

The National Translation Committee Celebrates 10th Anniversary by Outlining Priorities for Next Phase

The National Translation Committee forms the Translation Industry Workgroup, appoints the Translation Technology Advisory Panel and plans to introduce an upgraded SG Translate 2.0.

Singapore, 15 November 2024 - The National Translation Committee (NTC) concluded its year-long 10th anniversary celebrations today with a conference and appreciation dinner, themed "Connecting Communities through Translation – Past, Present and Future". Since its inception on 1 March 2014, the NTC has played an integral role in enhancing Whole-of-Government translation standards and capabilities through a collaborative effort involving the public, private and people (3P) sectors.

2. Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, and NTC Chairperson, Mr Tan Kiat How, delivered the opening address at the conference, highlighting the committee's achievements over the past decade, and outlining its strategic direction and new initiatives. NTC’s focus and new initiatives for the next lap

3. The NTC will concentrate its efforts for the next lap on three pillars of focus, namely: Community, Talent, and Technology.

4. Under the Community pillar, NTC will build on its efforts to engage the public on translation. It plans to deepen community engagement by championing translation through bilingualism. The NTC will continue working closely with our partner agencies, including the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism (LKYFB), Ministry of Education (MOE), and National Library Board (NLB), to explore ways to reshape how Singaporeans perceive bilingualism, by positioning it as a lifelong pursuit. The NTC hopes to galvanise the community to embrace the mother tongue languages and foster closer community ties through translation.

5. Under the Talent pillar, the Translation Industry Workgroup will be launched with the goal of identifying ways to further uplift Singapore’s translation standards. The workgroup will survey Singapore’s translation landscape, review existing certification programmes, and identify those with the potential to serve as a national standard. The workgroup’s recommendations to the NTC aim to allow service buyers to benefit from greater assurance of translation quality, and to support the establishment of a common benchmark for professional translators practicing in Singapore. This workgroup will be co-led by current NTC members – Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Chairman of Bulan Bahasa Committee and Member of Parliament for Choa Chu Kang GRC, and Associate Professor Susan Xu from the Singapore University of Social Sciences – and additional suitable members will be invited to join it.

6. Under the Technology pillar, a Translation Technology Advisory Panel will be appointed. Comprising technology experts, this panel will guide the NTC on emerging trends in translation technology and offer strategic counsel on issues relating to translation technology. This will inform NTC’s strategy for encouraging wider adoption of translation technologies by the industry and our community. The NTC will be reaching out to invite suitable members to join the Advisory Panel.

7. Since its inception, SG Translate has become a valuable resource, enabling government agencies to reach non-English-speaking communities in Singapore more effectively. Today, the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be harnessed to enhance the efficacy and accuracy of translations. The Translation Technology Advisory Panel will study and make recommendations for an upgraded SG Translate 2.0. The Panel will explore areas such as leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) capabilities and strengthening community involvement to improve the quality of translations.

8. With these new initiatives, NTC aims to build on its success in the past decade, to continue providing a dynamic, collaborative environment to advance translation standards in Singapore, engage our citizens effectively, and support Singapore’s multilingual society.

9. At the appreciation dinner, SMS Tan will acknowledge the contribution of NTC partners and launch a commemorative e-book, 'Word by Word: Connecting Communities Through Translation', which reflects on NTC's achievements and future vision. SMS Tan will also present two sets of prestigious accolades: NTC10 Special Recognition Awards, which recognises outstanding contributions and support towards NTC’s initiatives over the past decade, and the Translation Talent Development Scheme Awards, which supports translation and interpretation practitioners from the private sector in deepening their skills.