National Language Services
Encyclopedia
The National Language Service promotes and facilitates communication across languages in South Africa
. In keeping with the language requirements of the Constitution
, the NLS manages the linguistic diversity of South African society and is responsible for harnessing all the languages of the people by putting into practical effect policy measures aimed at promoting the use of these languages, including those languages which have historically been neglected.
The NLS' core business is to meet the language requirements of the Constitution by facilitating, promoting and providing a translation and editing service in all the official languages and by managing language diversity through language planning
and terminology projects.
The NLS functions as the Government's professional language support system by translating official documents in all the official languages. Its terminology service assists with the development and modernisation of the technical vocabularies of the official languages. The language planning functions include advising the Government on the development of language policy and implementation strategies.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In keeping with the language requirements of the Constitution
Constitution of South Africa
The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the country of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the government. The current constitution, the country's fifth, was...
, the NLS manages the linguistic diversity of South African society and is responsible for harnessing all the languages of the people by putting into practical effect policy measures aimed at promoting the use of these languages, including those languages which have historically been neglected.
The NLS' core business is to meet the language requirements of the Constitution by facilitating, promoting and providing a translation and editing service in all the official languages and by managing language diversity through language planning
Language planning
Language planning is a deliberate effort to influence the function, structure, or acquisition of languages or language variety within a speech community. It is often associated with government planning, but is also used by a variety of non-governmental organizations, such as grass-roots...
and terminology projects.
The NLS functions as the Government's professional language support system by translating official documents in all the official languages. Its terminology service assists with the development and modernisation of the technical vocabularies of the official languages. The language planning functions include advising the Government on the development of language policy and implementation strategies.