Press release, 6 June 2014
On 6 June 2014, Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, welcomed the participants and guests of the Forum on Terminology of Institutions and Agencies of the EU and the Republic of Lithuania held in the Seimas.
The Deputy Speaker stressed that a decade ago the Lithuanian language entered a significant, albeit sometimes scarcely noticeable and appreciated, stage of development, which offered new directions and opportunities to the language and terminology in particular. “I remember when more than a decade ago, during the referendum on the accession to the EU this building hosted an exhibition on teaching and studying the Lithuanian language abroad and its prevalence outside Lithuania. At that time, we were already aware that Lithuanian would be placed on an equal footing with the working languages of the EU Parliament and other institutions. This meant that Lithuanian would not only be studied at Baltic studies’ centres abroad, but, as an official EU language, it would stretch beyond our national borders and blend into a multilingual European information space. In this space, the Lithuanian language has the possibility to develop and spread, not only as the language of communication and instruction, but also as the language of political discussions, law and science. We need to maintain this status of Lithuanian without lessening the possibilities for our citizens and politicians of obtaining and disseminating information in our national language”, Mr Kirkilas said. He pointed out that at that time doors of the European agencies opened wide for professionals, including translators as well as linguists and terminologists to assist them. Their task was to implement multilingualism fostered by the EU and to ensure by their work and effort that the Lithuanian language would not only be spoken at EU institutional meetings and other events, but also serve as a modern tool of communication.
The Chair of the Committee on European Affairs stressed the importance of effective cooperation among specialists, translators and linguists working at the EU institutions and here in Lithuania. “The search for Lithuanian equivalents is a creative and challenging work. But no document or agreement will be “alive” and comprehensible, if the work is done in a perfunctory manner by choosing the easiest way and merely adding English endings to Lithuanian words”, the politician marked. According to him, translators and terminologists have been and remain to be the first to come up with a new Lithuanian equivalent and transpose it to national legislation.
The Deputy Speaker was convinced that currently all EU citizens have to be provided with an opportunity to read relevant legislation in their mother tongue. Meanwhile, the EU institutions have their duty to ensure flawless language of legislation. “As I welcome your conference, I would like to highlight one of the most important principles of your task: your work constitutes creating a modern Lithuanian language. It is this approach that will increase public awareness and promote the interest of other nations in the Lithuanian language, culture and our country. I wish to you every success and creativity in your endeavours”, Deputy Speaker Kirkilas said to the forum participants.
Rimas Rudaitis, Public Relations Unit, Communications Department, Office of the Seimas,
tel. +370 5 239 6132, e-mail: [email protected]
