Resumen de Reporting Parliamentary Proceedings in Multiple Languages: British Columbia’s Approach

Marionne Cronin, Hengshen Liu, Katherine Stewart

• Despite the linguistic diversity of the province, in the words of Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, “English is the de facto official language in British Columbia, and as such, proceedings of the Legislative Assembly primarily unfold in English.” While English may be the most common language spoken during proceedings, increasingly Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and guests of the Legislative Assembly are speaking phrases or delivering entire speeches in other languages. In this article, the authors trace how B.C.’s Hansard has adapted to the growing use of multiple languages in the House, including how Hansard works to ensure it sources English translations of this material, reproduces text by identifying fonts that can correctly render languages with multiple orthographies, and understands the unique challenges of performing these functions with Indigenous languages which have few native speakers and evolving spellings. Despite these challenges, the authors note this work ensures the official record never erases or homogenises the richness of the province’s linguistic diversity. Capturing every language spoken on the Chamber floor safeguards the nuance and intent of each statement, restores voices historically absent from the written record, and affirms the Legislative Assembly’s commitment to reconciliation by recognising language itself as a marker of identity and culture