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LegCo extends simultaneous Putonghua interpretation service (with photo)
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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat announced that starting from tomorrow (October 4), the provision of simultaneous Putonghua (SP) interpretation service will be extended to all Council meetings and meetings of the House Committee (HC), the Finance Committee (FC), the Establishment Subcommittee (ESC) and the Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC).

     Since January 2010, SP interpretation has been provided as a regular service for Question Time of Council meetings, the Council meetings at which the Chief Executive delivered the Policy Address and the Financial Secretary presented the Budget as well as for the Chief Executive's Question and Answer Sessions. SP interpretation has also been provided on a need basis for the relevant item of business of a Council or committee meeting if it is known that certain Members or attendees will speak in Putonghua.

     To facilitate Putonghua speaking people to understand the proceedings of the Council and its committees, The Legislative Council Commission decided earlier that SP interpretation service be extended to all Council meetings and meetings of HC, FC, ESC and PWSC from October 2013 onwards.

     To better prepare themselves and gain a firmer grasp of proceedings of meetings to meet the upcoming challenges, SP interpreters earlier attended a trial run. One of the SP interpreters, Ms Fanny Fan, said that Members sometimes used colloquial Chinese expressions, or cited classics or literary sources in their speeches, so interpreters' quick and accurate response was vital. Another SP interpreter, Ms Rebecca Li, said that as discussions in Council or committee meetings were very extensive in scope and touched on a wide range of subjects, interpreters must be familiar with news and current affairs of Hong Kong and China in order to handle their interpretation tasks effectively.

     The LegCo HC and FC will hold meetings tomorrow and SP interpretation service will be provided. Apart from Cantonese and English simultaneous interpretations, members of the public observing or listening to the meetings can also choose SP interpretation.

Ends/Thursday, October 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:03

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