Six New Languages Added to Parliament's Translation Services | Check Here

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday announced the extension of translation services in Parliament to six additional languages, including Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Urdu, and Sanskrit. This expansion is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to embrace India’s linguistic diversity and ensure greater accessibility for MPs and citizens alike.

Previously, translation services were available in 10 languages—Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu—along with Hindi and English. The inclusion of six new languages now brings the total number of languages available for translation services to 16. Furthermore, Birla revealed that efforts are underway to introduce simultaneous translations in 16 more languages, as human resources become available.

Addressing the House, Speaker Birla emphasized the importance of linguistic diversity in India’s parliamentary system, noting, "India’s parliamentary system is a democratic framework that offers translations in multiple languages. When I discussed at the global level that we are making efforts to provide translation services in 22 languages, it was widely appreciated on international platforms."

Birla further stated that the ultimate goal is to ensure that all 22 officially recognized languages of India are represented in the parliamentary translation services, reflecting the country’s rich cultural and linguistic heritage.

However, the announcement was met with criticism from DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, who voiced opposition to the inclusion of Sanskrit in the list of languages. Citing census data which shows that Sanskrit is spoken by only around 70,000 people, Maran questioned the allocation of public funds for the language. He argued that Sanskrit is not widely spoken in any state and suggested that the decision was driven by ideological motives.

In response, Speaker Birla dismissed the objection, affirming that Sanskrit is India’s "Mool Bhasha" (root language). He emphasized that the initiative was aimed at promoting linguistic diversity and inclusivity, not just focusing on Sanskrit alone. Birla reiterated that the long-term goal is to include all 22 officially recognized languages, ensuring equal representation for all linguistic communities in the Parliament.