Plans for bilingual society unveiled
15/12/2006 - 15:05:59The Government aims to create an English-Irish bilingual society over the next 20 years, it emerged today.
The Cabinet will launch its policy statement containing 13 key objectives on the Irish language next week.
Irish is due to become the 21st official working language of the European Union on January 1.
Translators are currently being trained to instantaneously translate Irish into English in the European Parliament.
When the Taoiseach visited the Parliament last month he and other MEPs spoke in Irish and it was immediately translated into English through headphones in the chamber.
The Cabinet will launch the Government’s policy statement in Farmleigh House on Tuesday, prior to the last Cabinet meeting of 2006.
A spokesperson said: “With a focus on the practical development of a bilingual society, the statement commits the Government to the development of a 20-year strategy based on 13 clear objectives.”
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