The Parliament of Sri Lanka marked a major milestone on 5th October with the official opening of its newly established Translation Unit.
Established with the aim of providing the necessary facilities to handle the translation work of the Parliament more efficiently, this Unit was declared open by Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, Secretary-General of Parliament. Speaking at the event, the Secretary-General of Parliament noted that sound leadership as well as collective unity are essential for the progress of any institution. Stating that the Parliamentary Secretariat always stands for the well-being, job security, and professional advancement of all its employees, she emphasized that the staff is the most valuable asset of the Parliament in ensuring its smooth functioning. Further, the Secretary-General expressed great pleasure about how the interpreters have actively taken the lead and played a driving role in bringing this initiative to fruition despite that this new unit was opened for translators.
Mr. Hansa Abeyratne, Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament, Mr. Jayalath Perera, Director - Legislative Services, and Heads of Departments and other senior officers of Parliament were also present at the occasion.
Delivering the welcome address, Mr. Jayalath Perera, Director - Legislative Services, mentioned that in addition to providing interpreting services, the Interpreters’ Office undertakes a large volume of written translation work. He added that, despite this workload, no office in Parliament has ever raised a complaint regarding delays in translation work.
The concept of establishing a separate Translation Unit to handle parliamentary translation work was submitted to the Secretary-General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, by the Chief Parliamentary Interpreter, Mr. C. J. Karunarathna. It became a reality with the full support of the Secretary-General and the Assistant Secretary-General. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Karunarathna, Chief Parliamentary Interpreter, expressed deep appreciation for the support extended by the Secretary-General and the Assistant Secretary-General in upgrading the physical infrastructure of the Interpreters’ Office and providing training opportunities to parliamentary interpreters to enhance the quality of interpretation.
The establishment of this unit aims to create a better professional environment for translators in Parliament and to better meet the translation requirements of the institution.
During the event, the Translators’ Anthem and the Code of Ethics for Interpreters were presented to the Secretary-General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, and the Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Hansa Abeyratne. Certificates were also awarded to newly appointed interpreters and translators who successfully completed the training programme conducted by the Interpreters’ Office.
Additionally, mementos were presented to the Secretary-General of Parliament and the Assistant Secretary-General to mark the establishment of the Translation Unit.
Meanwhile, the commemoration of International Translation Day 2026, which fell on September 30th, was also held concurrently under the patronage of the Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament, Mr. Hansa Abeyratne. This year’s International Translation Day was commemorated under the theme "Linguistic Diversity and Language Rights" along with the sub-theme "The Power of Being Understood."
The event highlighted the crucial role that interpretation and translation play in fostering communication and mutual understanding across diverse languages and cultures.
Former Deputy Chief Parliamentary Interpreters, Mr. K. M. Christopher and Mr. N. Seerpadam, also attended the ceremony, and their valuable service to the Parliamentary Interpretation Service was commended.
Commemorating both the establishment of the first ever Translation Unit of the Parliament and the International Translation Day 2026, this event marked an important step in elevating the parliamentary interpretation and translation services into a more professional and efficient service.
A large number of interpreters and translators, including Deputy Chief Parliamentary Interpreters Mr. A. Saravanabavanandan, Ms. Chamila Nissanga, and Mr. G.F.P. Sureshwaran, attended this event.
