Government of Canada announces launch of its Language Portal and free access to TERMIUM PlusŪ for all Canadians

For immediate release

Gatineau, Quebec, October 8, 2009 – The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister responsible for the Outaouais Region and Member of Parliament for Pontiac, today announced the launch of the Language Portal of Canada (www.ourlanguages.gc.ca).

The Portal provides Canadians with free, one-stop access to a wide range of language tools, including TERMIUM Plus®—the Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank. Users can also consult various writing tools, articles on language problems and numerous other online Canadian resources. This initiative is a component of the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008–2013.

“The Language Portal of Canada is a valuable resource available to all Canadians,” said Minister Cannon. “It brings a wide variety of tools together on one Web site to help them study, work and communicate in both official languages. The Portal highlights the cultures and two official languages of our country for all Canadians. Showcasing this asset created for all the people of Canada takes on a special meaning this year—the 40th anniversary of the Official Languages Act.”

The result of over 30 years of research and development, TERMIUM Plus® has long been an important resource for language professionals. Now, with the launch of the Language Portal of Canada, anyone can access this useful and reliable tool that provides translations of general and specialized terms and phrases in almost all spheres of human activity. Clefs du français pratique (French) and Writing Tips (English) are among the many tools available through the portal. Articles written by contributors from across Canada are also available.

All Canadian organizations with an interest in language can contribute to the Portal’s content—helping users stay informed about developments in the language field in Canada.

The initiative to make the Portal accessible to all Canadians is part of Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013, which lays out the government’s five-year plan for supporting linguistic duality. The Government of Canada invested $1.1 billion in support of the Roadmap to meet its official languages objectives.

A backgrounder on the Language Portal of Canada is included with this news release.

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Ce texte est également disponible en français.

For further information, media should contact:

Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851

Public Works and Government Services Canada
Media Relations
819-956-2315

PWGSC news releases are also available on our Web site at: http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/medias-media/index-eng.html.

Backgrounder

Language Portal of Canada

The Government of Canada is proud to announce the launch of the Language Portal of Canada, which provides all Canadians with free, one-stop access (www.ourlanguages.gc.ca) to a wide range of language tools, including the Translation Bureau's TERMIUM Plus®. The Portal is also a gateway to numerous other online resources provided by contributors working all across Canada. The language resources presented on the Portal reflect 30 years of research, and are considered authoritative sources regarding language usage. Users will find everything they need: spelling and grammar rules, writing and translation tips, and much more.

The Language Portal of Canada provides Canadians with online access to the information they need to study, work and communicate more effectively in Canada’s two official languages. This language expertise is grouped into two sections: Well Written, Well Said and Discover.

The Well Written, Well Said section provides access to:

• TERMIUM Plus®—a world-renowned terminology and linguistic data bank that contains over 4,000,000 English, French and Spanish terms; and
• a wide range of writing tools, language articles, and linguistic exercises that tackle language difficulties.

The Discover section contains, to date, some 400 links to language-related sites in both official languages, including:

• language and terminology tools and publications developed by the Government of Canada; and
• a number of other resources, publications and tools produced in Canada and made available on-line by provincial, territorial and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and the private sector.

Furthermore, all Canadian organizations with an interest in language can contribute to the Portal, the content of which is updated on a weekly basis by language professionals who closely track developments in the field. The Portal will help users stay informed about what is going on in the language field in Canada.

The Portal is managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada’s Translation Bureau—the Canadian authority on matters relating to the use of the Canada’s two official languages.

The initiative to make the Portal accessible to all Canadians is part of Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013, which lays out the government’s five-year plan for supporting linguistic duality. The Government of Canada invested $1.1 billion in support of the Roadmap to meet the following objectives:

• Emphasizing the value of linguistic duality among all Canadians
• Building the future by investing in youth
• Improving access to services for official-language minority communities
• Capitalizing on economic benefits
• Ensuring efficient governance to better serve Canadians.