National Translation Committee

The National Translation Committee (NTC) has made a significant contribution to the use of Tamil in the public domain. NTC was established by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) on 1 March 2014 to oversee short-term and long-term plans to enhance whole-of-government translation capabilities in all four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. NTC also aims to improve standards across the industry. 

NTC is a collaborative effort involving the public, private and people sectors to promote and raise translation standards. The committee comprises members from the media, academia, the translation industry, and government agencies. Following several mistranslations in Tamil in various government communications, a review panel was established by the government to investigate the issue. The panel’s findings emphasised the importance of high-quality translations not only for effective communication but also to demonstrate respect for diverse ethnic communities. 

An important outcome of the review was the implementation of the Whole-of-Government Period Contract and Framework Agreement for Translation Services, which facilitated the procurement of both translation and vetting services. The government also engaged volunteers as part of the efforts to raise the overall translation and language standards in Singapore. MCI called for volunteers with a keen interest in language and translation to join as “Citizen Translators” (CTs) who provide feedback, vetting and proofreading of government communication materials. More recently, the government has posted 660 government terms translated into Tamil and other official languages on the Government Terms Translated portal. This facilitates accurate and consistent translations by government agencies and the public. 



For more Information
Ministry of Digital Development and Information. "Translation." Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.mddi.gov.sg/what-we-do/public-comms-and-engagement/translation/
SG Translate Together. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.sgtranslatetogether.gov.sg/about

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.