Govt seeks Rs 1500 cr for digitisation and translation of archival records

PANAJI: The State government has sought funds to the tune of Rs 1500 crore for digitisation and translation of archival records. The average number of pages to be translated from Portuguese to English would be four lakh.
This entire project is aimed at digitising of all archival documents and making it available online for public at minimum cost, to facilitate people to get the authentic translation of their original document, to provide hassle-free service to people in getting their documents and to generate revenue for the government through servicing of records online.
The project proposal submitted to the 15th Finance Commission has stated: "The Department of Archives is the oldest archives in South Asia. It is needless to state that the documents preserved in this historical archive are valuable treasure for the entire country. Preserving and servicing of these records is the prime role of the Department of Archives. Having these documents in digitised format will certainly serve the purpose of preserving records and making it available for everyone."
"The records are mostly in Portuguese language and nowadays Portuguese language is known to very few people. In course of time, getting a translator for translating the official documents of general public will be a difficult task. Today, for translating a small property document, the translators charge high rates, which the common man cannot afford. In a few years, hardly few translators will remain and due to their monopoly, common man will have to pay high rates," stated the proposal.
"Considering this, digitisation and translation of these Portuguese documents is the need of the hour," it said.
The types of works that need to be digitised include historical records, court files, police and military records, gazettes and rare books of library, among others. The translations of records is expected to cost Rs 1200 crore.
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