Dear members and fellow travellers
Last month, on behalf of PEN Perth, I attended the online meeting of the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee (TLRC), one of the PEN International sub-committees. The TLRC mission is to “defend linguistic diversity and promote translation as a vital act of cultural solidarity”. They are the instigators of the 1996 Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (UDLR, also known as the Barcelona Declaration). Many PEN centres are actively working to make visible, translate, disseminate works online or in print written in minoritised languages – languages marginalised by political, economic, and cultural forces.
At PEN Perth, our focus is on imprisoned or at-risk writers in the region. We advocate for them, we write to them or their families, we invite them in person or online, when possible, to give them a voice. We also work towards linguistic rights by raising awareness and general public value for ethnic minorities’ (CaLD & First Nations) linguistic diversity and their rights to speak and write in their indigenous languages.
For instance, have you ever wanted to try learn Noongar, the Indigenous language of the south-west of WA? Check out this beginner’s session at the Walyalup Aboriginal Cultural Centre on 30 July. We invite our friends and member to join force with us in this fight for language justice and linguistic rights.
– Hélène Jaccomard, PEN Perth Acting Co-Chair
penperth.com 