Hansard & Language Services
MEANING OF "HANSARD" ?
Hansard is the official verbatim report of all proceedings which take place inside the parliamentary or legislative Chamber. Its origins date back to the 18th century when transcripts of debates in the British parliament began to appear in print.
At first the publication of any transcripts of parliamentary proceedings was deemed to be illegal, and it was only in 1771, after a long and protracted court battle, that it was no longer a criminal offence for parliamentary debates to be transcribed and made public. Until then all parliamentary sittings were strictly held in private, and members of the public were not even allowed to enter the so-called “public gallery” while sittings were in progress.
The name “Hansard” was derived from the family name of Luke Hansard and his son Thomas Hansard who were the government printers in the service of the British parliament. During the 60 years of the Hansard family’s publication of parliamentary debates, the name “Hansard” became synonymous with the published debates. Some Commonwealth parliaments have deviated from this tradition and simply call transcripts of parliamentary debates the “Official Report”.
The history of Hansard in South Africa dates to 1910 when parliamentary debates of the then Union of South Africa were published in leather-bound volumes. In 2010 the South African Hansard celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The Hansard and Language Services (HLS) Unit in the Northern Cape Legislature was established in the early 2000.
HANSARD UNIT’S ROLE AND RESPONSIBLITY
Hansard and Language Services renders prominent support to the CORE function of the Legislature. - This is done by:
- Recording of physical and virtual House proceedings, Committee Meetings and Public Hearings.
- Reporting (Transcribing) of proceedings of House Sittings and other Committee meetings, that is SCOPA (Standing Committee on Public Accounts) and Rules Committee.
- Translation of documents that relate to NCPL business into English Afrikaans, Setswana or IsiXhosa as the need dictates.
- Interpretation Simultaneous interpreting services is provided in the Chamber during house proceedings, and Consecutive interpreting at the Public Hearings.
- Simultaneous (Conferencing) Interpreting – is when an interpreter translates the message from the source to the target language in real time with an immediate, high-quality translation of the speaker`s address.
- Consecutive Interpreting – is when the natural flow of the speaker is not disturbed and allows for a smooth output for the listeners.
Audio-Visual Service
The meaning of Audio-Visual (AV) Service
Audio-Visual Services usually include the provision of equipment such as microphones, projectors, speakers (the list is long) and recording of sound and video for the duration of an event. Thes equipment are used to communicate messages more effectively through sound and visuals.
Chamber upgrade
When the second Upgrade of the Chamber started in 2022, the Legislature discontinued its analogue system and replaced it with a digital recording system.
The following AV equipment are included in the second Chamber Upgrade:
- Three cameras
- Big White Screen
- Projector
- Control system in the control room.
- Pop-up for the laptop at the podium
Traditionally, the AV equipment has applied to equipment that processes auditory- or visual media. However, more recently, the term has come to incorporate a far broader interpretation in the context of an event. For example, to provide a platform for Facebook page, etc. we provide the link for livestreaming and hybrid events. We are in the process of procuring AV Equipment that will provide with the livestreaming and hybrid events to all five regions of the province, including Parliament of the Republic.
