The Philippine Driver’s License Examination will now be translated to local Filipino languages following the directive of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) was directed by DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade to have the Driver’s License examination translated to local languages to help those unfamiliar with English and Tagalog languages.
DOTr Department Order 2020-03 signed on February 14, 2020 by, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade states that the LTO is given 30 days to translate the driver’s exam in local regional languages.
“I instructed the LTO, all examinations shall now be done in English, Tagalog, or the local language of the examinee,” Sec. Tugade said on March 4.
DOTr Assistant Secretary for Communications Goddes Hope Libiran said the driver’s exam would be initially translated in several of the major regional languages. The inclusion of all major languages and dialects in the country will also follow.
“Lahat ng major dialects, but uunahin sa ngayon ‘yung Ilocano, Ilonggo, Bisaya, Tausug, and Bicolano (All major dialects but we’ll begin with Ilocano, Ilonggo, Bisaya, Tausug, and Bicolano),” Libiran said.
“Magkakaiba nga lang ‘yung questions per region dahil ‘yung mga (The questions will differ per region because the) questions to be included are randomly chosen by the computer for printing,” she added.
“We have already created a team for each of the major dialects. The assigned team will translate the driver’s license examination. The translation will be checked by experts of the language to ensure that the terms are accurate and official,” Galvante said.
Secretary Tugade revealed that it was Davao Oriental 2nd District Representative Joel Mayo Z. Almario who suggested to translate Driver’s license exam to different languages.
“Sa isang pulong, hiningi ni Cong. Mayo na isalin sa iba’t-ibang lenggwahe ang examination questions. Napakagandang suhestyon nyan kaya bakit hindi natin tatanggapin at ipatutupad? (In a meeting, Cong. Mayo (referring to Davao Oriental 2nd District Representative Joel Mayo Z. Almario), suggested to translate examination questions to different languages. It was a beautiful suggestion so why not we accept it and implement it?),” Tugade said.
DOTr says the suggestion was adopted because the agency “recognizes the need to afford examinees the opportunity to fully comprehend the Driver’s License Examination.”
Cebuano and other Philippine languages are available for translation in over 100 languages using Google Translate, while scientists from the University of the Philippines have developed an online dictionary to save endangered local languages.
Meanwhile, the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act of 2019 is all set for implementation requiring the use of Child Restraint System (CRS) in private vehicles carrying children.
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