Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of International Mother Language Day
教科文組織總幹事奧德蕾·阿祖萊國際母語日致辭
21 February 2020
2020年2月21日
Underscoring the power of language to unite across divides, Octavio Paz, upon accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature, said: 「Languages are vast realities that transcend those political and historical entities we call nations.」
奧克塔維奧·帕斯在諾貝爾文學獎獲獎演講中曾用這樣一句話禮讚語言讓人們超越分歧走到一起的力量：「語言所覆蓋的廣闊現實遠遠超乎我們稱之為國家的政治和歷史實體。」
On this twenty-second edition of International Mother Language Day (IMLD), a day dedicated to all languages, UNESCO would like to highlight the unifying ability of mother tongues. By bringing their speakers closer together, by allowing them to flourish in a shared context, mother tongues generate social inclusion, innovation and imagination. They also breathe life into cultural diversity and serve as instruments of peace.
在第22個國際母語日這一所有語言的節日之際，教科文組織願意再次強調母語的凝聚力。母語讓不同的使用者心心相印，在共同的背景下充分發展，從而成為社會包容、創新和想像的源泉，也是文化多樣性的載體和建設和平的工具。
Moreover, mother tongues are valuable allies in our efforts to achieve quality education for all. In fact, as UNESCO studies have shown, studying in a language which is not one’s own interferes with learning and increases inequalities. Yet according to the most recent estimates, 40% of the world’s citizens find themselves in this situation. Bilingual or multilingual education based on students』 mother tongue not only encourages learning, but also contributes to understanding and dialogue among peoples.
此外，母語還是我們實現全民優質教育目標的寶貴盟友。正如教科文組織的研究所示，在學校中使用非母語的語言學習會干擾學習進程，加劇不平等現象。然而，據最新統計顯示，全球人口的40%都處在這樣的情況之中。因此，以母語為主的雙語或多語言教育不僅有助於學習，也可以增進人民之間的理解和對話。
For IMLD 2020, UNESCO has chosen the theme of languages without borders to draw attention to the way in which all languages, including mother tongues, contribute to intercultural dialogue and peace. Indeed, throughout the world, numerous cross-border languages bring their speakers closer to one another, turning borders into bridges instead of barriers.
教科文組織今年的國際母語日選擇以「語言無國界」為主題，正是為了凸顯所有語言，包括母語，對文化間對話與和平的貢獻。在世界各地，有許多跨境語言拉近了使用者的距離，讓邊境不再是障礙，而是橋梁。
With 120 to 150 million speakers, Swahili is one of the world’s most thriving cross-border languages. Swahili is a hybrid influenced by languages from Southern Africa, Arab countries, Europe and India. A national and official language in the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as a national language of Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Swahili is also a lingua franca in Burundi, northern Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda and southern Somalia, and to a lesser degree in Malawi, South Sudan and Zambia.
使用者約1.2至1.5億人的斯瓦西裡語，就是最具活力的跨境語言之一。這是一種混合語言，融合了非洲南部國家、阿拉伯國家、歐洲和印度的語言元素。斯瓦西裡語是坦尚尼亞的國家語言和官方語言，是肯亞和剛果民主共和國的國家語言，也是蒲隆地、莫三比克北部、烏幹達、盧安達、索馬利亞南部的通用語言，在馬拉威、南蘇丹和尚比亞也有少量使用者。
A reflection of the region’s cultural diversity, cross-border languages are also part of the riches of Latin America. For example, the language of the ancient Inca empire, Quechua, has evolved into a family of indigenous languages which are spoken by 8 to 10 million people in Argentina, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
在拉丁美洲，跨境語言也是映襯出該地區文化多樣性的瑰寶。克丘亞語就是一個例子：這個源於古老印加帝國的語言現在衍化成為一個彼此相關的土著語語系，在阿根廷、智利、哥倫比亞、厄瓜多和秘魯約有800～1000萬人使用這種語言。
As put so aptly by Vassilis Alexakis in his book La langue maternelle, 「all languages teach us that we have roots more or less everywhere」.
瓦西利斯·亞歷克薩基斯的一本小說就取名為《母語》，他曾說：「所有的語言都讓我們認識到，我們的根遍布四方。」
Because they are instruments of diversity and peace, it is important that we protect mother tongues, particularly those which are indigenous languages. In this context, the International Year of Indigenous Languages, celebrated by UNESCO in 2019, provided an opportunity to rally the international community to support diversity, essential in our world.
正是因為母語是多樣性與和平的工具，所以我們必須保護母語，特別是在涉及到土著語言的時候。在這樣的背景下，教科文組織在2019年慶祝的土著語言國際年恰好提供了一個良好的契機，讓國際社會圍繞多樣性議題動員起來。
A new chapter is beginning with this year’s edition of International Mother Language Day. At UNESCO Headquarters, several round tables will be held to discuss how cross-border languages and mother tongues can further help to achieve sustainable development. In the same spirit, UNESCO encourages everyone to take advantage of IMLD to celebrate the richness of humanity’s languages.
今年的國際母語日標誌著一個新的階段。教科文組織在總部舉辦的圓桌會議將探討跨境語言和母語如何為可持續發展作出更大貢獻。秉持同樣的精神，教科文組織也邀請每一個人藉此國際日的良機，禮讚我們豐富多彩的語言。