The Official Languages (OL) Committee provides both written and oral translation services to the CFES under the direction of the OL Commissioner. The committee provides the resources necessary for each member of the CFES to participate in all aspects of the federation in their choice of English or French.

Members of the OL committee should be fluent in both official languages, both orally and in written form. However, committee members often join in order to strengthen their written skills in one of the languages, or to develop their ability to perform translation. Experience on this committee can be a valuable addition to any student's skill-set!

The OL committee as a whole is responsible for translating articles for our bi-monthly electronic bulletin. Each bulletin is composed of 5-10 articles which are usually under a page each. Currently, a week of time is allocated for each bulletin to be translated (from article submission deadline to bulletin release). Around 5 hours a month would be a reasonable measure of the commitment to this task.

Additionally, larger reports will be passed to the committee from time to time for translation. Most reports are short (2-5 pages), but occasionally there are major items that need to be translated; more time can be allocated for these.

Finally, the CFES requires significant translation resources at its major meetings: Congress and Presidents' Meeting. Funding exists to transport and host OL committee members at these events in return for their services. Congress is approximately 1.5 weeks after Christmas and PM is a 4 day weekend in early October. Attending conferences is NOT expected of committee members, but it CAN be an unforgettable experience!

Visit the CFES-OL group