• Why
  The official languages in CARIFORUM are English, Spanish and French, and since October 2002 with the amended CARIFORUM Rules of Procedure, also Dutch. The working language of CARIFORUM is English.
  The issue of language has, therefore, been a major one given that CARIFORUM itself comprises Member States whose official languages are English, Spanish, French and Dutch. Already, non-English speaking Member States of CARIFORUM experience difficulties in securing effective participation in the activities of CARIFORUM since all official and technical documents are issued in the working language of CARIFORUM. Therefore CRITI translates documents primarily from the working language English, into the other CARIFORUM languages.
• Demands and services
  CRITI operates in an environment where language skills, translation and information services are becoming even more critical for operating within the Caribbean. This situation, as stated earlier, primarily results from the language diversity of the region (English, French, Dutch and Spanish), and the translation and information demands are created by wider and deeper cooperation and integration within CARICOM. These demands arise, in part, out of expanded regional public sector operations encompassing expanded and new regional institutions, particularly those required to serve the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). These demands also arise out of the legal/judicial challenges to be faced by public/private sectors and legal profession in the operation of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). In addition, trade expansion and the movement of capital and services will require information and translation services to be provided to the private and public sector to facilitate trade, commerce and investments.
• When
  In February 2006, the CARIFORUM Council of Ministers agreed to create the Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute (CRITI), with Suriname hosting the Institute and providing the building at its own cost.
  The European Commission is supporting the establishment of the Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute with a grant. This support is specifically for the financing of equipment and materials, operational costs and services for professional translators (along with relevant training), as well as a study for a business plan.
  The office was inaugurated on 17 January 2007 and now CRITI is almost fully staffed and operational.
• The mandates: Information and Translation
  CRITI has started to officially translate documents and provide information for the CARIFORUM Member States, CARICOM Member States, CARICOM Secretariat, Regional Organizations and the private sector. It will facilitate especially the judicial system (judges, lawyers) in providing the Caribbean population with information on integration related issues in their own languages, thus, making the CCJ accessible to all the citizens of CARICOM, no matter the language. In addition, official CARIFORUM and CARICOM documents, information brochures and packages, rules, regulations and forms pertaining to the movement of goods and other official and semi-official documentation are now translated by CRITI.
  The objective is, through translation services, to make official, semi-official, private sector and other information available throughout CARIFORUM and CARICOM no matter the language in which the information originated.
  CRITI offers translation and information services to professional bodies, regional organizations and the general public on a cost recovery basis as part of its long term sustainability strategy.
• Overall objectives
  The overall objective of the programme is to encourage, in the process of regional cooperation and regional integration, effective participation of all CARIFORUM Member States, with specific focus on the non-English speaking Members, through the removal of existing language and other communications barriers.
  The main purpose of the programme is the provision of multilingual translation and information services to enable regional institutions such as CARIFORUM and CARICOM to better communicate with Member States and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the dissemination of information.
• Perspective
  In its further operationalization, CRITI will broaden and strengthen its relations of cooperation with other CARIFORUM/CARICOM institutions to fulfill its mandates of providing translation and information services.
• Translation Requests
  How to request translation of a document
  1. Submit your translation request to Henk Alimahomed via e-mail at halimahomed@criti.info, or fax at (+597) 474259.
  2. Please also submit the text to be translated.
  3. Indicate the target language (languages), the urgency of your request and the translation deadline. Please ensure that your request is submitted timely and that the deadline indicated is reasonable.
  4. We will send you a free, provisional translation quote based on the number of pages or the number of words of the text submitted. We will also indicate the estimated time/date of completion, based on the number of assignments in our portfolio.
  5. Upon receipt of your acceptance of our quote:
  6. We will send you a contract to be signed by you for approval and returned to us.
  7. We will then start the translation and upon completion, send it to you by electronic mail.
  8. Steps (1) through (6) can be dealt with within a few days.

     NOTE:

  9. Since we are a CARIFORUM organization and seek to support the regional integration process, we translate documents:

        a.    issued by CARIFORUM/CARICOM-related institutes and organizations;
        b.    concerning the process of regional Caribbean integration.

• Contact details