ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: Visiting German scholar Dr Christina Oeberheld, who is head of Urdu department at the South Asian Institute of the Heidelberg University, has said German language is proficient enough to express all types of concepts, meanings and terminology.
A new coinage or term is translated forthwith in the German language, therefore the thought that some other language can replace their own mother tongue never occurred to the German people, she said at a seminar held at the National Language Authority the other day.
Pakistan Academy of Letters Chairman Iftikhar Arif presided over the seminar, which was continuation of similar seminars organized in previous months. These seminars were exploratory ventures aimed at advising the government to enforce Urdu as national language following the Constitution.
The visiting scholar, speaking fluently in Urdu, affirmed that in her country, the native tongue was used everywhere: in offices, schools, and on the media. Writers also used the German language in creating literature.
She said there was a time when French was used in the educational system and in the courts, but even then the common people communicated with each other in their native tongue. However, soon after the Bourgeois Revolution in the 18th century, the literary personalities of her country insisted on restoration of their native tongue in every field, she said.
Now, the German language was the medium of instruction in all school systems as well as in the universities, though considering the universal importance of English, a number of universities teaching science and information technology used English. This, however, did not mean that the English language was driving her native language out of currency, she said.
English is popular among the young generation because of the powerful influence of music, and also because it is used while travelling outside the country. But then, this was a common phenomenon in all European countries, and was not detrimental to native languages, Dr Oeberheld said.
She said a number of secondary languages were taught in higher classes, but German was retained as the medium of instruction in schools till students became old enough to enter Gymnasium classes or universities.
Speaking on the occasion, Iftikhar Arif said the question of the use of national languages was a political one. Though the people of Pakistan desired the use of Urdu at all levels, they did not want English to be replaced by Urdu.
He said in this context, nobody in the country was for abandoning English as an additional subject for learning, but that was another matter. He said the National Language Authority had done remarkable work in making Urdu effective in all national spheres.
The authority carried out translation of scientific terms and also took significant measures for use of Urdu in computers and information technology. He recommended the acceptance of NLA's recommendation for switching over to Urdu.
However, he said it was also the duty of other organizations working in this field to keep the authorities concerned informed about new developments to bring Urdu on a par with other working languages of the world.
