More millions invested in Vancouver Olympic Games

16 September 2009 | By Adam Fraser

Contract summary

Length of contract: n/a
Annualised value: n/a
Overall value: US$7.2 million

Another US$7.2 million has been invested ahead of the Winter Olympics, to be held in Vancouver at the start of next year.

The money will be used to improve the bilingualism of the Games, with many French-language services identified as below par. Aspects of the investment include US$4.9 million to be spent on translation services, US$1.4 million in permanent signage and more than US$600,000 to 'make Olympic ceremonies more bilingual'.

"We will hit the ground running and the Games will be fully bilingual," said James Moore, canada's Heritage and Official Languages Minister. "We want it to be a seamless bilingual experience for Canadians, in the official language of their choice."

The Vancouver Olympic organising committee has been criticised for 3,500 bilingual volunteers out of a total of 25,000.

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