The Sunday News
Sibongile Ndiweni, Sunday News Reporter
A majority of people in the country have been accorded the opportunity to read and understand the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) climate change communication guidelines and its code of conduct followings its translation into the country’s two main languages, ChiShona and iSiNdebele.
The translation was done through a partnership between the United Kingdom (UK) based (IPRA), and the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations (ZIPR). While the IPRA code of conduct translation serves to reinforce ZIPR’s commitment to establishing the profession as one rooted in accountability and public trust, the translation of the IPRA climate change communication guidelines is a significant innovation at a time when nations and institutions around the world are stepping up their commitments to addressing the climate crisis.
In a statement, Ms Hazel Zisanhi who is the ZIPR president said it was significant that ZIPR had translated the Climate Change Communication Guidelines and the IPRA Code of Conduct, and that the action shows their resolve to ensuring that communities that practitioners serve were able to understand what they do in the context of climate change crisis that continues to negatively affect communities in Zimbabwe.
“Oftentimes public relations practitioners are at the forefront of shaping what people know and do in response to climate change. By translating these climate change communication guidelines into local languages, we believe they will be more accessible to the Zimbabwean populace, and it will be easier for communities to appreciate what we do and share the information with others who may not be knowledgeable in English,” the statement read.
Ms Zisanhi expressed that translating the IPRA code of conduct would add to the localised public relations body of knowledge and also help people appreciate what public relations was and the ethical standards that were in place to promote accountability of practitioners as they served individuals, businesses and communities.
“Many people don’t have a clear understanding of what public relations is and the by translating the IPRA code of conduct, we are contributing to broader understanding of what public relations is all about. It is also a stepping stone towards producing other informative materials that explain to the public what we do as public relations practitioners using languages that people understand. Hopefully as time goes on, we will be able to produce these documents in other languages besides Shona and Ndebele,” statement read.
Jacqueline Purcell who is a fellow of ZIPR and a part of the board of IPRA in London, and also the UK and Ireland Chapter Chair commented on the work done by ZIPR in translating the guidelines and code of conduct.
She highlighted that the work done emphasises the excellent relationship and cooperation surrounding the interactions between ZIPR and IPRA. ZIPR is among the oldest professional organisations in the country, having been established in 1957 as a professional and ethical body dedicated to serving and enhancing the interests of its members and the public relations profession.
