Vaišnienė: The original spelling of surnames exclusively for women getting married

The people who entered into marriage with a foreigner and their children should be entitled to the original spelling of surnames in documents, stated Daiva Vaišnienė, the Chairperson of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language (Valstybinės lietuvių kalbos komisija).

‘We understand that women who get married with a foreigner cannot take their husband’s surname, their children cannot use the surname of their father. In this matter it must be determined what are the possibilities of changing this situation’ – said Vaišnienė after the meeting with Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius.

Vaišnienė reminded the statement of the Constitutional Court (Konstitucinis Teismas – KT) on the prohibition of using non-Lithuanian letters in documents; however, according to her, KT did not comment on such cases when there are original documents in which surnames are  not written in Lithuanian. The expert on the Lithuanian language stressed that the Commission would not oppose to such practice.

Regarding the demands of the Poles concerning the original spelling of surnames, Vaišnienė declared that it is feasible only on the second page of a document.

‘When it comes to the second and other pages, KT pronounced that on request of an interested person, any records are possible there. In my opinion, such solution would not offend the official language’ – said the Chairperson of the Commission.

Source: http://pl.delfi.lt/aktualia/litwa/vaisniene-oryginalna-pisownia-nazwisk-tylko-dla-wychodzacych-za-maz.d?id=60950265

Tłumaczenie Barbara Rożek w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Barbara Rożek within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.