The Department of Official Languages was established on 01.10.1956 as the institution for the implementation of the Official Language Act No. 33 of 1956. The 13th and 16th Amendments to the Constitution, respectively in 1987 and 1988 made both Sinhala and Tamil the Official Languages and English the Link Language. Accordingly, the Department of Official Languages presently functions as the facilitator to the effective implementation of the Languages Policy as enshrined in the Articles 18 and 19, Chapter IV of the Constitution, and performs the main functions such as providing translation services to the government, improving language skills of public servants and compiling glossaries, language textbooks and dictionaries. This Department which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Public Administration, Buddha Sasana and Democratic Governance and headed by the Commissioner of Official Languages maintains its registered office at “Basha Mandiraya”, No 341/7, Kotte Road, Rajagiriya.