Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to translate 5,000 episodes of television and radio serials into ethnic languages this year.

Sources with the region's administration of radio, film and television said that the administration has ordered local TV and radio stations to translate more programs into ethnic languages including Uygur and Kazak.

The Xinjiang TV Station was told to play two episodes of newly-translated serials every night, and ethnic channels in other TV and radio stations to increase programs in ethnic languages by 30 percent.

Xinjiang translated 4,189 episodes of TV and radio serials last year, doubling the sum of 2005.

The region has a population of 20.08 million including more than 12 million from minority groups.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2007)