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THE Government’s community secretary and Salford MP Hazel Blears
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Council's lost in translation
Ailsa Cranna6/ 3/2008
COUNCIL bosses have defended spending over £216,000 on translation and interpretation services for residents who do not use English as a first language.
In the last 10 months the city have spent £8,300 on mainly phone services, and have match-funded a further £108,000, with Salford Primary Care Trust, to translating documents for ethnic communities.
A city spokesperson said: "Any request for a translation service would be assessed on its merits.
"At the same time Salford is like other local authorities in working with its partners to provide encouragement and support to non-English speakers to learn English where they can."
The four most frequently requested translation and interpretation services were, she said, for Arabic, Farsi, Polish and Czech nationals.
The council’s comments come in the wake of comments from the Government’s Communities Secretary, Salford MP Hazel Blears, who urged councils to use common sense before deciding what needs translating.
She told BBC News that translating ‘big annual reports ...which very few people read’ was possibly not the best use of money.
She went on to say: "That money could perhaps be better spent on English classes so that people can learn the language."
And she added that councils, the police and the NHS could work together ‘instead of translating something three times.’
Salford’s lead member for service development and neighbourhood, Councillor Joe Murphy explained that each city directorate used translation services on an ad hoc basis, usually on the phone, and did not have a set budget.
In addition, they provided an extra service, in tandem with Salford Primary Care Trust and the Link Project in Eccles, translating documents such as health reports and council information brochures.
He said: "It is very much an ad hoc service, provided as part of the council’s general service provision.
"It’s not a brochure-on-demand service but the service for translation and interpretation would cover anything that was needed to assist someone to access a service."
Most recent 2 of 4 user comments
If you want to be here you need to integrate not isolate, If you provide a hotel room culture for these people they will never be part of society.
Mark in Irlam
20/03/2008 at 01:34
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