Govt push for English language

Public bodies told to drop translation

Friday, 07, Dec 2007 12:00

Councils and public bodies have been told not to translate materials into foreign languages unless there is a clear need.

The government wants new immigrants to access materials and services in English unless this risks compromising health and safety.

Even then new guidance states local bodies should attempt to promote English, for example with bilingual safety warnings or by using pictures alongside English captions.

Ministers believe many public bodies have become overly reliant on translating materials, thereby offering little incentive to learn English.

This in turn creates a barrier to integration and prohibits many immigrants from fully accessing the labour market.

Announcing the new guidelines, communities secretary Hazel Blears said: "Speaking English is the greatest asset you can possess to get a better job, get involved in your community, and to get on and do well for yourself and your family.

"Translation can never be a substitute for learning English and we need a fundamental rebalancing of our approach putting a greater focus on learning English."

Under new guidance, public bodies have been told not to translate materials unless it passes key tests.

Translation can only be justified where there is a clear need for a foreign language version and people would be disadvantaged by a lack of access.

Even then translation services should be used cautiously and matched specifically to local need.

Ms Blears continued: "Whilst there may be some cases where translation is appropriate, public bodies should ensure they have commonsense strategies in place.

"Automatic translation of all public materials can just reinforce the language barrier, act as a brake on opportunity and make it harder to integrate non-English speaking residents into the country."

The guidelines will seek to educate local bodies about their responsibilities. This includes contradicting the mistaken belief they are required by the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 to translate all materials.

Research by the government has found wide variations in translation services across the country. Although accepting regional variations exist, ministers believe many local authorities and public bodies are needlessly translating materials.

Ms Blears said today's guidelines will foster a more "commonsense approach" to translation and are based on recommendations by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion (CIC).

Darra Singh, Ealing Council chief executive and chairman of the former CIC, said: "I welcome the government's action to implement this recommendation from my commission.

"This is the green light from the government to local councils and public bodies to only use translation only where it is essential.

"Local councils should be totally confident this is the right thing to do for their communities in terms of breaking down the barriers to integration."