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PRESS RELEASE
Reducing translation will encourage segregation,
Argues Gavin Wheeldon, CEO of Applied Language Solutions.Althoughheagreesthatlearning English is importantfor aintegratedsociety, it is impossible for immigrants to learn our languageimmediatelyand in most cases, learn the language before they arrive in this country as the majority of immigrants won’t have had access tolanguage learning resources beforehand. Therefore, this puts the case forward for the necessity of translation andinterpreting services to support non-English speaking communities in Britain whilst they are learning the languagetogive them a better chance of integration, but for the Government to look at implementing a more cost-effectivetranslation and interpreting scheme.
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Date of issue: 11/06/07Ruth Kelly’s recent comments that the need to cut down the amount of translation to encourageimmigrants to learn English is the wrong approach, argues a leading translation and interpretingcompany, Applied Language Solutions.Gavin Wheeldon, CEO of ALS, argues with the suggestion that the use of translation is a “crutch” for immigrants deterring them from learning English; stating rather that translation and interpreting is anecessary support mechanism for the integration of immigrants into mainstream society whilst they arelearning English. However, Gavin agrees with Ruth in that more immigrants should learn English, andalso calls for the need for the Government to implement a more cost-effective translation and interpretingscheme to reduce the cost.Gavin said: “This is obviously a knee-jerk reaction to the previous outcry over the cost of translation tothe Government that Ruth Kelly hasn’t thought through very well. It’s great in theory to say that everyonemust be able to speak English and I agree that learning English is certainly the key to a truly cohesivesociety. However, what is unrealistic is to expect immigrants to be able to speak our language fluentlybefore they arrive, or within the first two weeks of arriving, as the majority of immigrants won’t have hadprevious access to any resources that would have enabled them to learn English beforehand. Everyonewho has learnt or is learning a language will understand that it is best to live and breathe the language,and therefore providing translation and interpreting is a necessary step in supporting immigrants whilstthey are learning English.”“Ruth Kelly’s argument that translation and interpreting should only be provided in emergency situationscan potentially lead to long-term problems, but how do you define an emergency? Official documentstranslated by Government bodies that are necessary for everyday life include range from Council Taxforms, housing association forms and medical forms to employee contracts, so how are immigrantssupposed to understand such important information if it isn’t in their language. An extreme but possibleexample is if an immigrant approaches a hospital with a medical emergency and neither they can speakEnglish nor the hospital doesn’t have a means by which to communicate with the patient throughtranslation or interpreting, this can potentially lead to a life or death situation for the immigrant.”“At the end of the day, non-English speaking communities are people who require access to publicservices too. Reducing translation will exclude immigrants from society and public services, leaving themliving in a world of mystery and running the risk of making what is already a segregated society moresegregated.”“On the other hand, providing interpreting services and documents to immigrants in their own languagewhilst they are learning to communicate in English will give them a better chance of integrating withBritish citizens, learning our culture and getting employment in this country, which subsequently meansthey will contribute to our society faster. It will also enable them access to services, such as health andmedical, again highlighting the necessity of providing instant access to their language through translationand interpretation services.”
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