http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2013-03-12a.5WS.4
12
March 2013
Translation
into Foreign Languages
Communities and
Local Government
Eric
Pickles
(The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; Brentwood and
Ongar, Conservative)
In
February 2012, I published my Department’s approach to integration, “Creating
the Conditions for Integration” and in December 2012, I published “50 ways to
save: examples of sensible savings in local government”. The latter recommends:
“Stop
translating documents into foreign languages: Only publish documents in
English. Translation undermines community cohesion by encouraging segregation.
Similarly, do not give community grants to organisations which promote
segregation or division in society”.”
I
would like to reaffirm my Department’s approach to the use of translation and
interpretation services for foreign languages by local authorities.
Some
local authorities translate a range of documents and other materials into
languages spoken by their residents, and provide interpretation services. While
there may be
rare
occasions in which this is entirely necessary—for instance in emergency
situations—I am concerned that such services are in many cases being provided
unnecessarily because of a misinterpretation of equality or human rights
legislation. Such translation services have an unintentional, adverse impact on
integration by reducing the incentive for some migrant communities to learn
English and are wasteful where many members of these communities already speak
or understand English.
They
are also very expensive and a poor use of taxpayers’ money. Independent
research has suggested that local authorities alone spend nearly £20 million a
year translating a variety of documents. Across the wider public sector, it has
been estimated that translation and interpretation costs reached over £100
million in 2006.
Of
course, local authorities must comply with the duties set out in the Equalities
Act 2010, including the duty not to discriminate and the public sector equality
duty. But this is not a legal duty to translate documents into foreign
languages. Even if publishing only in English could put some people at a
particular disadvantage, such a policy may be justified if local authorities
can demonstrate that the integration and cost concerns pursue a legitimate aim
and outweigh any disadvantage. The equality duty does not require a particular
outcome, merely that public authorities consider all the relevant factors.
Obviously,
there are broader challenges with communication with groups who may have poor
levels of literacy or learning difficulties. But this can be addressed by use
of plain English, easy read versions of documents and using pictures instead of
translation. My Department will be practising what we preach in the materials
we are producing as part of our Fire Kills fire safety education campaign.
Stopping
the automatic use of translation and interpretation services into foreign
languages will provide further incentive for all migrant communities to learn
English, which is the basis for an individual’s ability to progress in British
society. It will promote cohesion and better community relations. And it will
help councils make sensible savings, at a time when every bit of the public
sector needs to do its bit to pay off the deficit left by the last
Administration.
For
the avoidance of doubt, this statement effectively replaces the Department’s
“Guidance for Local Authorities on Translation of Publications” published under
the last Administration in 2007.
