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Taxpayers fund huge rise in costs for interpreters



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TAXPAYERS have witnessed a near-fourfold rise in the cost of interpreter services in Scottish courts over the past three years.
Country-wide costs increased by an average of 291 per cent over the last three years. The translation service now costs taxpayers £653,000 a year, compared with £167,000 in 2003-4, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court had the highest percentage increase in costs – with demand increasing 12-fold in the last three years. The court spent £26,000 on providing help for non-English speakers compared with £2,000 in 2003-4.

But Glasgow and Strathkelvin spent the most on providing interpreters for non-English speaking communities followed closely by Edinburgh.

Glasgow's costs rose from £48,000 in 2003-4 to £103,000 pounds last year and over the same period Edinburgh's costs rocketed from £14,000 to £102,000.



The full article contains 159 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 03 January 2008 11:07 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Colin B,

Bearsden 04/01/2008 01:04:57
A lot was probably spent trying to understand what Lord Boyd and his Labour colleague John Beckett were up to - not prosecuting Unison members, withholding evidence from the defence, misleading Judges, prosecuting innocent people.
2

subrosa,

04/01/2008 01:21:08
Stop all this spending on interpreters and foreign language material NOW! No other country does this to anywhere near this degree. The only way for foreigners to learn a language is for them to have to do so and all this does is aid the idle ones. We must start protesting about this waste of our money when gas and electricity prices are increasing by 10% and more of our older people will stop heating their homes. We must look after our own folk while respecting foreigners who wish to join our culture.
3

Banff Loon,

Aberdeenshire 04/01/2008 02:58:44
What I find really bizarre and worrying is that a large number of Road Traffic Offences in this area require interpreters, which basically means that there are a large number of drivers around here who cannot read traffic signs, insurance documents, and who would never pass the written paper of a road licence test. It also means that in an accident they will not be capable of exchanging insurance details with the local population. Does anyone know the Polish or Latvian for "Who is your insurance company? Here is my details."
4

R35,

Gurnee 04/01/2008 02:59:06
Wrong subrosa. The US spends far more and the citizens are as angry as any of you. In my old high school, 54 languages are used in teaching. I am not kidding 54 (I'm sure I couldn't name them all). Our politicians will not listen to us when we object. You have the same thing in store. Fight, fight, fight.
5

Sierra Foothills Scot,

Diamond Springs 04/01/2008 03:52:03
I agree with #4 (R35): There was a U.S. case in 2007 in which the person who murdered two people and raped their two daughters was dismissed because the suspect claimed to understand only some obscure African language despite having been recorded holding an intelligent conversation with a TV news repoter in English. Let the accused's embassy or consulate provide an interpreter, not the Scottish or UK government.
6

Colin Wilson,

Aberdeen 04/01/2008 06:59:08
Re Banff Loun (#3) : "a large number of Road Traffic Offences in this area require interpreters, which basically means that there are a large number of drivers around here who cannot read traffic signs..."

That doesn't follow. The degree of proficiency in a language needed to read traffic signs is much lower than that needed to take part in a court case. Most signs are graphic rather than textual anyway.

If a large number of Road Traffic Offences require interpreters, I suspect what it shows is that the individuals involved are unfamiliar with driving on the left, and can't handle it. This is worrying indeed, but isn't really related to language.
7

Roy,

04/01/2008 09:15:18
These articles keep cropping up on slow-news days and serve as no more than a prompt for the usual racist rantings.

Interpreting costs for several bodies are high because they are employing interpreters purely to cover their own backs. Interpreters are frequently called to find that the client speaks perfectly good English and it was not them who requested the services of an interpreter but someone in the local NHS, social work dept, etc.
8

Rob - Honest Toun,

Musselburgh 04/01/2008 10:11:30
A wis speakin wi twa German freends the last time A wis ower there an ane speirt the ither hou he enjoyed his holiday in England (meanin Britain). The ither said he endit up no gaun.
"Whit for no?" wis the repone.
"Ach, A heard that they drive on the left side o the road ower thare an thocht A wad try it oot on the Hamburg autobahn tae see whit it was like. A can tell ye it wis really dangerous sae A decidit no tae gaun."
Coorse, aw thon dialogue wis in Hoch Deutsch.
9

watcher4,

Edinburgh 04/01/2008 10:20:44
Chicken feed, wait until the loony Nats party have us speaking gaelic.
10

Biggar Mac,

04/01/2008 12:19:26
When we go to Spain we have to provide and pay for interpreters if we need to go to hospital or the doctor.

It is not racist to ask people who do not speak the language of the area to provide their own helpers if they are unable to understand and speak the local language.

# 9 I look forward to the compulsory gaelic language classes you think may be coming!

11

Chris.J,

Edinburgh 04/01/2008 13:50:39
#9 aye. whatever. I usually find most unionists are fluent in talking sh*te.
12

GalacticCannibal,

Murrieta 04/01/2008 21:16:25
Taxpayers fund huge rise in costs for interpreters
-----------------------------------------------
Hey Dudes,

Stop ur squawking. U are the ones who allowed none English speaking people into Scotland. U can also get rid of them through the ballot box.

People change their country if they really care about it. The VOTE.

Sadly the majority don't vote and couldn't care less.

We have the same symptom here in the States. Our US politicians don't know how many none English speaking people live and work in the US. They are interested only in staying in power.

GC
13

The Fly Fifer,

Fife 05/01/2008 02:19:10
is it true in California there are signs in stores that say

"We also speak English"

where they used to say

"Si hablo Espaniol"


:-)
14

subrosa,

05/01/2008 10:33:43
*4

I sympathise with your situation there but you've just shown what would and is happening here. Recently I acquired an NHS leaflet which stated on the back page that it was readily available in 12 languages (stated but I've no idea what they were although not one was German which I speak fluently). Then it stated it was available in another 10 languages if required.

As *10 stated, other European countries expect a visitor/worker to provide their own translation services in all situations.

We really have to stop this utter waste of our money. Time for MP and MSP lobbying and insist they spend the money on making English classes freely available all over the country.

Back in the 70s in France and Germany I had to fund my own French and German for foreigners compulsory classes before I could get the necessary work permits. It is my understanding the systems in these two countries still stand.
15

Paula,

06/01/2008 17:35:17
#14 I don't know if the compulsory classes still exist (as I had a fairly good understanding of German when I went), subrosa but I know that if you require to fill out any paperwork then it would not be provided in any language other than that of the country you are going to work in.

And that is as it should be. No easier way to learn a language properly than in at the deep end.

 

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