Translation for immigrants rockets!

The translation costs for immigrants in Yorkshire has soared since the expansion of the EU.

The money spent in providing interpreters, and translating leaflets has almost doubled in Sheffield, from £169,000 in 2002-03 to £313,000 in 2006-07. In Kirklees, although the cost of translating has dropped in the past three years, there has been a 28% increase on the amount spent on Eastern European languages.

The Taxpayers Allowance has called translation costs “excessive” – with high costs also being paid by the police and NHS.

The obsessive translating of every little thing also prevents immigrants learning English, as there is no incentive for them to do so if their every dealing with officialdom means they will have an interpreter provided.

There is no legal requirement to provide total translation services, as, under the Human Rights Act, translation is only required when a person is arrested or charged with a criminal offence.

The police in West Yorkshire saw their translation bill rise to over £1million in 2005-06, more than double what it was in 2002-03. NHS trusts are also spending large sums on translation, which is in contrast to the endless ward closures, cancellation of operations and staff redundancies carried out in order to save money!