Interpreter's

[redvanman]

£140.OOO.000 of tax payers money paid out for interpeters last year in this country why do people live in a country for 20 year and more and dont learn to speak the language ??? ansers please

[RobCrusoe]

Its quite funny watching the police and customs programmes on TV. As soon as alot of the 'guests' are questioned by the authorities they forget how to speak English.
I bet they remember again when claiming benefits or using the NHS.
Rant over !

[B00]

How many expats live in Spain (for example) and don't learn Spanish?

[shoota]

True Boo
Et en France aussi....

[society]

Money talks

[woofgang]

redvanman, you live here and you haven't learned to write the language!!

[rabet]

I was about to say that, woofgang!

[boxtops]

who's been here for 20 years and still needs an interpreter - link, please?

[adrianben]

and how many languages does the average Brit speak ?

[bednobs]

hiya - i used to look after the contract for interpretation for our local NHS trust. By FAR the biggest/most expensive use of the service was from deaf people needing sign language interpretation for medical appointments. This is because it can't be done over the phone, like most other languages can (for example in a hospital, the doctor can phone a language line and have an interpreted conversation over the phone, whereas for sign language, the person actually has to attend the appointment, necessitating travel time and payments added onto the bill). Are you suggesting that deaf people should not be able to go to medical appointments?

[maggiebee]

I remember a good few years ago that an asian family ran the local grocery shop. The police were in one day to question the assistant about selling alcohol to under age drinkers. Assistant gabbled away in ?? apparently not being able to speak English. The minute the police left she reverted to her usual broad Dundee accent and we all had a good laugh.

[woofgang]

My (minimal) experience of older emigrees who need an interpreter is that they make use of a younger member of the family. My Sis who is a midwife says the same.

[naomi24]

//How many expats live in Spain (for example) and don't learn Spanish? //

True - but the Spanish don't provide interpreters. The ex-pats have to manage.

[craft1948]

We used to have a Chinese cleaner at work who reckoned she couldn't speak any English, when I was telling her she couldn't use our works phones for making international calls.
She swiftly regained her command of the language when I asked whose £5 was that on the floor..............

[joko]

bednobs - thats not remotely the same thing!

how is deaf people needing sign language - because no hospital staff can do sign language, remotely the same as people moving here and still, after 20 years, not be able to speak english and being too lazy and ignorant to try?

i realise not all people who need translators fall under this catagory but many do.

most people are deaf from birth, through no fault of their own, and cannot help it if the hospital have no staff members - in a staff of thousands - that can sign...

[Wharton]

Howzitgaun redvanman? Nice yaisername by the way.

[woofgang]

would like to see a link for this assertion.....

[Baldric]

Things like the difference between immigration and emigration maybe?

[naomi24]

Redvanman, I don't know how much was spent last year, but your figure appears to relate to the last Labour government.

For Woofgang.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/immigrants-need-english-to-succeed-in-uk-65911

[bednobs]

hi joko, it's the same thing because redvanman is referring to the total interpretation budget, (which includes sign language). My point is that 140 million sounds huge (and it is) but that in my area the biggest part of our bit of that budget is used for deaf people, not people who have emigrated here and not bothered to learn the language.