Ministry for Local Policies for Local People
Lost in translation
News comes via The Guardian of the Government's new approach to getting immigrants to integrate: Tell councils and agencies to stop translating official forms and documents, and they'll magically learn English.
Hooray! Problem solved!
In the words of the Rt. Hon. Madame Blears:
"Automatic translation of all public materials can just reinforce the language barrier, act as a brake on opportunity and make it harder to integrate non-English speaking residents into the country."
Blears didn't address whether or not this dictum would apply to translating materials that generate revenue for the Government, but on that point, we suspect there will be considerable discretion.
With this programme's obvious appeal, Westmonster looks forward to the day when the Government unleashes the power of documents and forms on racism, poverty, and the search for a new England manager.
