District 18 News
Written by: District Licheng
2020-10-12 15:37
Last update date: 2020-10-12 15:37
Zhao Huixian pointed out that he hopes to use this active investigation to urge the government to improve the arrangements for hiring foreign language and Chinese dialect interpreters.
(Information Picture/Photo by Lu Yiming)
According to the "Administrative Guidelines for Promoting Racial Equality" ("Guidelines") issued by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, all policy bureaus and departments (bureaus/departments) in the government that provide services to people of different races and related public institutions under their jurisdiction Responsible to provide appropriate foreign language interpretation services to those in need. However, in addition to the general interpretation services provided by the Support Service Center for Ethnic Minorities entrusted by the Home Affairs Department, the bureau or departments and related agencies will Operational needs and conditions, each employ appropriate foreign language and Chinese dialect interpretation services from the market.
The Ombudsman Zhao Huixian announced today (12th) a proactive investigation to examine whether the government's arrangements for external interpretation services can be improved.
The government authorities provide suitable and reliable interpretation services in foreign languages and Chinese dialects to people of different races and languages.
Interpreters must have recognized qualifications and their interpretation skills must reach a certain level. Protecting the rights and interests of people who can only speak foreign languages or other Chinese dialects is very important to promote the effectiveness of government authorities.
However, the government currently does not integrate funds for external foreign language and Chinese dialect (except Mandarin and Cantonese) interpreters that can be employed by bureaus or departments and relevant public organizations, and there is no uniform standard for the qualifications of interpreters.
According to preliminary inquiries by the Office of The Ombudsman, many law enforcement agencies used to refer to the Judiciary’s registration list of part-time court interpreters when looking for external interpreters in foreign languages and Chinese dialects. However, since August 2018, the Judiciary Administration Office has Stop providing the registration list to outsiders.
The Office of the Commissioner’s Office believes that the bureau, departments, and relevant public organizations will not only spend a lot of time and resources in finding and procuring external interpretation services, but it is also difficult to ensure the quality of the interpreters.
Therefore, the Ombudsman decided to take the initiative to investigate the arrangement of external interpreter services by the government, aiming to explore how the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau implements the Guidelines and how to improve the government's overall employment of external foreign language and Chinese dialect interpreters.
The Ombudsman Zhao Huixian pointed out that Hong Kong is a multicultural society and is committed to promoting the integration of people of different races and languages. It is hoped that through this active investigation, the government can improve the arrangements for hiring foreign language and Chinese dialect interpreters and further promote the administration of the government. Efficiency, and strengthen the monitoring of the quality of the interpretation services employed by the government, and implement the spirit of the Guidelines
In addition, the Ombudsman welcomes members of the public to submit their opinions in writing to the Office of The Ombudsman on the above issues on or before November 12 this year:
Address: 30th Floor, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Center, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Fax: 2882 8149
Email: complaints@ombudsman.hk
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The Office of The Ombudsman Zhao Huixian (The Ombudsman) Social Inclusion
