Modified:
26 Jan 2010
by Dhc
Vote totals:
Yes:
50%
No:
50%
Neutral:
0%
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DEBATE: INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
Posted by: NADIA999
Karma:
5609
While the language of the nation is English in order for many minorities some are not fluent enough in English to understand government information given out in English. So even if the numbers are very small they need to have information published in their language. Minority British languages such as Gaelic or Welsh appear on road signs as well as information leaflets. Now the Scottish parliament has even translated some of its website into scots. Pointless or necessary?
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All the Yes points
INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
The fact that many Brits are fluent in languages other than english is pretty notorious
and it will make people feel less alienated from official forms, regulation, that feel less formalised/foreign. There have been wars with England in the past; and the time for the scots to feel like a part of the U.K and not merely an English territory.[1][2][3]
- ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1227837/Walcome-tae-Scottish-Pairlament-wabsite-The-internet-guide-Holyrood--translated-Scots-dialect.html
- ^ http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/scots/index.htm
- ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1227837/Walcome-tae-Scottish-Pairlament-wabsite-The-internet-guide-Holyrood--translated-Scots-dialect.html
yes but bringing scots Rab C Nesbitt and other languages that only a minority can understand into the limelight , extracts the language solidarity that we as Brits have had for ages. For now minorities will demand official documents in 'only' their language and next everyone's like the I.R.A violent emancipation/liberation/independence movements all over he country. The English is thread that binds all U.K languages into a tapestry of unification. And English is an amalgam(some say'creole') of many languages including Scots, it should be seen as a totem of oppression at all.
What do you think? Vote on this point below.
INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
many minorities do not understand English at all(though Scots looks pretty similar)
There are residents in the U.K who only understand Urdu, Punjabi or Welsh and find themselves in a heap of trouble because of the language barrier. These people are fairly isolated from larger Britain and their misunderstanding laws/regulations/notices is trailed from how their ghettos alienate them from the English language(and there are very few similarities between their native tongues and English)Foir them to understand and stand by British ideals and ideas it is necessary that laws/official docs etc also be translated into languages they understand.
the way to integrate these people into British society is to teach them English and not to encourage their longstanding habits of deliberately not learning and deliberately choosing to live in isolated ghettos.
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INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
many schools only teach welsh or scots or Urdu or bengali
there are schools scattered all over Britain where the language of instruction is not English, adding all minority tongues and dialects to official documents is the next natural conduit to communicate with the masses.
all schools should teach English since it's importance in British society can not be stressed enough. adding different languages and translations to documents is not the same as matching their status up to that of English. The importance of English over other languages can be undermined(bu greater inclusion of language diversity) but not removed. Minorities will still require learning English to communicate with Each other(one minority with another) and also with the majority of Brits. the long term solution should be making English mandatory in 'ALL' schools in Britain, so no one is left out.
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INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
Great way to counter terrorism and make immigrants and minorities feel at home
and not resentful of (what they interpret as) racist or prejudiced sentiment across the board in Britain.
Many misunderstandings between the minorities and authorities will be vanquished/assuaged. the language barrier will close in causing a decrease in arrests made based on lingual misunderstandings.
Counter:
but these people feel for the members of their race who 'are' isolated and therefore mistreated/exploited because of their lack of education and/or command of the English language/laws/regulations/rights
most British terrorists from minority groups do comprehend English
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INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
Keeps the languages alive
Languages such as Welsh and Gaelic have been described as dying languages, however, both are on the rise in both education and use. They are not dead languages within Britain and as a nation all languages should be considered important. This also encourages people to use and learn these languages. This can be seen as a bad point as it is encouraging independence from the UK. But it can be seen as a positive thing as the nations of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland can keep their heritage alive. It does not just apply to the countries that are within the British Isles, the importance of other langugae bodies within our culture means that intergration is encouraged. People will be encouraged to learn more languages if it is seen as acceptable and if evidence that it is being used is provided within our culture.It is not about understanding but about encouraging a multicultural society engaging with all aspects of other cultures.
INFORMATION SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO MINORITY LANGUAGES.
translation costs outweigh benefits
yes but for now we have to cater to the fact that there are Britons who do not understand fluent English and need to be informed of official happenings as citizens of the state/country and the only way to accomplish this is to translate as much as we can, to their spoken/mother-tongue.
getting accurate-translations/good-translators/expertise is very expensive and arduous, again since most minority languages are dying out or devolving it is difficult to determine which versions British docs should be translated to.[1]since English unifies Britain , it would be difficult to try and foster a ife without the need/necessity of English for minorities, who will need to communicate in English with the general masses; still.
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Vote on the overall debate: Information should be translated into minority languages.
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NADIA999
|04:10, 17 January 10
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|04:15, 17 January 10
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|04:21, 17 January 10
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|04:22, 17 January 10
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|04:25, 17 January 10
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|04:30, 17 January 10
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|04:45, 17 January 10
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|04:46, 17 January 10
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xhelenx
|00:16, 26 January 10
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NADIA999
|04:37, 17 January 10
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NADIA999
|04:39, 17 January 10
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