NY mayor to veto translation bill

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A bill that would require the school system to provide translation services in nine different languages for non-English-speaking parents was approved by the City Council 35 to 11 in late December, but is expected to be vetoed by the mayor, the Queens Chronicle writes.

According to the article, the mayor opposes the bill on the assertion that the council is not authorized to legislate on such educational matters.

The Education Equity Act (Intro. 464-A) would oblige the Department of Education to translate important documents into nine languages other than English. This would also include report cards and school notices and schools would be required to employ interpretation services at parent-teacher conferences.

N.Y.'s Education Department currently translates critical documents into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, Urdu and Arabic, languages most commonly spoken in the area.  The DOE announced the formation of the Translation and Interpretation Unit in September 2004.

   A recent language survey conducted among city public school parents indicates that over 40 percent of students' families speak a language other than English. The increasingly multilingual society, especially in U.S. metropolitan areas, has long since become a political issue. The paper writes that "Several local politicians have questioned the wisdom of enabling immigrants to remain monolingual and not learn the language taught at their children's schools."

Pointing out the estimated costs of $ 20 million Republican Councilman Dennis Gallagher maintains that "the legislation is a step in the wrong direction. While generations of immigrants have helped to build a country and make it great without the need for translation services, it is equally essential that our newcomers learn and become a part of American society"

source: Queens Chronicle