We aim to meet the communication needs of all our customers. This includes providing information on our services in other languages for those customers who speak or write little or no English.
We try to provide translation and interpretation support where:
- there is face-to-face interaction between the council and a customer;
- we are providing basic information about obtaining services; and
- we are consulting with customers to obtain their views, opinions, comments and complaints.
We will apply the following standards when providing this support:
- departments are responsible for finding out if a customer needs communication support and must offer appropriate translation and interpretation services;
- departments will use a mix of bilingual staff, community organisations and professional interpreters and translators;
- children must not be used as interpreters;
- adult family members or friends can only be used after the option of professional translation and interpretation support has been offered;
- the council will provide a professional, high quality, confidential and comprehensive translation and interpretation service.
Web page translation
Most modern internet browsers now include built-in translation features that allow users to view web pages in their preferred language. This can be particularly helpful for browsing our website if English is not your first language.
Guidance for using translation tools in popular browsers:
- How to translate web pages in Google Chrome
- How to use translation in Safari on Mac
- How to use Microsoft Translator in Microsoft Edge
- How to translate web pages in Firefox
These tools are free to use and often detect when a website is in a different language, offering to translate it automatically. This provides a quick and accessible way to view our content in over 100 languages.