# Reporting crimes in Spain without an interpreter.



## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

Whilst the 902 102 112 service in English or French (9 am until 9 pm) and German or Italian (9 am until 3 pm) is useful, it can by no means be relied upon to be a perfect translation. Thus a victim can very easily sign a report in Spanish which is not correct. 

If you are in that situation take as much care as you can to ensure what you can understand is correct, example, names, addresses, numbers etc.

I do not know how one would get on when making an insurance claim if the details are wrong. 

In one case I had first-hand experience with a report, in Spanish, which said a motor-home had been broken into instead of a villa. 

On occasions when I have spoken to an ‘English’ interpreter on the 902 service, I have been obliged to speak Spanish so they could understand me. (I have standard, 'middle class' ‘no accented’ English).


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## castaway06 (Jul 25, 2014)

Find a police station and go in. Two of my Spanish friends are National Policemen and the police stations have access to a 24 hour telephone based interpreter service.


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

castaway06 said:


> Find a police station and go in. Two of my Spanish friends are National Policemen and the police stations have access to a 24 hour telephone based interpreter service.


In my experience of being a translator (and consultant) with the Guardia Civil for a couple of years and over 15 years with the National Police (also recruiting, training and co-ordinating volunteer translators at a total of three National Police stations and 2 Guardia Civil) that is not the way it has worked at any of them.

One either must be accompanied by a translator with a good command of Spanish and the victims language, or (since it was introduced several years ago) call at the times I showed on 902 102 112 and supply details (or it is also possible to do on line, although that is used very seldom) and then within 48 hours go to the NATIONAL POLICE office of your choice to sign the report. If it is not signed no report exists.

I just wish Castaway was right. I would like to stop working.

PS Castaway, I would be really grateful if you private message me and tell where your friends work and let me know their names. I will have a chat with the Comisario as, I know from conversations with him and his predecessors, he knows nothing about the service which you mention.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I'm of the belief that if you're in Spain, you should learn to speak and read Spanish. If you don't - whether you're travelling or living there - you should pay the consequences. I don't think Spain or anyone else should have to pick up the cost of translating for anyone. I've seen the consequences in Canada of providing translation and it's a frikkin nightmare with Canadian taxpayers pockets being emptied to provide translation at every turn for every language. And because there are translators everywhere, people don't have to learn to speak English. 

You say you speak English without an accent? So do I - Canadian English. But believe me throughout the country there are wide variations on Canadian English, not to mention the French Canadians speaking English. I believe the Americans also speak English without an accent, yet they sound different than we do. And the Scots...and the Irish...and the Welsh...

Canadian taxpayers also have to pay for English lessons that are free to people who don't speak English. Free to those who don't speak English, but not to the Canadian taxpayers who pay for those English lessons.

So how many languages is Spain going to accommodate, if they start out with the middle class English language from England as the standard of what English should be? Will it come to a point where like in Canada I often can't even speak my own language for all the foreigners around me who don't speak English? 

Government services here provide translation to just about every language, so this helps people out so they don't have to learn English. For example, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre of Ontario provides translation in 140 languages. It sounds so unbelievable that I should reference this: Contact Information | Human Rights Legal Support Centre

Another example is Telehealth Ontario, which is telephone health services from nurses. They provide translation in 110 languages. Again, this sounds so unbelievable that I should reference this: Ontario Immigration - Health Care Options

Want a doctor in any language in Ontario? Just go to the provincial website of doctors, select "language" and find the doctor in your language of choice. All Doctors Search | Public Register Info | College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

When I immigrated to Canada with my family, we learned English and we learned fast. Because if we didn't, we wouldn't have survived. That was Canada then. Now I'm paying for newcomers' English lessons and their translation services, while increasingly losing my own ability to speak Canadian English. 

So when I move to Spain, I'll do as I did when I came to Canada - learn the country's language really frikkin fast. I will not put up a stink when people don't understand my imperfect Spanish in Spain. 

I will never, ever, ever complain about how Spain is inadequate in providing me with English translation. In fact, I'm dead against it.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Canadian taxpayers also have to pay for English lessons that are free to people who don't speak English. Free to those who don't speak English, but not to the Canadian taxpayers who pay for those English lessons.


Personally, I believe that providing free classes to new immigrants to enable them to learn the language is a good thing (Spain does this too, btw - there may have been some cutbacks because of the crisis, but certainly my local Adult Education Centre is still offering them). But that is as far as it should go, IMO, and I agree with you that the onus should be on us to learn the language of our adopted country.


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> the onus should be on us to learn the language of our adopted country.


Great idea Allheart, but which of the various languages spoken in Spain would that be, Castilian, Catalan, Euskera, Galician etc etc. And that is without mentioning the Castilian spoken in Andalusia which is akin to 'Glaswegian English' on a very bad day.


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

castaway06 said:


> Find a police station and go in. Two of my Spanish friends are National Policemen and the police stations have access to a 24 hour telephone based interpreter service.


I mentioned this post at the National Police Station this morning. They asked that you let them about that service, as they too have never heard of it.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

larryzx said:


> Great idea Allheart, but which of the various languages spoken in Spain would that be, Castilian, Catalan, Euskera, Galician etc etc. And that is without mentioning the Castilian spoken in Andalusia which is akin to 'Glaswegian English' on a very bad day.


Surly the simple answer is Spanish (Castlian) - everyone _should _be able to speak that to some degree.

If not, do the police provide translators/interpretors for all the other 'languages' (Valencian, Catalan etc.)?


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

I must take issue with Allheart. I have moved to Spain and, like they suggest, I have started to learn Spanish (Cast.) I believe it is the right thing to do for me, because in the end, it will make things easier for me.

However, where I do disagree is that we are in a European free market and different nationalities have the right to free movement to work and live within that area. Not all of these people can be bothered to learn Spanish and some simply don't have the ability for whatever reason. It is therefore the duty of public authorities to be able to converse with these people in a language they understand.

Where I used to work, if we dealt with someone who didn't speak English, it was up to us to provide a translator. Sometimes even on the street, and this was done via an organisation called Language Line. If things progressed then an approved translator was used. It was very easy and ensured fairness on both sides as a foreign national can always claim that they didn't understand something which can be crucial.

Indeed, I could learn Spanish to the point of fluency, but there might well be things I don't fully understand, and if I miss something it could be crucial. What I have found as I learn is that some things just don't translate at all as there is either no English equivalent, or no Spanish equivalent. The point being that even if your Spanish skills are excellent, it is still possible that some tiny but crucial detail might be lost somehow.

So, just to say "You should learn Spanish" is, in my opinion, A) not the answer and B) and bit pompous and condescending.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Poland and the Czech Republic are two of the EU member states whose languages are Slavonic in origin, not Germanic or Romance. People go to live and work there too so I suppose the same should apply about learning the language.

Slavonic nouns have cases depending on the function in the sentence and verbs that decline according to person, tense and mood. Some Slavonic languages do not use the Roman alphabet.

I defy anyone who has not taught languages or worked as an interpreter/translator to quickly get a transactional command of those languages. I have worked in both those fields yet after thirty years of much time spent in both those countries all I can say is that me defiendo.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

And of course if you are robbed within a week of arriving in Spain or on the second day of your holiday you will have learnt how to say:' I was walking along the street at about twenty to eleven at night when a man wearing a dark-blue pullover over a white shirt, with dirty jeans, white trainers with a blue flash, approached me. He had black hair and was clean-shaven, about five feet ten in height. He asked me for money then grabbed me by the throat and took my bag which contained credit cards, five hundred euros and a silver mobile phone. He than ran off.'

Get real, people.....

This thread is about interpreters needed when reporting a crime, possibly a violent one which could leave the victim traumatised and unable to think in their own language.. It is not about the need or desirability of learning Spanish if you are a resident or frequent visitor. A little understanding might not go amiss here.

Yes, people who are intending to live here should speak the language. It is useful, opens doors and enables you to settle in and make friends. I would agree with that one hundred percent.
But there is no law that says you *must* and we really should be encouraging people to learn, not lecturing them.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Personally, I believe that providing free classes to new immigrants to enable them to learn the language is a good thing (Spain does this too, btw - there may have been some cutbacks because of the crisis, but certainly my local Adult Education Centre is still offering them). But that is as far as it should go, IMO, and I agree with you that the onus should be on us to learn the language of our adopted country.


Lynn, English lessons is how it started out, and I thought it was a great idea too, like so many other Canadians. But if you think about it, it doesn't work. How you can the teacher teach Spanish if the teacher doesn't know the language of the students? The classrooms are full of students with many different languages. So unless the teacher knows the languages of all the students, the teacher can't teach the student. Say you speak German only, and you want to learn Spanish, but your Spanish teacher only knows five languages, which do not include German. How is the teacher going to teach you Spanish? Do you see what I mean?



larryzx said:


> Great idea Allheart, but which of the various languages spoken in Spain would that be, Castilian, Catalan, Euskera, Galician etc etc. And that is without mentioning the Castilian spoken in Andalusia which is akin to 'Glaswegian English' on a very bad day.


Larryzx, you make a good case in pointing out that Spain already has its hands full with regards to too many of its own languages already, which I believe Snikpoh may be implying in his reply to your post.



Dunpleecin said:


> I must take issue with Allheart. I have moved to Spain and, like they suggest, I have started to learn Spanish (Cast.) I believe it is the right thing to do for me, because in the end, it will make things easier for me.
> 
> However, where I do disagree is that we are in a European free market and different nationalities have the right to free movement to work and live within that area. Not all of these people can be bothered to learn Spanish and some simply don't have the ability for whatever reason. It is therefore the duty of public authorities to be able to converse with these people in a language they understand.
> 
> ...


Dunpleecin, I'm not pompous or condescending here or elsewhere, although you have a right to perceive me as you wish. You may consider that you judge me wrong and that I'm a pretty good reference for myself since I've lived with myself my whole life. 

I'm sorry if you take issue with me. Like you say, learning Spanish makes it easier for you. But it also makes it easier on Spain too. How about I put it like this: Is it easier for Spain for people to learn Spanish, or it is easier for Spain to accommodate all languages? Bear in mind that the number of languages worldwide is debatable, but here's a BBC article that estimates 7,000 languages worldwide: BBC - Languages - Languages - Languages of the world - Interesting facts about languages

I've seen it here in Canada both ways: Where people learn English, then where people don't learn English. It starts out with one exception. Then someone else wants that exception. And someone else. And someone else. I've shown you just three tiny examples of all the languages that are accommodated here now. It's gone haywire. Where does it stop? Are we aiming for 7,000 languages? 

I know what you're saying about freedom of movement within the EU, and that's something I think of too. But even that... Just consider if the citizens of all 28 countries demanded that all the languages of all the 28 countries had to be accommodated in each of the 28 countries. Is that good for the EU citizens? 

Consider the alternative - that each individual does the best they can to learn the language of wherever they're living and travelling. And if they don't know the language, they do what they can as individuals to find their own interpreters and translators - or not - but that it's the responsibility of the individual. 

So you say it's not the answer for people to learn Spanish if living in Spain. I tell you it will become a big problem if we insist on translators. So what do you think is the answer then? Or do you think there is no problem? Perhaps the problems here don't translate to the EU, but I suspect they do. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> And of course if you are robbed within a week of arriving in Spain or on the second day of your holiday you will have learnt how to say:' I was walking along the street at about twenty to eleven at night when a man wearing a dark-blue pullover over a white shirt, with dirty jeans, white trainers with a blue flash, approached me. He had black hair and was clean-shaven, about five feet ten in height. He asked me for money then grabbed me by the throat and took my bag which contained credit cards, five hundred euros and a silver mobile phone. He than ran off.'
> 
> Get real, people.....
> 
> ...


Mary, we are being real here. We're talking about interpreters, which is what the subject and thread title are about. But if you want to bring the topic back specifically to the topic of police interpreters... Could you imagine if the police have to provide interpreters for 7,000 languages?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

AllHeart said:


> Mary, we are being real here. We're talking about interpreters, which is what the subject and thread title are about. But if you want to bring the topic back specifically to the topic of police interpreters... Could you imagine if the police have to provide interpreters for 7,000 languages?


That is not likely to happen. We manage in the UK with the hundreds of languages now spoken there.

But you haven 't addressed my point which is that Spanish isn't learnt in five minutes, five days or five months.
Victims of crime shouldn't be victimised for not having a fluent command of the language ofthe country in which they have spent a short time. 
As I'm assuming you speak no Polish or Czech what you are saying is that if you can't already express yourself in those languages you shouldn't go there. That is the logic of your argument.

Be very careful inyour first weeks in Spain. Ifyou are the victim of a crime you may be thankful for having the services of an interpreter. .


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> Get real, people.....
> 
> This thread is about interpreters needed when reporting a crime, possibly a violent one which could leave the victim traumatised and unable to think in their own language.. .


mrpg9 makes a good point, The police / Government could not/would not do it, that is why I started a voluntary translator service at a National Police Station about 15 years ago. Because of the need that service displayed, I was very soon asked to expand it to another 4 stations.

Such a service is needed in all 'tourist towns'. If you have the time and language ability, at least English and Spanish, with a little patience, that will almost always be enough (fluency is not needed) then why not approach your National Police or Guardia civil and offer your help?

Just on the point of the 902 service. It is not available if you know the perpetrator. To 'know' is not defined. i.e.. that you saw them or you know who they are. 

Yesterday I had a couple at the police station who said they had reported a theft a of a card at an ATM, and the subsequent withdrawal of cash. After they had waited about 75 minutes it was their turn. It then transpired that they had called the 902 number but no details had been taken; They had been told to go to a police station and report it. (They had seen the perpetrator, see below).

As the crime has occurred in the Guardia Civil area and not the National Police area they were going to be sent away to make the report to the Guardia. I managed to persuade the police to take the report because they had waited so long and also that there would not be an interpreter at the Guardia Civil.

Had I not been present they would have had to find an interpreter (and probably pay them) to make the report, because it was not one for which the 902 service can be used.

Extract from: Página oficial de la DGP-Denuncias Comisaría

_The following crimes can be reported by telephone:

Burglary and stealing
of/or in vehicle
of documents and/or items
addresses and premises burglaries
Loss of documents and /or items
Damages_

As you see the 'English' is somewhat ambiguous. My efforts to get it corrected (including what is meant by 'known' have fallen on deaf ears !

However, the service can be used to give details of:- 

Breaking into any property,
stealing a vehicle and or it's contents or accessories, 
criminal damage to any property, 
theft of documents (i.e. pick pocketing and the like. 

*It does not include crimes where violence is involved or where the perpetrator is known (was seen)*

*NB On the 902 system, no Crime report exist until the hard copy is signed at a National Police Station *


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> Mary, we are being real here. We're talking about interpreters, which is what the subject and thread title are about. But if you want to bring the topic back specifically to the topic of police interpreters... Could you imagine if the police have to provide interpreters for 7,000 languages?


And that's realistic? :mmph: Three is probably enough - English, German, French. The many Chinese who live here all learn Spanish and the other nationalities (Dutch, Scandinavian, Moroccan, Russian etc) nearly all speak at least one of those three.

The interpreters don't have to be physically located in each comisario, it can all be done by phone.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

AllHeart said:


> Lynn, English lessons is how it started out, and I thought it was a great idea too, like so many other Canadians. But if you think about it, it doesn't work. How you can the teacher teach Spanish if the teacher doesn't know the language of the students? The classrooms are full of students with many different languages. So unless the teacher knows the languages of all the students, the teacher can't teach the student. Say you speak German only, and you want to learn Spanish, but your Spanish teacher only knows five languages, which do not include German. How is the teacher going to teach you Spanish? Do you see what I mean?
> 
> 
> There is a school of practice which believes teaching should only be carried out in the language being taught. I have worked this way myself.
> ...


The EU Parliament functions by having translators for all the languages of the member states. Europe is not Canada. We've been travelling to each other's countries for centuries before we got as far as Canada and imposed our language on the original peoples.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

larryzx said:


> mrpg9 makes a good point, The police / Government could not/would not do it, that is why I started a voluntary translator service at a National Police Station about 15 years ago. Because of the need that service displayed, I was very soon asked to expand it to another 4 stations.
> 
> Such a service is needed in all 'tourist towns'. If you have the time and language ability, at least English and Spanish, with a little patience, that will almost always be enough (fluency is not needed) then why not approach your National Police or Guardia civil and offer your help?
> 
> ...


Interpreters are definitely needed, you are right. Our friend's son Julio who speaks fluent English is a civilian worker and interpreter at Marbella Policia Local.

Just a point...how can someone steal a card and use it to get money at an ATM without knowing the PIN?


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

_Just a point...how can someone steal a card and use it to get money at an ATM without knowing the PIN? _

Sorry I thought my post was too long in any case, but in the case I mentioned, it was in the evening, a Spaniard in the queue behind the loser had 'helped' the loser as the screen was in Spanish. In doing so he had seen the PIN entered. When the cash came out the loser took it and at the same time the 'helper' pressed the button to recover the card and took it. The loser was checking the cash and did not notice. When the card did not appear, the 'helper' said ATM was always 'swallowing' cards and so the loser would need to go back the next day and recover it from the bank. A few minutes later the loser realised what had probably happened and blocked the card, but too late two withdrawals had been made 400+ euros.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Lynn, English lessons is how it started out, and I thought it was a great idea too, like so many other Canadians. But if you think about it, it doesn't work. How you can the teacher teach Spanish if the teacher doesn't know the language of the students? The classrooms are full of students with many different languages. So unless the teacher knows the languages of all the students, the teacher can't teach the student. Say you speak German only, and you want to learn Spanish, but your Spanish teacher only knows five languages, which do not include German. How is the teacher going to teach you Spanish? Do you see what I mean?


The person who taught me Spanish was a native Spaniard and she spoke very little English. From time to time we had people of different nationalities in the class besides British - German, Swedish and Norwegian for example. She taught almost exclusively in Spanish, right from the first class.

When I tried out the free classes at the Adult Education Centre, the students in the class except for me were Moroccan, Romanian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, etc. and I am pretty sure the teacher couldn't speak all our native languages - he taught in Spanish.

I know TEFL teachers work all over the world and don't necessarily speak the language of the country they're working in - the son of a friend set up a language school in China and certainly couldn't speak the language (and how many languages are there in China, dozens for sure).

How it works I don't know, not being a qualified teacher of my own language to foreigners, but work it does!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Another area where an interpreter can often be needed is in the event of a doctor or hospital visit. I can deal with most situations in Spanish perfectly adequately but when I visit the doctor or hospital I always look up any terms about which I'm unsure in the 'big' dictionary to be on the safe side. It's a bit much to expect someone who is sick or has had an accident to describe their symptoms in Spanish if they're recent arrivals.

Going back a few posts....just wanted to say to Allheart that Dunpleecin was referring to the content of your post and not to you personally. We often disagree with each other's posts - I disagree with yours! - but don't trade in personal abuse, unlike some Forums.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> The person who taught me Spanish was a native Spaniard and she spoke very little English. From time to time we had people of different nationalities in the class besides British - German, Swedish and Norwegian for example. She taught almost exclusively in Spanish, right from the first class.
> 
> When I tried out the free classes at the Adult Education Centre, the students in the class except for me were Moroccan, Romanian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, etc. and I am pretty sure the teacher couldn't speak all our native languages - he taught in Spanish.
> 
> ...


It works with a great deal of planning, with photos and other visual materials, with mime, with facial expressions....
Itaughtfiveyear olds French and German like that. It was great fun. They picked up basic structures and vocabulary very quickly. 
The most fluent and perfectly accented Czech speaker of English I met during my time in Prague was a guy called Viktor who had learnt his English entirely from watching Sky tv and DVD movies.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

:focus:

look what opened in Jávea today....

SATE – the Police Service to Assist Foreign Tourists in Xàbia is now open. | José Chulvi



> SATE – the Police Service to Assist Foreign Tourists in Xàbia is now open.
> It will be manned by police and Guardia Civil personnel assisted by the tourism office.
> Xàbia Town Hall has openedthe new office of Service for Foreign Tourists (SATE) in the port, a special police unit to cater for visitors who have been victims of a crime and have language problems.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> Another area where an interpreter can often be needed is in the event of a doctor or hospital visit. I can deal with most situations in Spanish perfectly adequately but when I visit the doctor or hospital I always look up any terms about which I'm unsure in the 'big' dictionary to be on the safe side. It's a bit much to expect someone who is sick or has had an accident to describe their symptoms in Spanish if they're recent arrivals.
> 
> Going back a few posts....just wanted to say to Allheart that Dunpleecin was referring to the content of your post and not to you personally. We often disagree with each other's posts - I disagree with yours! - but don't trade in personal abuse, unlike some Forums.


We do this sort of 'work' all the time. Many people seem to be able to cope with everyday things but when it comes to health and technical terms, then it's best to get help (IMO).


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

snikpoh said:


> We do this sort of 'work' all the time. Many people seem to be able to cope with everyday things but when it comes to health and technical terms, then it's best to get help (IMO).


Very many immigrants here help out with translating services but as with most charities here we Brits seem to be the most generous of our time.
Even our village consultorio has an interpreter service one morning a week.

If you come here or indeed any country to live permanently or spend long periods of time in it's advisable - but not mandatory - to learn the language. But these various interpreting services are invaluable.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> If you come here or indeed any country to live permanently or spend long periods of time in it's advisable - but not mandatory - to learn the language. But these various interpreting services are invaluable.


Yes, there is no argument over their value. But I guess the question is whether they should be taxpayer-funded or paid for by the user. What do you think?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes, there is no argument over their value. But I guess the question is whether they should be taxpayer-funded or paid for by the user. What do you think?



That's difficult. If I were in a situation where I needed an interpreter I could afford to pay a reasonable fee. But not everyone has the means, especially a holidaymaker with several children on a tight budget.
Ideally these kinds of services should be available for free but as we all know we're not in an ideal economic situation so apart from the many volunteer services, not many smaller towns could afford to subsidise a service.

Maybe travel insurance companies could offer a service for a small fee, one restricted to genuine emergencies, not forbuying a Rolex in a Puerto Banus jewellers.


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes, there is no argument over their value. But I guess the question is whether they should be taxpayer-funded or paid for by the user. What do you think?


Ideally if the end user is contributing to the income of the town (pensioners, holiday makers, taxpayers, etc.) then it should be a free service at point of use. 

However, if the service is not provided, I see no reason why those in the community who can help, should not give their assistance freely as a contribution to the community in which they lived.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

larryzx said:


> Ideally if the end user is contributing to the income of the town (pensioners, holiday makers, taxpayers, etc.) then it should be a free service at point of use.
> 
> However, if the service is not provided, I see no reason why those in the community who can help, should not give their assistance freely as a contribution to the community in which they lived.


As has been said many times, very many immigrants of all nationalities do just that. My voluntary work is in a different field but when needed I offer help to French, German or English non-Spanish - speaking tourists.

The problem with providing a free service is how the revenue would be collected to fund this service. It could only be in the form of an additional local tax and whilst it's true that foreign residents and visitors bring revenue to a locality, I doubt that such a tax would be popular with local businesses or residents although the level would be minimal.

Presumably Xabia is able to pay for their comprehensive service from existing resources?


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Lynn, English lessons is how it started out, and I thought it was a great idea too, like so many other Canadians. But if you think about it, it doesn't work. How you can the teacher teach Spanish if the teacher doesn't know the language of the students? The classrooms are full of students with many different languages. So unless the teacher knows the languages of all the students, the teacher can't teach the student. Say you speak German only, and you want to learn Spanish, but your Spanish teacher only knows five languages, which do not include German. How is the teacher going to teach you Spanish? Do you see what I mean?
> 
> ...


Whatever the merits of the rest of your position this is just not correct.

It is not necessary for a language teacher to know the language of their student.


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

Allheart. I too disagree with you about the teacher needing to speak your language to teach you, albeit that it could help.

When I was studying there were 15 different rationalities in the class, with no common language. The teacher used only Spanish, a black board and some chalk. It was a long way into the course that we discovered he spoke good English, but even then only in the canteen over a coffee. 

And of course, babies learn the language (whatever it is) without being able to speak any other language at all !!! Gag gag, dad da, mum ma.


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