Refugee groups welcome translation deal

REFUGEE groups last night welcomed a new deal agreed by the Department of Justice for the provision of all refugee translation services.

The deal awards two companies New York-based Bowne Global Solutions and Dublin company Global Translations Ltd contracts to provide translation services for Ireland's refugee services.

Both companies will provide translation services for the Offices of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC), Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT) the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) and the immigration division of the Department of Justice beginning in September 2003.

Peter O'Mahony of the Irish Refugee Council welcomed the provision of professional translation services. Previously there had been some complaints arising from the ad hoc provision of translation services.

"There have been some issues in the past so the more professional the service is the better, although I would not be sure how necessary it is to go outside the country to find good translation services," he said.

Irish-based translation companies which failed to win a contract said the awarding of the deal to a foreign company would put pressure on local firms who depended on the Department of Justice for translation business.

Mohamad Haji of Eye See Services, an Irish-based translation firm said 10% of his business had been with the Department.

"This will put companies like us in some difficulty. Maybe the Department of Justice going outside the country for this is not such a good idea," he said.

Global Translations Ltd based in Balinteer specialises in European languages while Bowne Global Solutions, has a worldwide network of 800 interpreters who speak 100 languages and dialects and are available round the clock.

The company will install a management team of four in the Department of Justice compromised of on-site interpreters who speak Arabic, French, Romanian and Russian.