In the last five years, interpretation costs for Norfolk police have doubled from £180,000 to £360,000. This is due to the large number of immigrants who have entered the country and need the assistance of interpreters and translators.

According to Norfolk's chief constable Ian McPherson, "Immigrants haven't brought anymore crime than the indigenous people but they do bring in extra complications in language and translations services."

Ireland is becoming much more ethnically diverse with approximately 88 different languages being spoken in the country. These include Russian, Portuguese, Kurdish-Sorani, Polish, Lithuanian, Turkish, Mandarin, Latvian, Hungarian, Swahili, Arabic, and Pushtu. The rising need for translations services has also affected the Norfolk County Council, which is legally required to provide translation services under the Race Relations Act of 2000. Thus, interpreters and translators will likely stay extremely in Ireland as long as the large influx of immigrants continues.

02 September 2008