.EDNESDAY, FE
THE ENTRY REQUIREMENT FOR APPOINTMENT OF CHINESE LANGUAGE OFFICERS WAS RAISED IN 1979 FROM MATRICULATION TO GRADUATE LEVEL, MR BRAY ADDED.
BUT MATRICULANTS AND GRADUATES OF POST-SECONDARY COLLEGES MAY BE APPOINTED IF THEY CAN ACHIEVE GOOD RESULTS IN THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS SET AT GRADUATE LEVEL.
IN REPLY TO A SEPARATE QUESTION FROM THE HON YEUNG PO-KWAN, MR BRAY TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS A TOTAL ESTABLISHMENT OF 365 POSTS FOR TRANSLATORS AND 351 POSTS ON STRENGTH.
*WE DO, HOWEVER, HAVE DIFFICULTY IN MEETING ALL THE DEMAND. THE BACKLOG OF WORK OR DELAY IN TRANSLATION IN CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS IS A MATTER OF CONCERN BECAUSE OF THE DRASTIC INCREASE IN THE VOLUME OF WORK AND OF COMPETING DEMANDS IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS FOR OTHER STAFF, MR BRAY POINTED OUT.
VARIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS REQUIRING ADDITIONAL STAFF.
THE GOVERNMENT IS ALSO CARRYING OUT AN INTERNAL REORGANISATION REVIEW ALONG WITH A VALUE-FOR-MONEY STUDY WITHIN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE DIVISION IN THE HOPE OF ACHIEVING IMPROVEMENTS, HE SAID.
MR YEUNG ALSO ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETORS.
IN REPLY, MR BRA POINTED OUT THAT EVEN THOUGH A SMALL NUMBER OF SUCH OFFICERS WAS REQUIRED, THE GOVERNMENT HAD GREAT DIFFICULTY IN SUPPLYING INTERPRETERS ON ALL DESIRABLE OCCASIONS.
ON STRENGTH, THE GOVERNMENT HAD ONE CHIEF INTERPRETER, ONE ACTING CHIEF INTERPRETOR AND FOUR FULL-TIME INTERPRETERS, HE SAID.
MR BRAY SAID THAT TO FILL THE ESTABLISHMENT, THE GOVERNMENT HAD MADE MORE INTENSIVE RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND HAD INTRODUCED ~ A SYSTEMATIC PROGRAMME FOR THE TRAINING OF PART-TIME SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETERS.
IN ADDITION, THERE WERE EIGHT PART-TIME INTERPRETERS AND MORE WERE BEING RECRUITED.
+ IF WE WERE TO PROVIDE THE BEST STANDARDS OF INTERPRETATION AT ALL DESIRABLE MEETINGS WE KNOW OF NOW, THE ESTABLISHMENT WOULD NEED TO BE DOUBLED.
+IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO RECRUIT SO MANY OFFICERS QUICKLY EVEN IF FUNDS WERE AVAILABLE, HE SAID.