Hong Kong Says Ethnic Minorities Receive “Suitable Support Services”

The way in which the Hong Kong government treats the problem of language services for ethnic minorities (EMs) raises new discussions in the Legislative Council. On 9^th November 2016, Lam Cheuk-Ting, Chief Executive of the Democratic Party, questioned the way in which authorities provide interpretation services and asked for details about improvement measures.

The problem is not a new one and Andrew Wan, Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party, raised a similar question not very long ago. Back then, he mentioned that many EMs were unable to complete application forms and public documents, because they didn’t understand English or Chinese.

According to Cheuk-Ting, the lack of services has been generating difficulties for non-Chinese/English speaking minorities, who can’t gain access to basic public services, education and even employment.

The lawmaker named the government departments that have failed in providing assistance for ethnic minorities. He mentioned the Customs and Excise Department, the Immigration Department, the Labor Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, and the Social Welfare Department — and warned that similar situations occur in various clinics and public hospitals.

These facts violate the Administrative Guidelines on Promotion of Racial Equality (the Guidelines), established by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau in 2010, which guarantee equal access to public services for all EMs.

This lead Cheuk-Ting to ask the authorities about the number of government departments that have made use of interpreters to assist stuff when dealing with EMs since 2014. How the Government plans to support public organizations in providing adequate language services, and what relevant measures the Government plans to take to improve the Guidelines.

Standard answer arrived from the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs

The answer to Cheuk-Ting’s questions is not very different from the one received by Andrew Wan. Secretary Raymond Tam has given an official answer, where he stated that each bureau and department from of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provided “suitable support services to meet the practical needs of the ethnic minorities”.

According to Tam, EMs have access to interpretation services, receiving also    service pamphlets published in EM languages. The Secretary also referenced the Center for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER), run by the Hong Kong Christian Service, as a possible source for translation services.

The official response didn’t provide any data about the number of employed interpreters in government departments. However, it specified that inside CHEER, 15 EMs provide translation and interpretation services. These include immediate enquiry services and telephone interpretation, and on-site interpretation, with appointment.

When it comes to public organizations, they are “responsible for the implementation of the Administrative Guidelines on Promotion of Racial Equality (the Guidelines),” Secretary Tam added. So, if you’re an EM in Hong Kong, you’d better start learning Cantonese Chinese or English soon.