Submitted by JP MacDougall on July 31, 2019, at 14:28
I am all for translating documents and emails; however, I have two comments. As an Anglophone in New Brunswick, I am actively engaged in language training and take every opportunity to work on learning. Using official translation, however, does not always allow me the opportunity to work on my language skills. Secondly, as someone who routinely emails a vast population of the workforce in my department, it can take up to three weeks to get a translation back. That usually entails days of back and forth asking for meaning behind various acronyms and phrases specific to our department. This becomes a hindrance to good governance and management. It bogs down our operations immensely. While I understand the importance of translating documents and using the appropriate resources to do so, there is a real cost. The question we need to be asking is what is more important—getting the job done in a timely, efficient and competent manner, or ensuring that our information is translated? This often means it is sent out well after it's importance has expired. Often our correspondence is very time sensitive and cannot wait weeks to be translated. I once sent a document in for translation and three weeks later got over 50 questions back about the document. Needless to say I abandoned having it translated and ran it through Google. I spent another few hours going through the translation and ensuring it was as accurate and complete as possible. As a result, I not only learned a few things but was complemented on my efforts. I agree that translation is a valuable and much needed resource, but it needs to be expanded to make it more efficient and user friendly. Perhaps an official government translation on-line tool? Respectfully submitted.