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14 March 2008

Launch of "University Translate"

MP praises Cheshire scheme

MMU Cheshire today launches a new translation and interpretation company, University Translate.

The service is being set up as a 'social enterprise' to help local organisations reduce spending on translation services, while providing employment and training to the migrant community in the area.

Gwyneth Dunwoody, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: "This is a wonderful initiative that builds capacity and provides employment and training to the local community. It will also help the public sector to provide vital services to the migrant community more economically and efficiently."

University Translate will be offering a range of language services including, face-to-face interpretation, telephone interpretation and document translation in a variety of languages, to organisations which help immigrant communities in their search for work and in accessing housing, childcare, education and other public services.

30+ languages

The languages on offer include; Arabic, Azeri, Cantonese, Czech, Dari, Farsi, Finnish, French, Gujarati, German, Hakka, Hindi, Italian, Kunama, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Mandarin, Mirpuri, Oshiwambo, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Tetum, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu and many more.

MMU Cheshire is setting up University Translate in association with the Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. The up-to-date language learning environment and state of the art facilities at MMU and the rigorous quality assurance systems of the University and the Borough Council ensure that the service is of a very high standard.

Launching the business, Dennis Dunn, the Dean of MMU Cheshire said: "This is another example of how the university can use its knowledge base and expertise to make an economic and social contribution in Cheshire.

"Our aim is not profit but to offer a quality and affordable service to local organisations using the linguistic capabilities of the diverse local community, and to reinvest the profit in training the linguists and in social development projects and initiatives."

Employment

University Translate will provide employment opportunities to local foreign language speakers and accelerate the social development of the local migrant population and the area as a whole.

Chief Executive of Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, Paul Ancell who launched the University Translate website (www.universitytranslate.co.uk), described the enterprise as "a proactive and unique solution which will enable the migrant community to contribute to the economy of the region using their linguistic capabilities."

Notes to editors:

University Translate™ is a social enterprise run by MMU Cheshire in association with the Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. Visit www.universitytranslate.co.uk for more information.

Local organisations can book translation and interpretation services by calling 0845 463 1327 or using the secure online booking form at www.universitytranslate.co.uk. University Translate claims that since they use linguists from the local area to deliver the service, they don’t charge for travel time and hence their rates are guaranteed to be very competitive.

For further information contact Anish Kurien on 0161 247 5360 or a.kurien@mmu.ac.uk.