Thursday, November 5, 2009

Translators at the runoff polls had little to do

Runoff-election translators at a loss for words
By JENNIFER FERMINO, NY Post

Poll workers weren't the only ones with nothing to do at September's feeble Democratic runoff election.

The New York City Board of Elections hired more than a thousand Chinese and Korean interpreters at $200 a pop to work the polls -- but nearly a quarter of them reported seeing fewer than five people the entire day, according to records obtained by The Post.

More than a third helped just one person or none at all on the day of the runoff, in which just 8 percent of the city's registered Democrats turned out to choose a candidate for city comptroller and public advocate, according to the board's records.

"The Board of Elections should know which population speaks Chinese," groused one translator assigned to work at a polling site in TriBeCa.

"On the Election Day, I only helped two Chinese."

The Korean and Chinese translators were assigned to work at 366 polling sites in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

The location and number of interpreters was set under a ratio included in a 2008 settlement between the Board of Elections and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which alleged widespread discrimination in a lawsuit.

14 comments:

georgetheatheist said...

Get this. "The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund".

Instead of privately helping their immigrant countrymen to understand the names and issues on the ballot- as fraternal organizations did in the past through schools and ethnic newspapers - these destroyers of America, encouraged by the Liberal mindset, engage in lawsuits.

When will this insanity stop?

Juan Moore Time said...

Que?

Anonymous said...

Send them to my poll Site in Astoria. At my table alone we had one fluent native Spanish speaker and three pollworkers who spoke enough Spanish to say, "Sign your name here,?" "Where do you live?" yet we had a Spanish translator who almost never translated because all the pollworkers translated for her.

The lady who worked our Ballot Marking device spoke English, Italian, Spanish and Croation.

Meanwhile we have several Korean families to vote and no one to help them.

Perhaps its time to hire fewer Spanish interpreters since the language is so-well known at least on an elementary level that we can always find someone to help.

Anonymous said...

What do these translator tell their Chinese client "Go vote and often"? I guess they are enablers for a certain party.

Anonymous said...

Well duh -- whey would they need them? Don't you have to be a citizen to vote and don't you need to speak English to become a citizen?

Patrick Sweeney said...

How much coverage did Chinese-language and Korean-language media give to the Bill Thompson's alternative to Bloomberg, or to the city council races where one of the candidates was not Chinese or Korean? If you don't have English skills and watch/read/listen to English-language media, how could you cast an informed vote?

Anonymous said...

Well, I saw a Chinese translator at my polling site showing a couple where John Liu's name was on the sample ballot on the wall...

Anonymous said...

What a waste of money! Let the immigration advocacy groups pay for the translators.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Why should the taxpayers pay for this translation service farce? Let the advocacy groups pay for this. Better yet, do away with this service and make them speak English. There are too many languages in this city. Some day we will have to pay for all of these translations. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to learn English? It would be more cost-effective and it would make their lives better in the long run.

Anonymous said...

This is a good example of pandering to illegal immigrant lobby. spend the money on applying the laws.
deport them instead of paying them.

Miles Mullin said...

Asians have those tired not-very-bright old machine hacks in eastern Queens in their pocket.

You are right. Taxpayers money is involved so we all have a right to comment.

The money should be spent to ensure the fullest participation in politics. Undestanding the process. The ability to chose. The ability to critically think and challenge authority.

Hell, they do a great job on these things in China. Here, they are bussed around like cattle.

Instead, in true Boss Tweed fashion, its going to tweed.

With the rise of Chinese financial resources, you are about to see an explosion of their purchase of NYC land and influence over NYC pols.

This is the tip of the spear kiddies!

Anonymous said...

These Chinese and Korean translators is the most corrupt thing I've ever heard. Just so happened to be the year of the highest Asian turnout as well. Even in the primary elections before the runoffs there were reports of these translators going into the booths and pulling John Liu and Kevin Kim levers. These translators may be solely responsible for why a republican won our 19th Council District.

Anonymous said...

Can't understand English?

Can't vote!

An American Patriot said...

Folks, it more than the languarge, you have to understand the SPIRIT of American democracy.

That takes years.

If not, you are taken advantage of, and this hurts the outcome for the rest of us.

Their cluelessness hurts my sufferage and damnit I have rights too!