§ 8. Sir E. Erringtonasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take steps to make available facilities for translation of documents for small firms anxious to export their goods to foreign markets who have no such facilities of their own.
§ Mr. JayI am not convinced that this is necessary or practicable. Commercial facilities are available, and advice about them can be obtained from trade organisations and the Board of Trade. British missions overseas are always ready to suggest suitable local concerns to undertake this work.
§ Sir E. ErringtonDoes not the right hon. Gentleman realise that in small countries dealing with small firms, the facilities, as well as the expense, cause extreme difficulty? Can he not help?
§ Mr. JayI have investigated this with our posts abroad in Tokyo and elsewhere 1610 and they advise me that facilities are available and that they are willing to give information about what is commercially obtainable by any British exporter. If the hon. Gentleman has evidence that this is not working I should be glad to have it.
§ Mr. SnowIs my right hon. Friend aware that the prices of translations are in direct ratio to the complexity of the language; and, since he has mentioned Japan, is he further aware that this very important market is prejudiced, from our exporters' point of view, by the difficulty of getting translations?
§ Mr. JayI was assured by our representatives in Tokyo that facilities were available. We cannot go so far as to take on, as a public responsibility, the direct costs of exporting.