IMMIGRANTS who ask for council documents to be translated into their own languages are to be given more encouragement to learn English.

The change follows comments by the government's Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, who said translation had been used "too frequently" and could become "a crutch", discouraging people from integrating.

Bournemouth Council provides translations of key information about services into Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Korean, Portuguese and Polish. It also offers audio versions for people whose written English is poor.

Cllr Nick King said: "It is essential that we ensure all people living in Bournemouth, whatever their language, have an equal opportunity to access our services.

"In the longer term, we agree that the emphasis should be on improving community relations through supporting people, including our incoming communities, to develop their English language skills."

Mr King said the council had run 90 ESOL courses - English for speakers of other languages - over the last three years, and these had been attended by nearly 1,000 Bournemouth residents.

"In light of this change of national policy, we will now ensure that those who do request translations are also sent details of the ESOL programme," he said.

Jan Thurgood, strategic director at Poole council, said: "We have adopted a policy which promotes the use of plain English in our customer services and publications. On those occasions where we need to assist customers who cannot speak or read English, the council has access to a language translation service staffed by trained interpreters."

The cost of the service to Poole Council in 2004-5 was just over £450. Bournemouth Council was unable to supply figures for its translation services.

A Dorset County Council spokesperson said it provides information in other languages and formats on request. "Our staff have access to a database of individuals and companies that provide translation and the cost of the work depends on the size of the document."