Wanted: foreign language skills to welcome international sailors to the Borough

Weymouth & Portland’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing waters attract sailing teams from all over the world, and the Council is calling for speakers of other languages to get on board and lend their skills to international sailors who may not be fluent in English.

There are less than 1000 days to go until the start of the Games, and international world-class regattas such as Sail for Gold are already being held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA). This means that there is a real need for local speakers of foreign languages to help the increasing numbers of international sailing teams during their stay here.

The Council is looking to build a bank of local volunteers who are fluent in English plus one or more foreign language, and who are interested in meeting the teams and helping to extend a warm Weymouth & Portland welcome to those who may need a little extra help communicating during their stay.

Susana de la Fuente Martin, a native Spanish speaker who has already signed up to the programme, said: “It is a pleasure to use my native language to help others and welcome them into the community. Last year I introduced myself to the Spanish Olympic Sailing Team, whom I saw parking their van in town. I offered them my details in case they needed any help (i.e. interpretation services, translation, local info or even a simple phone call to a Doctor) during their stay in Portland, as they had just arrived to take part in the Sail for Gold regatta. They seemed very pleased to be welcomed so warmly by a compatriot and told me they would be coming back regularly to train for the Games. They also said that apart from their team’s Physiotherapist they would be quite ‘on their own’ here. I feel it is our responsibility to make the Olympic Sailing teams feel at home in Portland and Weymouth. I will definitely enjoy meeting so many great sailors from all over the world and follow their progress, knowing that I have helped make their time in the Borough a pleasant experience.”

Cllr Howard Legg, Brief Holder for Special Projects, said: “This is another fantastic example of how our Borough is attracting attention from around the globe, thanks to our beautiful Jurassic coast and world-class sailing waters.

“I am delighted that this new initiative will help us extend a very warm welcome to sailing teams who train and compete in Weymouth & Portland as it is important that we do not allow language to become an obstacle. I would like to encourage residents who have multi-lingual skills to contact the Council and get on board. I am sure that they will find the experience very rewarding. This is yet another brilliant way that local people can be part of the Olympic legacy here in Weymouth & Portland.”

Residents who are fluent speakers of English and one or more other language and would like to get involved should sail over to to the London 2012 Sailing pages at  www.weymouth.gov.uk .