The theory exam for the driver’s license looks more like a disguised language test than an assessment of knowledge of the traffic code for people who do not speak the language of the test, the Professional Union of Sworn Translators and Interpreters, Uptia, said in a press release on Friday. Uptia made this assessment within the framework of the new driver’s license theory exam in Brussels. From late April, the use of interpreters for the theoretical and practical exams in Brussels is limited to English, French and German, as has been the case in Flanders since March 2017.
That means the language prerequisites for preparing for the theory exam are even more important today than those required to prepare for acquiring Belgian nationality, notes Uptia, which feels that this is not right.
"The examination for the driver’s license should not assess language knowledge but good driving skills,” says Uptia. Moreover, it adds, “the driver’s license is a means of integration and facilitates the exercise of a profession.”
Uptia adds that it does not understand why the interpretation system was changed. “It appears from parliamentarians’ questions that the new regulations allow for reduced workloads and costs,” it notes, “but interpretation costs are borne by the candidates.”
The Brussels Times
