Austria scraps Turkish language driving theory tests

Austria's transport ministry has scrapped their driving theory test in Turkish, blaming translating costs.

Cars driving in Innsbruck, Austria.

Cars driving in Innsbruck, Austria. Source: Getty Images

Learner drivers in Austria will no longer be able to take their theory test in Turkish, the transport ministry has announced, blaming the cost of translating the exam.

Nearly 300,000 theory tests were taken last year but only 3,631 were conducted in Turkish - or 1.2 per cent of the total. 

Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, from the far-right Freedom Party, said on Saturday it was too expensive to maintain a test taken by a relatively small percentage of learners. 

There are around 360,000 people of Turkish origin in Austria, including 117,000 Turkish nationals.

"Each additional language for training costs the state a five-figure sum that isn't justifiable," Mr Hofer said.

Exams will continue to be available in English, Croatian and Slovenian. 

He said the decision was also intended to be an "encouragement to learn German".

The FPOe, which ran on an anti-immigration platform, has several ministers in Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's government. 

This latest announcement comes amid a souring of relations between the two countries, following Austria's crackdown on "political Islam" and foreign financing of mosques.


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Source: AFP, SBS


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Austria scraps Turkish language driving theory tests | SBS News