The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/1056743
@Linguist_CIOL 'Nonsense About Universal Translation, Strictly for the Gullible', 20/9/18 When it comes to language, people seem to think they can just make stuff up… In the National Post, a fairly conservative Canadian newspaper (The Telegraph also ran the story in Britain, behind a paywall – they will charge you money for this balderdash!) Hymas reports that "two of the original architects of social media"… are on the brink of "using artificial intelligence to create a translation system that will understand what animals are saying and what they think of us." What the papers say… 'Alphabet Soup as Kazakh Leader Orders Switch from Cyrillic to Latin Letters', 26/10/18 Kazakhstan is to change its official alphabet for the third time in less than 100 years in what is seen in part as a symbolic move to underline its independence… Part of the latest switch relates to modern technology. The Cyrillic alphabet has 42 symbols, making it cumbersome to use with digital devices… The new proposed Latin alphabet works around that by using apostrophe signs to modify letters. The country's official name would thus be spelled as Qazaqstan Respy'blikasy. 'Kirkuk Bookshop Uses English to Promote Peace in Divided Iraqi City', 5/9/18 Sulaiman said the use of English as a politically neutral language was vital to his project, in which he is supported by a number of young volunteers drawn from Kirkuk's various ethnic and religious communities. "The English language is accepted by all the people… By doing this we want to send a clear message to the world that the people of Kirkuk love to be together," said Sulaiman, a graduate of the American University in Beirut. The latest from the languages world A report aimed at addressing the poor track record of language teaching in French schools has recommended that primary aged children watch cartoons in English. France came second to last in a recent Europe-wide survey of language teaching, and President Macron made improving language education a key election promise. The report also suggests that subjects such as science, maths and history should be taught in other languages. NEWS & EDITORIAL DECEMBER/JANUARY The Linguist 5 In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH As the Brexit deadline approaches, it will come as no surprise that the European Day of Languages was not heavily promoted in the UK media. Yet there was some coverage, with EuroNews marking the day by asking 'Which Country Speaks the Most Foreign Languages?'. Reflecting growing unease about the "disaster of Brexit", The Guardian reported that Alex Rawlings – known for being the country's most multilingual student in 2012 – is moving to Barcelona. This lead to an opinion piece with the message 'Learn Another European Language – and Give Two Fingers to Brexit Britain'. On a more positive note, there is increasing recognition that language skills could be more crucial post-Brexit, with PortStrategy arguing that 'Foreign Languages could Boost UK Trade'. This raises the seemingly unlikely proposition that Brexit could actually end up bolstering language learning in the UK. The Times reported on a rising interest in bilingual schools among parents; while positive research on 'the bilingual brain' continued to make its way into the mainstream media. Newsweek trumpeted "the brain mechanisms which allow bilingual people to switch effortlessly from one language to another", while The Times gave column inches to cognitive scientist Thomas Bak so he could explain the benefits to the brain of learning languages. Elsewhere, there was the usual interest in advances in automatic translation, as the BBC asked "can artificial intelligence and deep neural networks help iron out the glitches?". This was particularly pertinent considering the worrying revelation by the BMJ that NHS 'Doctors Choose Google Translate to Communicate with Patients because of Easy Access', a potential issue for public health and, ultimately, for human rights. Most of the national papers marked the loss of two great linguists with inspiring obituaries for Isabel Quigly and Anthea Bell. Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant. Language boost for French tots Emergency for Alaska tongues The Governor of Alaska has signed an emergency order which will ensure measures are taken to promote and protect the state's 20 native languages. This follows a report warning that the languages could be extinct by the end of the 21st century. Academics fear death of Dutch A group of academics have warned of Dutch "linguicide" due to the dominance of English in the country's universities. 60% of MA programmes at Utrecht University are now delivered in English. The lecturers called on the government to put an immediate halt to the creation of new English-language courses while an impact analysis is conducted. © SHUTTERSTOCK