@Linguist_CIOL
FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 3
CONTENTS
News & editorial
FALL IN REGISTERED PSIs . . 5
IN THE MEDIA . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Awards focus
VOICE OF EUROPE . . . . . . 14
In a rare interview, the European institutions'
first female Director-General, Renée Van Hoof-
Haferkamp, looks back at her life and work
FRENCH EXCHANGE . . . . . 17
How one project is fostering understanding
between French and British youth online
AHEAD OF THE
COMPETITION . . . . . . . . . . 18
Can a gaming contest for primary schools
inspire a generation of language learners?
The editor reserves the right to edit all material submitted. Views expressed in The Linguist are not necessarily
the official views of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. All rights of reproduction, translation and adaptation
reserved for all countries. CIOL, The Linguist and officers accept no responsibility collectively or individually for
the service of agencies or persons advertised or announced in the pages of this journal. The good faith with
which we publish offers no implied/implicit guarantee.
10
The Linguist
Editor M Moore linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk
Sales D Butler +44 (0) 20 7940 3100; deborah.butler@ciol.org.uk
Editorial Board
Chair L Melcion MA (Surrey) DipTrans PG Cert Ed MCIL
D Butler BA (Hons) (ex officio)
A Carlisle MA FCIL (ex officio)
C Fairfoull BA MA ACIL MCIPD AIRP
J Guardamagna BA MCIL CL (Translator) IAPTI APARU
M Moore BA (ex officio)
J Oppedisano BA MA DPSI MCIL
E Pavlopoulos LLB MAEd PGCE IoLET Affiliate
M Pollard BA PhD FCIL FHEA
K Trotman BSc MA DipTrans MCIL
A Zafar BA CIOL Student Affliate
For a list of Council and committee members,
see www.ciol.org.uk/council
The
Linguist, formerly
The Incorporated
Linguist,
is the official
journal of the Chartered
Institute of Linguists
Features
THE BIG IDEA . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The founder of the online encyclopaedia
Omniglot reveals the secrets of its success
REWRITING DIVERSITY . . . . 8
Can a mentorship for minority ethnic literary
translators make the industry more inclusive?
THE FOUNDATION
OF DIPLOMACY . . . . . . . . . 10
How the UK government has improved the
linguistic skills of its diplomats in just five years
EMBASSY INSIGHTS . . . . . . 13
Cultural outreach from the Georgian Embassy
THE PROBLEM WITH
IMPARTIALITY . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Why interpreters need to be honest about
how hard it can be to remain impartial
CURTAIN CALL FOR LATIN . 22
Why would anyone translate Brecht into Latin?
A look at the challenges – and benefits – of
rendering modern fiction in ancient tongues
THE PEACEMAKERS . . . . . . 24
In times of conflict, what responsibility do
linguists bear for fostering understanding?
GAINING EXCELLENCE . . . 26
How the UK's Mandarin Excellence
Programme has met its objective of having
5,000 pupils on track to fluency by 2020
Reviews
BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Language Unlimited and Don't Believe a Word
Opinion & comment
LETTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Institute matters
TRANSLATORS OF GENIUS . 32
How the translator's role was elevated through
the rising popularity of Shakespeare in Europe
A LIFE WITH LANGUAGES . 33
In his native Serbian, one member discusses
why he swapped dentistry for interpreting
MAKING AN
IMPACT ONLINE . . . . . . . . . 34
CIOL's Digital Content Marketing Executive
Sukhdeep Loyal on what drew her to the role
FRONT COVER © SHUTTERSTOCK
7th Floor, 167 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2EA; info@ciol.org.uk; +44 (0) 20 7940 3100; www.ciol.org.uk
Printed by The Pureprint Group, www.pureprint.com. Published six times a year and distributed free of charge to
Career Affiliates and higher grades of membership. Student and IoLET Affiliate members have access to the digital copy.
Annual subscription £48 post free. Overseas subscription £63 (airmail Europe), £67 (airmail rest of world). ISSN 0268-5965
The Linguist is online at tl.ciol.org.uk; Subscribe at www.ciol.org.uk/subscriptions
Apply to become a CIOL member at www.ciol.org.uk/membership
©
SHUTTERSTOCK
