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/1207047
The language industries are, by their very nature, multicultural, yet they are not immune to the wider social and systemic inequalities that mean black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people are hugely under represented in leadership roles throughout the Western world. Even on our Editorial Board, where 50% of elected members are from 'diverse' backgrounds (i.e. born outside the UK, BAME and/or native speakers of a language other than English), that compares to 75% of CIOL members. We strive to be fully representative, and encourage expressions of interest to join the board from people of all backgrounds, but barriers to inclusion are varied and complex. The imbalance is more stark in the UK's literary translation industry, which is overwhelmingly white, according to those who are attempting to address the issue. We ask if creating opportunities for BAME and heritage language translators can make a real difference (p.8). Teaching children that their home languages are valuable may be a long- term mechanism for change. By encouraging primary school pupils to engage with a range of languages, uTalk's award-winning Junior Language Competition could help, while also inspiring a generation of learners (p.18). For our Awards Focus (p.14-19), I also had the privilege of talking to Renée Van Hoof- Haferkamp, the first female Director-General of the European institutions, who established the interpreting service in the 1950s. She discusses a 'golden age' of interpreting, and the knowledge she has learnt through a life at the centre of European politics. Miranda Moore 4 The Linguist Vol/59 No/1 2020 ciol.org.uk/tl NEWS & EDITORIAL CHAIR OF COUNCIL'S NOTES Strolling through a local market during a recent visit to the UK, I saw a familiar, everyday household item. In itself not unusual, but this particular linen tea towel boasted that it was a Lancashire Dialect Translator (heritagecards.co.uk). What a joy it was to rediscover words which had been buried in the deepest recesses of my memory. Words such as 'sauce' ('reprimand'), 'britches' ('trousers') and 'cakehole' ('mouth') rekindled childhood memories of being parky ('cold') in winter and my parents telling me umpteen ('many') times to tidy my room. Some of these words are still in use today, but as language and dialects evolve new words appear and others fade. I am in my 36th year in Germany and am constantly learning: words such as Krusch (Swabian for 'odds and ends') or labbeduddl (Hessian for 'nitwit'). The internet and social media have been the most powerful influence on language in the past 25 years, with words such as 'streaming', 'text' and 'hashtag' entering our vocabulary while others, like 'transistor radio' and 'cassette recorder', have greatly diminished in relevance. In 2017, the Académie Française condemned 'inclusive' vocabulary as it would put the French language en péril mortel; two years later, the gender neutral pronoun 'they', denoting a person whose gender identity is non-binary, became anchored in the English language. Language evolution at its most fluid. Our language of conversation is also changing. In 2018, the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS; German language society) named Heißzeit their word of the year. It denoted climate change but also, certainly, a growing sense of emergency about the times we live in – as with the gilets jaunes (signifying widespread protests) in France and flygskam ('flight shame') in Sweden. Words that reflect current social, sustainable, technological or political transformation move to the top of our vocabulary. What will be the words of the year for 2020? When we look back in five years, what will we remember most? As linguists, we play a key role in communication and cross-culture facilitation. Positive messaging, language of love and tolerance have their equal place in our world as well. The wonderful thing is that, as language evolves, we never stop learning. Our annual CIOL Conference 2020, on 6-7 March, offers a wide variety of topics. Whether you are starting a career as a linguist, a seasoned practitioner or simply interested in connecting with peers, keep abreast of topical issues and join us. Everyone is welcome. Judith Gabler EDITOR'S LETTER Share your views: linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk Our CIOL conference offers a variety of topics. Keep abreast of topical issues and join us