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
@Linguist_CIOL 'Languages Affected Differently by Brain Disease', 11/1/20 While English speakers had trouble pronouncing words, Italian speakers came out with shorter, simpler sentences. The findings could help ensure accurate diagnoses for people from different cultures, the researchers said… "Many non-native English speakers may not be getting the right diagnosis "because their symptoms don't match what is described in clinical manuals based on studies of native English speakers." What the papers say… 'What I Learnt in Hawai'i about Promoting the Welsh Language', 9/12/19 One of the highlights of the [Mokuola Honua international] conference was a visit to Nawahi School – a 3 to18 immersion school on the big island of Hawai'i with almost 500 pupils studying entirely through Hawaiian. Particularly inspiring were the students – one of whom was determined to qualify as a doctor so that she could care for patients in Hawaiian. Her eyes lit up when I shared the news with her that our first graduates who studied Medicine bilingually in Wales had just graduated. Lust in Translation: How we fell for the people giving arthouse auteurs a voice, 2/1/20 Maybe it was [interpreter Sharon Choi's] all-black ensemble and cute Harry Potter specs, or maybe it was the flawless simultaneous translation they found so hot… Choi – a 25-year-old Korean-American, also a film-maker, currently living in Seoul – has only been working with [director Bong Joon ho] since May… But her scene-stealing has shone a light on interpreting, an overlooked aspect of film's promotional circuit, especially on the arthouse side. It is a high-grade post. The latest from the languages world Fall in registered PSIs There has been a significant drop in the number of registered public service interpreters (PSI) in the UK, according to a new report. The 2019 Annual Review of the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) found that the registered interpreters available to the public sector had fallen by 28% in just seven years – from 2,392 in 2012 to 1,730 at the end of 2018. Responding to the findings, Mike Orlov, NRPSI Executive Director and Registrar, blamed "procurement practices that put cost- savings before delivering high-quality and effective services". He argued that this was a "clarion call" for action to reverse the decline NEWS & EDITORIAL in registered interpreters. "We say enough is enough; it is time for all parties involved – those within the interpreting community and those who rely upon it – to lend their support to making it mandatory for the public services to only use Registered Interpreters and to ensuring that such professionals have their expertise respected and fairly remunerated." Currently, 104 languages are covered by NRPSI, with 13% of practitioners working in Polish – the most popular language, followed by Urdu (7%) and Romanian (6%). The report was based on the most recent 12-month period of data, ending 31 December 2018. See nrpsi.org.uk/AnnualReview6thEdition. FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 5 Govt urged to prioritise language The UK's leading representative body for linguists has urged the government to put languages and education at the forefront of its review into security, defence and foreign policy. The Queen's Speech, which formally reopened Parliament after the 2019 general election, announced that the government would "work to promote and expand the United Kingdom's influence in the world," starting with a review of "all aspects of international policy from defence to diplomacy and development". In response, the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) said that there is now "an urgent need for foreign language learning", with Britain depending on its armed forces, diplomats, police and security personnel "to defend and protect us against international crime and terrorism". The statement continued: "The government must ensure everything possible is done to persuade young people to recognise that learning languages can lead to valuable careers and that the resources are available to prepare them for work in these important areas." See ciol.org.uk/news/news. © SHUTTERSTOCK