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@Linguist_CIOL OCTOBER/NOVEMBER The Linguist 33 INSTITUTE MATTERS COUNCIL NEWS Judith Gabler reports on Council's second online meeting, as members work to secure stability during challenging times Are you zoomed in or zoomed out? Despite reducing social interaction, Zoom does at least relieve the burden of travel, and so our Council meeting in July again welcomed full attendance online. Following the announcement from Ann Carlisle that she would stand down as CEO, the responsibility of recruiting a successor fell to me, as Chair of Council, and to the Chair of the Educational Trust Board, Bernardette Holmes. Providing stable leadership in unstable times became our immediate imperative, particularly designing a recruitment process which was as inclusive as possible to ensure all aspects of diversity, competency and experience were weighted and considered (see also my Notes, p.4). The coronavirus crisis leaves no company or individual unscathed, and as for many organisations, Council's other immediate imperative is to achieve our forecasted targets and secure our financial stability both in the short and longer term. Cost savings are being made by moving all member and staff meetings online. The relaunch of our eCPD portal, while offering free benefits to members, is also contributing third-party income. We have now secured seven partners to our Business and Corporate Partnership Model, thus widening our visibility and capacity for collaboration, as well as boosting our membership potential across many parts of the language sector. With the new business year to August 2021 dawns a new renewal period. Chartership has increased by 150 new accreditations over the last 12 months, a spectacular increase of 30%, which nudges us closer to the 800 milestone. As a membership organisation we are, however, acutely aware that the pandemic is a threat to income and existence, and we are constantly building our services so as to support and retain as many members as possible. then called Eco-Emballages, asked me to translate their publicity materials and to make some conference presentations on their behalf to explain the French approach. The German recycling targets proved over-ambitious and caused disruption to recycling in neighbouring countries. To address this, Europe adopted a Directive in 1994 requiring each member state to recycle a proportion of packaging waste. We reported on the legislation and systems established to meet the new requirements. I no longer translated texts but wrote summaries or reports with analysis. Differences between the regulations and systems in each country caused problems and our consultancy work included assessing the implications. In 2005, I worked on a study for the European Commission on how the Directive had been implemented. I regularly wrote reports and spoke at conferences throughout Europe and beyond about the systems and requirements. We advised producers on how to comply, and we advised countries outside the EU that were planning similar legislation. One project involved visiting German supermarkets to check whether the new mandatory deposit on drinks containers was operating as intended. It was not. The internet and email have significantly changed the way I work. Initially, I had to telephone ministries to obtain information or ask for documents to be posted. Now I mainly work online as most legal texts and other information are available electronically. Since 2017, I have worked on a freelance basis and I am as busy as ever. Concern about environmental issues continues to grow, with a focus on plastic waste, including packaging. Legislation and industry responsibilities change in response, and so does my work. Gill Bevington MCIL has been a CIOL member since 1993. These articles are based on talks at the Business, Professions and Government Division's recent event 'The Versatility of Language Practitioners'. For future events see ciol.org.uk/bpg. LS committee, was 'recycled' from translator to to protect the environment in an ever-evolving field