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
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10 The Linguist Vol/59 No/5 2020 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES solutions and back translations, and the client instantly chose their preferred option. Any professional transcreator or translator knows that usually you have to email back and forth, wait for answers, confirm and reconfirm. So this instant way of working was a breath of fresh air. As the evening progressed the process became more fun and energising. There was certainly a buzz among the transcreators. Having all the transcreators from the various languages working around the same table was genius. We aired our queries and mentioned the solutions we were employing. And of course, what wasn't working in Italian wasn't working in Spanish. And what wasn't working in Greek wasn't working in Russian. And the solution for Italian could also be applied to Spanish, the solution for Greek to Russian etc. The result was a collaborative, creative effort of individuals from different backgrounds, industries, languages and cultures acting in synergy. Perhaps this way of working wouldn't suit a more introverted linguist. Some individuals perform better on their own, especially when having to produce copy in a second language. Others may prefer having all their dictionaries around them, or may need more time to familiarise themselves with the team or the product involved. I certainly felt that this was an efficient yet tiring method to produce, test and publish multilingual advertising materials in one evening. The client paid for preparation time, travel time, travel expenses and double my full day fee, plus overtime, because they required my presence out of normal office hours. I had anticipated that this was going to be a beautiful but somewhat exhausting evening. Going forward, I would certainly work within such a fast-paced, creative environment again. I believe that for the advertising industry this could be the way forward. EVERYONE WAS BOUNCING IDEAS OFF EACH OTHER. I HAD THE CLIENT RIGHT THERE T he closure of UK schools to all but the children of key workers and vulnerable children has had a major impact on the lives and learning of our young people. While many schools worked hard to provide online learning and a phased return for some year groups, language learning, with the need for consistent input and practice, has suffered. Clearly government agencies had to give urgent thought as to how the GCSE and A-level exams would be conducted next year. Ofqual, the exams regulator, has attempted to ensure that students who take the GCSE in 2021 are given the best chance to succeed. They presented proposals across a range of subjects in a consultation document aimed at reducing disruption in centres and maximising teaching time. The results of their deliberations were published on 3 August: in modern foreign language (MFL) exams the speaking element will be excluded when awarding grades 9 to 1 (on the scale that replaced grades A*-G in 2019). Speaking would otherwise have accounted for 25% of marks. Instead, the "spoken language assessment [will] be an endorsement reported on a 3-point scale (pass, merit and distinction) against common assessment criteria". What this means in practice has yet to be decided, with an Ofqual spokesperson stating: "We will shortly be consulting on the detailed arrangements for the conduct and reporting of GCSE modern foreign language speaking assessments this academic year." However, the report's explanatory notes establish that speaking As the speaking element is removed from the Year 10s be taught any speaking skills at all, Don't speak © SHUTTERSTOCK