The Linguist

When I lived in Ghana for a year, helping at a hospital, I did not attempt to learn the language of the region. I could not even pronounce its name (Ewe) or that of the town (Kpando). When I spoke to novelist Victoria Hislop for our feature interview (p.8) she told me she felt much the same way when she first encountered Greek at a similarly young age, though she went on to develop a passion for the language. Listening to shows in the other language supports her learning, and our podcast feature may help readers with that (p.26). I'm pleased that our new CEO, John Worne, has shared his favourite podcast, and offered to write more for The Linguist in future. For readers who rarely listen to podcasts this (along with our Big Idea podcaster; p.17) may be a good way to get started. Our final issue of the year is great for suggesting activities to do beyond these pages, and I've also added to my viewing/reading list from the new releases covered by our quiz (p.18). The issue reflects on more serious matters too. Sue Leschen considers how linguists might respond to unreasonable clauses in non-disclosure agreements (p.10), following concerns that employment agreements may be being repurposed with no thought to how the freelance interpreting market works. I am very happy to be able to feature Ewe in 'A Life With Languages' (p.33), thanks to member Harold Assou-Dodji. It is the first time a contributor has had to seek advice on translating into his mother tongue, showing the often immense challenge of translating a European language into an African language. Miranda Moore 4 The Linguist Vol/59 No/6 2020 thelinguist.uberflip.com NEWS & EDITORIAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S NOTES In the first few weeks of getting to know the Chartered Institute of Linguists I've been constantly delighted by the shared values, sense of purpose and the optimistic vision of the organisation – despite all the challenges due to Covid-19. I've been talking to people about what CIOL means to us all, and how we might want to develop in the future. Here are some early thoughts: Community. CIOL exists, above all, to serve and support the community of linguists, especially those experienced language professionals for whom extensive knowledge of one or more foreign languages is a prerequisite for their work. Our ambition is to make a meaningful contribution towards a world which values every language, every culture and every linguist. This is because we believe that knowledge of languages and intercultural competence benefits societies economically, culturally, socially and internationally. Everything we do should be to support the community of linguists – but it might also be nice to invite more people of all ages who take an interest in matters linguistic. We must keep our focus on linguists, but I would also like to reach more language lovers over time. Innovation. Long a CIOL core value, innovation and continuous improvement in our products, services and their delivery are particularly important in the face of the pandemic. Digital technologies are advancing everywhere and changing the routes to linguistic excellence. Our platforms, member services, networking, events, CPD, awards, assessments and qualifications, social media and publications – including the amazing resource which is The Linguist – offer real potential to innovate. It would be great to build the reach and ease-of-use of what CIOL offers linguists; and enable wider appreciation of what we offer those who aspire to work in languages. Online. From my British Council days, I know that face-to-face communication is the 'gold standard' for intercultural understanding, but the pandemic has accelerated trends in remote working and digital service delivery. Changes planned to take years have happened in weeks – and the imperative to enable remote working, and online learning, assessment and events, has never been more pressing. Digital delivery can be more efficient, and is a huge opportunity for CIOL given our purpose, community, content, skills and services, but we need to give ourselves permission to test, learn, improve and accept some missteps along the way. Leadership for languages. With humility, and guided by positive intent, we are charged with being an authoritative and respected voice promoting the learning and use of languages both in the UK and internationally. There is a natural place for us to provide informed advice to a wide range of bodies engaged in the formulation of strategy and policy affecting languages. Our Royal Charter gives us the responsibility specifically: "To provide facilities for the interchange with other societies and associations performing similar work or with Departments of State, universities and institutions engaged in similar work of views and ideas on questions relating to the work theory or practice of a linguist and to collect data and serve as a bureau of information on such and allied subjects." Commissioning, collating, surveying, generating 'thought leadership' and influencing public policy are part of our mission. We have made significant contributions already this year and our community gives us the credentials, confidence and ambition to do more. These are early ideas and, like languages themselves, they will evolve and adapt. But Community, Innovation, Online and Leadership for languages seem like good things for CIOL to stand for right now. John Worne EDITOR'S LETTER Twitter @MooreEdits

• Cover