The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL 'Why France May Ban Discrimination Against Accents', 26/11/20 If you want to communicate in France – and not just raise a laugh – then you conform to the norm, and that means speaking standard Paris bourgeois. There are plenty of online elocution classes to teach you how … The French word for it is la glottophobie. "Having a regional accent in France means automatically that you're treated like a hick – amiable but fundamentally unserious," says the bill's sponsor Christophe Euzet, who is from Perpignan in French Catalonia. What the papers say… 'Why Deaf Interpreters are a Crucial Tool During the Pandemic', 7/1/21 "There is a stark difference in the interpretation style between Deaf and hearing interpreters," Cheslik said. "Often, Deaf interpreters are native signers [since birth], so their signing style incorporates Deaf cultural norms, whereas hearing interpreters have a different style… as a Deaf person, I can always tell if an interpreter is Deaf or hearing." … Both Cheslik and Berkowitz spoke to the importance of working together with hearing interpreters, especially when information may be impromptu or rapidly evolving. 'Language is Politics, and Not Just in the Balkans', 18/11/20 This week Bulgaria, a member of the European Union, vetoed the start of formal accession negotiations to let its neighbor North Macedonia join the bloc. One of Sofia's stated reasons is that Skopje refuses to acknowledge certain historical "truths", including the view that Macedonian is a dialect of Bulgarian and thus doesn't deserve the formal status of an "EU language". The latest from the languages world Membership pays off NEWS & EDITORIAL FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 5 New research has revealed that freelance translators who are members of professional associations charge 30% more than those who are not members. This is particularly significant as the report indicated that downward pressure on rates continues to be an issue in the profession, with 59% of the freelance translators surveyed identifying low rates as the main challenge they face. Carried out by Inbox Translation, the Freelance Translator Survey 2020 showed that most translators have been asked to reduce their fees; only 23% said they had never received such a request. Translation agencies were 2.5 times more likely to ask for a rate reduction than direct clients. Charging 7% more per word, women were found to fare slightly better than men. The findings confirmed the results of similar surveys that the field is dominated by women, who accounted for 76% of responses. Conducted in March-April 2020, the survey heard from 1,510 translators in 92 countries, mainly in Europe (73%) and particularly in Britain (19%). Even at that relatively early stage of the pandemic, 61% of respondents said their work had been affected, with less than a fifth believing their work would not be impacted at all. cutt.ly/InboxT An international call for investment in language education has been launched by institutions in English-speaking countries across three continents. The joint statement demands greater support for language education in schools, colleges, universities and places of work, including the preservation of linguistic diversity and protection against linguistic discrimination. A collaboration between the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, British Academy, Australian Academy of the Humanities, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and Royal Society of Canada, The Importance of Languages in Global Context: An international call to action follows complementary reports by some of the individual academies. According to the British Academy, the aim is to address the pressing need for cross-border cooperation at an "extraordinary moment in human history", and to meet the needs of the 21st century by reversing the trend for Anglophone nations to produce insufficient speakers of languages other than English. cutt.ly/amacad International call for investment © SHUTTERSTOCK

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