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/135206
INSTITUTE MATTERS Who's on Council? STARTING WITH THE NEWEST MEMBERS, WE LAUNCH A SECTION PROFILING THE COUNCIL OF THE CIOL German-English translator Deborah Langton MCIL was elected to Council in March. She has an MA in Modern Languages, MA in Applied Linguistics, RSA Diploma in TEFLA and Diploma in Translation. She describes what led her to translation. A blank sheet of paper had been pinned on the sparsely covered 'Careers' noticeboard. Our form teacher had asked us to sign up and say what we wanted to be. It's funny how clearly I remember that moment, 40 years later. What did I write? Rather hesitantly 'Lecturer/librarian/ translator'. Well, I have indeed spent many years in teaching and lecturing, preceded by a number of years in industry as a Cambridge graduate. But it was only in 2010 that the time seemed right to train and qualify as a translator. 'Keep the day-job for the first couple of years' was one of many pieces of excellent advice from my DipTrans distance tutor. I continued teaching fulltime at Munich's Ludwig-MaximiliansUniversität, while burning the candle at both ends doing as many translations as I could to give myself a solid grounding. Now a freelancer, my newness sharpens my insight into how the CIOL can support the needs of practitioners, particularly new entrants. My earlier roles in partnership, working between schools and universities, mean that I take a realistic, but no less enthusiastic, view of what can be achieved on the wider stage. Oh, and being a librarian? Maybe I'll save that for voluntary work in retirement. Vol/52 No/3 2013 French to English translator Karen Netto MCIL was elected to Council in March. She has an MSc in Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation with Translation Technology, and the Diploma in Translation. She outlines her first contact with the Institute through to her interests today. At the tender age of 13, I wrote to the Institute of Linguists. I was already keen to be a translator. A little booklet advised me to forget my dream until the grand old age of 50. I was disheartened, but my passion for languages and translation led me into a fascinating commercial career instead. I found my real niche in global marketing and particularly enjoy working with multicultural teams. I am a strong supporter of standards as a means to improve the professional status and remuneration of interpreters and translators. I am also keen that the Institute should support improved training and continuing professional development (CPD) to meet future commercial and technical demands. These are things I am keen to look at in my role on Council. A list of current Council members appears on page 3. For further details about CIOL committees and governance, see the 'About us' section at www.iol.org.uk. COUNCIL NEWS Acting Chief Executive Alan Peacock reports on the meeting of 20 April This was the first meeting of Council since the election results were announced at the AGM on 16 March. The Chair, Keith Moffitt, welcomed Karen Netto and Deborah Langton to their first meeting of Council, and James Farmer to his first meeting since re-election. He also congratulated Dr Nick Bowen on his re-election as President. The election of Council officers then took place, with Keith Moffitt, Christine Pocock and Tony Bell being re-elected as Chair, Vice-Chair and Honorary Treasurer respectively. I reported that the level of membership had increased slightly and that new membership applications had been generated through a series of nine visits by staff to schools and universities over the previous two months (for more details, see 'At Your Service', opposite). I had attended the APCI/Eulita conference, 'The Challenges to Professional Translation and Interpreting in the Justice Sector', in early April, which had been very well attended and a great success. I also reported that Members' Day this year will be held on 5 October at the Royal College of General Practitioners at Euston Square, London. More details will follow on the website and in the next issue. The new Director of Examinations, Ann Carlisle, reported on developments in the Trust, and thanked members of Council for the welcome they and staff had extended to her since her arrival in March. Keith Moffitt reported that the seminar organised by Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) in February had been very successful, with 150 participants. The group remained firm in its opposition to the MoJ/Capita framework, which it believes to be unworkable. Finally, we reported that the sale of Saxon House had been agreed and contracts exchanged. The search for new premises is well underway and we anticipate moving during the summer. JUNE/JULY The Linguist 33