The Linguist

34 The Linguist Vol/60 No/2 2021 thelinguist.uberflip.com INSTITUTE MATTERS COUNCIL NEWS Judith Gabler explains why people were front and centre of Council's concerns at the January meeting New year, new start, refreshed ambition! If, like me, you are feeling the monotony of social isolation, if you are missing the face-to-face contact with family, friends and colleagues, then you are not alone. I sensed a collective spirit of optimism as Council and staff re-engaged for the January meeting, so it was not altogether surprising that 'people' – member growth, development and retention – were the golden threads running through our agenda. Despite the financial, logistical and psychological challenges which Covid-19 has imposed on us organisationally, we are still tracking ahead of our anticipated growth. We saw a strong uptake for the January Diploma in Translation (DipTrans) session, with more than 400 candidate bookings. Now fully online, membership applications increased by 22% from May to December 2020 compared with the same period the previous year. If there is one thing that stands out though it is the collective spirit of 'belonging'. At over 90%, our member retention rate has seldom been as robust at this point of the year. Our divisions and societies continue to inspire with a broad array of webinars and workshops that regularly achieve three-figure attendee numbers. They are also producing by-member/for-member guides, such as the Translating Division's 'Recipes for Resilience'. More on our membership will follow when Council receives the results of our CIOL Membership Census in April. Dr Reza Navaei FCIL CL is standing down from Council and as Membership Committee Chair, alongside another long-serving member of the committee, Dr Marie-Marthe Gervais-le Garff FCIL. While Council's strategic focus is to grow the present and shape the future, we acknowledge, with sincere thanks, the strong foundations built by the expertise of Reza and Marie-Marthe at the Membership Committee and in their broader contributions to languages. Wishing safe times to you and our wider readership. judith.gabler@web.de Zoé Brill Diderich Zoé Brill Diderich has been a freelance interpreter in London for over 20 years. She teaches public service and conference interpreting in the French section on the MA in Translation and Interpreting Course at the University of Westminster. See p.16 Bernadette Clinton Bernadette Clinton is currently working as the MFL Consultant with The Hackney Learning Trust and on the primary teacher education courses at Middlesex University. She is a British Council Schools Ambassador. See p.14 Bérengère Digard Dr Bérengère Digard completed her PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh in July 2020, and is currently the Engagement Officer of the Patrick Wild Centre (University of Edinburgh). She is interested in how language experiences can shape social processes. See p.18 Debbie Garrick Debbie Garrick MCIL is a freelance translator and copywriter. She mainly works on creative texts in the cosmetics, fashion, marketing and tourism industries. She is also passionate about working her career around her family and helping others to do so. See p.8 Philip Harding-Esch Philip Harding-Esch is a consultant for language projects based in the UK, working in technology, stakeholder engagement, education and policy. This includes work for the British Council and the Language and Development Conference. See p.14 James Illingworth Dr James Illingworth teaches French language and culture at the universities of Leicester and De Montfort. He is the Project Coordinator for the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML), the umbrella organisation for languages in UK higher education. See p.12 Theo Merz Theo Merz is a British journalist based in Moscow. A languages graduate and former Linguist columnist, he has reported from across Russia for AFP, The Economist, The Guardian, The Times, VICE and others. See p.10 Robin Meyer Assistant Professor of historical linguistics at the Université de Lausanne, Dr Robin Meyer FHEA MCIL CL previously taught linguistics at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on language contact in pre-Islamic Iran, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean. See p.22 Suzanne O'Farrell MFL consultant for ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders), Suzanne O'Farrell has also been their inspections specialist and curriculum and assessment specialist. She was previously a secondary school headteacher. See p.14 Pascale Vassie Pascale Vassie OBE is the Executive Director and founder of NRCSE (National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education). She has worked in community development and empowerment for the last 30 years; pascale@nrcse.org.uk. See p.14 CONTRIBUTORS

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