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/1379045
@Linguist_CIOL JUNE/JULY The Linguist 11 FEATURES Sobrina Soloman MCIL I became a CIOL member in September after I was asked to speak at the annual conference. Before this I was unaware of such events and the benefits of attending. My experience was fruitful. Not only did I get to speak about interpreting in mental health settings, but I was also able to take away lots of interesting ideas from the other amazing speakers, and I was honoured to speak alongside them. The highlight for me was learning about different types of interpreting roles, such as Tess Pike's talk on working with languages as a tourist guide. Similarly, I found the talk about remote interpreting fascinating. Although I work in public service settings, I could relate to Sarinya Wood's experiences of interpreting for Fifa despite previously knowing little about football. As interpreters we often have to learn new things in preparation, so I identify with the points she made. Ignaty Dyakov's talk on 'Health for Linguists' made me realise how beneficial it is to look after ourselves, particularly in a job like ours. Séverine Hubscher-Davidson's lecture on psychological capital also helped me to take a step back and think about my emotional and personal investment in my role, and the ways my job affects me. The examples she used were perceptive and eye-opening. For me, the takeaway point came from Ken Paver: never say to yourself that you are "just an interpreter"; we add value to the assignments we work on and without us certain institutes could not fulfil their role. Will Maitland MCIL This year we may have swapped the conference hall for the couch, but that didn't affect the quality on offer. For me, Thursday's highlight was Tess Pike's presentation on working with languages as a blue badge tour guide. I particularly enjoyed her insight into the fast-paced work. With its terminology research requirements, demanding (occasionally hectic) travel requirements and a host of exciting opportunities, the role gave me pause to consider how I can bolster my existing language services and add a smidge more variety into my rather sedentary working day as a medical translator. Day two was also crammed full of engaging linguistic topics with my Friday favourite being Laura Bennett's talk on the translation of quotations. I could relate the complex process she undertakes when finding solutions for previously untranslated quotations to elements of my own work. I, too, often call upon numerous digital and printed sources to find the correct contextual use of a non-conventional medical acronym. Saturday's agenda again overflowed with interesting presentations. My pick of the day was Kev Paver's advice on business strategies. Of the ten tips, his invitation to continually challenge myself and change the way clients view my business truly struck a chord. I also plan to institute differentiated rates into my current and future business relationships. Thanks for another fantastically engaging conference, CIOL. See you all in 2022. Natalie Soper MCIL CL As I sat at home to watch the conference virtually this year, it was strange to think that this time last year we were all gathered in one room. Fittingly, a recurring theme in this year's conference was adaptability – something that even people who usually work from home have been forced to do in some way over the past 14 months. In their talk, Carina Balbo and Hugh Ottewell set out potential avenues for anyone thinking of diversifying. They discussed language-adjacent specialisations, such as transcribing and voiceovers, plus activities that we may already be doing for free, such as blogging. They also covered opportunities like public speaking, as well as the passive income that comes with creating a course or e-book. On day two, Karl McLaughlin shared his experiences in media translation. As a cross between translation, adaptation and sometimes transcreation, this discipline presents interesting challenges when it comes to conveying the most pertinent information in the most appropriate journalistic style. Laura Bennett's talk was useful: she described approaches to finding a potential existing translation for a quote, and when to provide your own translation. Sharing her top online resources, she also discussed how much to charge, given the extra time and research required. In all, this was a varied conference which ran very smoothly online – although I do hope we will be back to face-to-face events next year! We asked three participants, including one first-time attendee and speaker, to share their highlights