The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL Ed Sheeran Forced to Learn Language to End 'Embarrassment' Over Italian Home, 10/7/21 "It's the one thing I feel I got out of [lockdown]…I've spent the last ten years travelling the world speaking English and feeling quite embarrassed about being in all these wonderful countries and not being able to communicate, so it's really cool. It feels like a key, you unlock the door and suddenly this whole world opens up to you." What the papers say… Si, Oui, Hai: Interpreting joy and heartbreak at Tokyo Games, 31/7/21 Unlike previous Olympics, all the interpretation is being done remotely. Press conferences from remote venues are fed into the press- center hub. Some two dozens [sic] interpreters aren't even in the country, chiming in from the Americas or Europe to handle late night events in Japan. Their simultaneous translations can be accessed at all Olympic venues on an app. This eliminates interpreters getting tied up in traffic… "We are here in the press center all the time, and we watch the events on the TV just like anybody else," said Andrea Hofmann Miller, a German interpreter. The latest from the languages world Year-abroad chaos Hundreds of languages students may be stuck in the UK for their third year of study, as visa applications are denied or delayed post- Brexit. Undergraduates planning to work or study in EU countries this year were still facing uncertainty as the academic year began. James Illingworth of the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML) reported that "seemingly never-ending requirements" were holding up visa applications, which appeared to be denied or approved arbitrarily. "The extensive waiting lists and difficulties obtaining documents from host departments in Spain is causing significant delays and anxiety for students," he added. Although NEWS & EDITORIAL some were able to find alternative placements in Latin America, others were left in limbo. The Spanish Embassy in London was inundated with late applications (those made less than six months prior to travel), according to a spokesperson, with the Spanish government denying a Foreign Office request for a fast- track process for British students. UCML Chair Emma Cayley added that the cost of visas could "make the year abroad less viable" and "worsen the recruitment issues already faced by many of our members". For example, Germany requires students to have funds of €800 (£686) for each month of their stay, in addition to the cost of the visa itself. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER The Linguist 5 Telling Me My 'English is Good' is Not a Compliment, 13/8/21 We must normalise the expectation that people of colour from [overseas] backgrounds can speak English well. This means not being surprised enough to say something out loud about it, which includes retiring terms like 'native English language skills' on job descriptions. The term creates an unnecessary burden on people like me to prove we have English skills comparable to someone who's from the UK, which is an unfair standard. Excellence for Latin in schools The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a £4 million Latin Excellence Programme, saying it wants to "put an end to" the divide that sees Latin taught in 49% of private schools but just 2.7% of state schools. A centre of excellence will work with around 40 secondary schools on teacher training and resources. Running from 2022 to 2026, the scheme is based on the Mandarin Excellence Programme, which will receive an additional £16.4 million as it enters its sixth year. Identity card strife for Macron Critics have blasted the French government for adding English translations to national identity cards following an EU directive which stipulates that they must be in two languages. The English for nom ('surname'), prénoms ('first names') and nationalité ('nationality') are now provided. However, some commentators were upset by the choice of language, accusing President Macron of treating French as a "regional, provincial language" and relegating France to the rank of a "small nation". © SHUTTERSTOCK

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