The Linguist

34 The Linguist Vol/61 No/1 2022 www.ciol.org.uk INSTITUTE MATTERS Lakshmi-Raj Amin Lakshmi-Raj Amin has a history degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a postgraduate qualification in International Relations of the Americas. She speaks several languages, including French and Gujarati, and is the manager of a tutoring company. She is particularly interested in sharing her knowledge of Indian languages and manages an online platform to inspire learning of these languages. She also works as a writer, specialising in topics connected to India and France. See p.16 Michal Glowacki Co-owner and founder of Great Words, and an English to Polish expert in all things creative, including translation, editing and copywriting, Michal Glowacki MCIL CL is the self-proclaimed king of creative and marketing copy for the sports and tech industries. When he's not helping Nike run their campaigns or bringing music to the people with Bose, he's usually cycling, running or swimming. You can find him at linkedIn.com/in/polish-marketing- translator and @iron.translator on Instagram. See p.12 Helle Gulwosen Helle Gulowsen FCIL CL is a NRPSI-registered Norwegian interpreter, working with the Metropolitan Police Service and the wider legal and criminal justice system. She is also a highly qualified translator specialising in scientific, technical and legal documentation. Helle takes a particular interest in governance, and serves as a member of CIOL Council and as International Development Governor at the Anglo European Academy Trust. She was previously a member of The Linguist Editorial Board. See p.7 Maria-Elena Metaxas Maria-Elena Metaxas MCIL is a teacher of French and German with a focus on sixth-form education. Dedicated to bilingual communication using a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach, she continues to research effective pedagogical methods that support language and grammar proficiency. Coming from a marketing background, she now tutors linguaphiles of all ages and starting points. She was raised bilingually in Greek and English, and is currently Chair of the CIOL Education Society. See p.14 Kọ́ lá Túbọ̀ sún Nigerian writer and linguist Kọ́ lá Tú bọ̀ sú n is the author of two collections of poetry, a Yorù bá dictionary of names, two chapbooks, and several works in translation between English and Yorù bá , his mother tongue. He is a Fulbright and Chevening Fellow, and a Miles Morland Writing Fellow. In 2016, he was awarded the Special Prize of the Premio Ostana in Cuneo, Italy for his work in language advocacy. The African co-editor of The Best Translated Literature anthology and publisher of OlongoAfrica.com, he lives in Lagos, Nigeria. See p.10 Anam Zafar Anam Zafar, CIOL Career Affiliate, is a literary translator for adult's and children's fiction and non- fiction, an in-house editor at Cadenza Academic Translations, and a translation workshop facilitator for young people. She won the 2021 Gulf Coast Prize in Translation and was long-listed for the 2020-2021 John Dryden Translation Competition. She volunteers for World Kid Lit and on The Linguist Editorial Board. Her language pairs are Arabic and French to English. Twitter: @anam_translates; www.anamzafar.com. See p.20 CONTRIBUTORS You now run a forensic research company, media production firm and counter-drone team: how do your language skills fit in? All of the businesses are globally savvy, and not a day goes by without me using one of my other tongues. In fact, today I've spoken all three of the languages I was taught in the military via Zoom and Teams. Tell us about your advocacy work with schools… After the wonderful influence Professor Shivtiel had on me, it was an easy decision to also promote the benefits of language learning to future generations. You don't know what you don't know at that age! So when a large and distinctive-looking Welshman launches into a one-hour stand-up show that captures your imagination and makes you realise that anything is possible in this life, the difficult bit is already done. I've spoken to over a million students and won international awards for motivational speaking, which is just me talking about my trials and tribulations through life. As someone who isn't currently working in a traditional language role, why is CIOL membership important to you? CIOL is the standard bearer for language learning in the UK; having a CIOL qualification and accreditation makes you stand out from a crowd and gives you a sense of belonging. It's a brethren of white matter aficionados, who make all newcomers welcome! What's the most fun you've had with languages? That's an easy one! Talking to President Obama and the First Lady about learning Pashto, and then adopting an accent while talking the language. The look on their faces was priceless! You just filmed Celebrity Hunted for C4. Did your language skills help with that? You'll have to watch the show! Again, being a polyglot makes you stand out, and the problem-solving skills that go with being multilingual are well documented. What's the best thing about being multilingual? Languages augment me as a whole and are part and parcel of my work and social life. I was walking through Hyde Park recently with my good friend Des Powell (ex SAS), speaking Arabic (a normal occurrence), when an Arab family overheard us and were amazed we chose to speak it. Suffice to say, networking opportunities can arise anywhere when you're a polyglot. You can hear Paul Hughes' Keynote on White Matter and Resilience at CIOL Conference, 11-12 March; www.ciol.org.uk/ciol-conference-2022

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