The Linguist

@CIOL_Linguists AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 31 INSTITUTE MATTERS Meet our members CHRIS HUGHES MCIL EXPLAINS HOW HIS PASSION FOR LANGUAGES TOOK HIM INTO THE CIVIL SERVICE AND LED HIM TO BE AWARDED MBE How did your passion for languages start? I was fascinated with words, books, reading, writing – even punctuation and grammar – from a very young age. I would write stories about going to other countries and meeting people there, and I would make up languages for them to speak. I still love the idea of that! My first foray into other languages came aged 8, when I noticed a guide to Spanish on my parents' bookcase. The words were exciting, exotic even; I was hooked. I'd found something that I not only enjoyed immensely, but was good at. I was introduced to French at secondary school and was convinced I would teach languages, which expanded to translation, interpreting and other work. What motivates you to work in roles that support cross-cultural communication? When I got the opportunity to travel abroad, languages became inseparably associated with different people, traditions, cultures, customs, histories, politics and ways of life. That could be something as small as making someone smile when you address them in Catalan or Polish, or as transformational as understanding Roma people through their language and losing ingrained prejudices. Languages had shown me why cross- cultural communication was so vital. It's about understanding your place in the world, interacting with and relating to other human beings, and discovering more than you could ever imagine in a monolingual setting. Tell us a little about your career path… My father was working on a UK/Netherlands ad campaign and asked me to translate a poster. I was 18. That was my first experience of professional language work and I knew it was the path for me. In my final year of university, I started teaching Portuguese to a future UK diplomat; it was a dream come true. I joined the civil service and worked with Albanian, Basque, Dutch, Farsi, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and other languages in a wide variety of contexts. When more Albanian linguists were required in the 1990s, I was asked to teach Albanian (specifically the Gheg dialect of Kosovo), and that led to me writing a book on the subject. I spent much of the late 1990s and early 2000s in Albania and Kosovo, interpreting and translating for government and military. Later I set up my own language services business, interpreting, transcribing, teaching, translating and promoting languages. Which languages do you work in? Eight on a regular basis: Albanian, Basque, Catalan, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Romani and Romanian. I also work with languages as diverse as Persian, Esperanto and Afrikaans less frequently. I could hold a conversation in another seven, but I didn't set out to become a polyglot; I just enjoy discovering more and more of the world. I came to Romani after researching my family tree and discovering I have Roma ancestry. Using the language to interpret and translate for Roma people, not to mention promoting the fact that it is a real, rich living language, is particularly rewarding. You led a team providing cross-government language support for six years. What were the greatest challenges? Sourcing very 'niche' language capability – sometimes dialects spoken in small areas – and securing the services of linguists already working on high-priority material in other government departments. Tell us about being awarded MBE for services to language in government… The Albanian language – and all things Albanian – was always passion for me, but when Albania became prominent in the UK news, I (naively) answered the call to support the government. It's important to acknowledge that you can be recognised for work in languages; this work makes a real difference. You also promote languages in schools. How do you encourage kids to study them? Languages are often seen as difficult, and not leading to many jobs. I always point out that they can give you the edge in a whole host of jobs: lawyer, engineer, musician, actor, games developer, diplomat and more. I have also found that taster sessions in other languages, particularly those with other writing systems, or clear similarities with English, enthuse students who are otherwise turned off. I make it clear that you don't have to be 'good at languages' to benefit from the good in languages. In what one scenario were you particularly glad to be a CIOL member? There's a perception that languages are a nice add-on, but the very existence of CIOL demonstrates the professionalism, importance, validity and value of language work in its many forms. Membership confers the status that you would expect of a well-trained, experienced, skilled professional. It unlocks doors. I'm proud to have the letters after my name. What are you hoping to achieve next? One thing I love most about language work is you never know where it might take you. But I'd like to learn a language that's very different from my current 18, ideally to a proficient level – maybe Japanese or Thai. I'd also like to work on languages that I've only 'toyed' with, such as Georgian and Swahili. Wherever languages take me next, I know it will be a rewarding and stimulating experience.

• Cover