The Linguist

As linguists and writers, we know how much words matter, but it can sometimes be hard to decide when to adjust words in the target language and when it is important to keep as close to the original as possible. What should the interpreter do, for example, when a word might cause unintended offence? Alicja Tokarska considers the translator's role in avoiding offence where appropriate, and encouraging inclusive language (p.8). In court, meanwhile, accuracy is paramount. So what happens when words are used in unusual or hybrid ways? Andrew Belisle regularly encounters Spanglish when working in a court setting and reports that it can be hard to decipher which language a word is in or whether it has a special meaning to the speaker. This is tricky in a public setting where time is of the essence and interruptions for clarity must be kept to a minimum (p.16). There is something of a story-telling thread running through this issue, as the founder of Foreign Affairs theatre company, Trine Garrett, discusses the importance of putting on plays in translation (p.12); Kọ́ lá Túbọ̀ sún considers the challenges of translating Murakami – one of the world's most well-known authors – in relay (p.20); Steven Bird reveals the joys of language parties where people share their stories in their native languages (p.18); and Elvire Camus, Editor of Le Monde in English, reveals how the new online edition is bringing French news to a wider audience (p.14). In our second piece considering Ofsted's review of the language GCSE, Robert Woore considers the likely impact on students (p.10). Best of luck to those awaiting their results! Miranda Moore 4 The Linguist Vol/61 No/4 2022 thelinguist.uberflip.com NEWS & EDITORIAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S NOTES We've been talking to people about what they like most about The Linguist and several things stand out. The first, and most important, thing is readers really value the depth and quality of the articles. We regularly receive unsolicited thanks, and the people we interview or commission for features appreciate the opportunity to share their stories and the things they care about with the wider community of linguists; appearing in The Linguist really makes them feel a valued part of our community. We have also found that many people are positive about the new digital download. Several have emailed us and changed their member preferences to 'digital only', which not only saves on paper, postage, inks and processing, but also saves time and reduces the administrative demands on the CIOL Membership team – not to mention being environmentally friendlier and supporting our aspiration to be as sustainable as possible. The reality is that more than half of all the costs of The Linguist are incurred in printing and postage. It is important, though, to respect the fact that many others really like a physical copy. They say there's nothing like the feeling of opening the packaging and then settling down with a hot drink to read a well-edited printed magazine. People also tell us that the arrival of The Linguist through the letterbox is a periodic reminder of CIOL, their membership and this community that we are all part of – and that that is important to them too. While our Editor, Miranda Moore, does an incredible job, the Chair of Council and I contribute columns and interviews, and the wider CIOL team propose articles, chase ads and help with proofing the final edition. We are supported by an excellent and very experienced Editorial Board, who share their expertise on a volunteer basis. But we contribute to The Linguist alongside many other things we have to do to maintain our governance, and deliver and develop our membership offer and professional qualifications. Weighing all of these factors, we are planning a change from this autumn. The aim is to move The Linguist to a quarterly rhythm with Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn editions and, at the same time, to increase the number of pages in each issue to enable more feature-length content. We believe that a quarterly magazine will strike a better balance between assuring high-quality content and the time it takes to commission, interview, write, edit and proof it. It will also be more cost effective for print and postage to give members more content in each of four issues, rather than spread over six. If more members want to switch to digital downloads this would be a welcome contribution both to 'saving the planet' and to saving on production costs. In the present economic situation – which affects CIOL as it affects us all – that is a great help as we face higher costs. However, we know that the print edition is a big part of why many people choose to be a member and we absolutely respect that, so no one should feel any obligation to switch. Whichever way you choose to receive it, we hope that a longer quarterly read will suit you. We will continue to feature fortnightly articles on The Linguist blog and on CIOL social media. We will be sharing more member stories on the new CIOL Voices blog too, and look forward to bringing you an extended 'festive' edition in good time for Christmas and the other celebrations and festivals that mark the turn of the calendar year. Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting The Linguist. John Worne EDITOR'S LETTER Share your views: linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk

• Cover