The Linguist

38 The Linguist Vol/61 No/5 thelinguist.uberflip.com INSTITUTE MATTERS John Claughton John Claughton was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Merton College, Oxford. He taught Classics at Eton and was Chief Master of King Edward's. In his dotage he co-founded the school languages programme WoLLoW. See p.14 Jonathan Downie Dr Jonathan Downie is a consultant interpreter, researcher, conference and business interpreter (French<>English), and speaker. He is the author of Being a Successful Interpreter: Adding value and delivering excellence and Interpreters vs Machines: Can interpreters survive in an AI-dominated world? See p.12 Bokani Hart Bokani Hart MCIL CL is a former UN peacekeeper and freelance French/ English translator and interpreter, specialising in human rights, humanitarian action, international development and nuclear energy. She volunteers with Translators without Borders and The Linguist Editorial Board. See p.7 Tanya Kendix Tanya Kendix is a sixth-form student at University College School in London. Her Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is on the sociolinguistic issues surrounding voice assistants. She intends to study linguistics at university starting next year. See p.20 Ben Kohn Ben Kohn MCIL CL has worked as a translator and interpreter for 22 years. He is also an experienced fixer, project manager and owner of Quesco Brasil Translations, with offices in Brazil and the UK. Contact him via LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/benkohntranslator. See p.10 Sue Leschen Lawyer-linguist Sue Leschen FCIL CL is the Director of Avocate, a commercial and legal French interpreting and translation company; and a business mentor and trainer of language professionals. www.avocate.co.uk; se.leschen15@gmail.com. See p.18 CONTRIBUTORS COUNCIL NEWS CIOL Council discussed the CertTrans and other positive developments at the meeting in November, says Judith Gabler A tough context – for all organisations and for linguists – framed the discussions at Council in November. Inflation, soaring fuel prices, economic instability and the conflict in Ukraine are just some of the many global challenges affecting members and our exam candidates. Against this backdrop, Council welcomed the successful launch – and encouraging early take-up – of the Certificate in Translation (CertTrans). Our new degree- level qualification has attracted candidates across all five languages offered (Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Spanish), and registrations have come both from and into English for all five languages too. Furthermore, candidates from 20 different countries have already chosen CIOLQ and the CertTrans, which speaks to the international reach and credibility of the Chartered Institute of Linguists brand. We believe the CertTrans will create new opportunities for language graduates both in the UK and internationally, as well as catering to early career translators, people working in international organisations, and established translators wanting to add a qualification in additional languages to their repertoires. We are also seeing people later in life returning to their languages, whether after a career break or in retirement, with the CertTrans proving popular with both groups. It goes without saying that people taking our qualifications are also great candidates for CIOL membership. Council also reflected on our work in accreditation and partnerships, and looked in some depth at our marketing, membership trends and our offer to Affiliates and Associates – who are just as vital to the future of languages as our Members and Fellows. In this context it is worth highlighting the work done with the CIOLQ Educational Trust Board to develop CIOL's Language Level Frameworks. These provide clear definitions of language proficiency at three levels of competency (Professional, Working and Basic to Independent) in order to help linguists self-assess their language skills, and explain more confidently to employers and clients their capabilities and value. Despite these many positives, the fact remains that our current and future financial resilience is a central concern for Council. Having come through a difficult year, we know 2023 will be at least as tough. We continue to focus on tightly managing costs, reducing complexity and maximising the use of our online platforms to extend our reach and amplify our marketing. Connecting and supporting linguists through membership and qualifications advances our Royal Charter purposes, and can only help to promote international goodwill in a period of great global economic and political upheaval.

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