The Linguist

thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES Whether you want to test your memory or just brush up on your knowledge, gain insights on the language events of the past year in our annual quiz Questions in each section are staggered from easiest to hardest: one point (out of a possible 58) for each correct answer. Answers on page 31. LANGUAGE QUIZ OF 2023 A very British scandal 1 Which UK institution agreed to accredit and pay translator Yilin Wang for her work only after she crowdfunded for legal proceedings? 2 A campaign is calling for which medical practitioners to have basic British Sign Language (BSL) training because communication issues are increasingly impeding emergency healthcare? 3 What did the NHS fail to do, causing a Romanian child's brain scan to be delayed, which was implicated in the child's death? 4 What reason did independent Welsh councillor Louise Hughes give for replying in German to an email from a Welsh-speaking constituent, leading to her suspension? Mistranslations 1 In May, people taking the British citizenship pledge in Welsh were accidentally asked to curse (rhegi) at God, but why was the pledge updated? 2 Why did the UK press rush to translate Prince Harry's memoir Spare from Spanish, leading to poor translations? 3 When Erdoğan and Putin met, how did an interpreter mistranslate the Turkish president's reference to the Ukraine war, momentarily risking an international crisis? 4 What is the literal translation of byd gwyn ('blessed world'), which may be replaced as the Llangollen International Eisteddfod's motto over fears it could be misinterpreted as racist? Schools out 1 The UK government announced a £14.9m Language Hubs network with the Goethe Institut focusing on what language? 2 Which nation of the UK is now the 'worst' in Europe for compulsory language lessons? 3 Why did the UK government offer 400 language teachers from abroad a "relocation premium" of £10,000 to work in England? 4 Which free online education platform has made its language courses available globally? Indigenous languages 1 The devolved government of which UK nation proposed education legislation to help all its young people become "confident speakers" of its native language? 2 Which 10-year Unesco programme aims to draw global attention to the critical loss of Indigenous languages around the world? 3 The Yaghan language died with the death of its last speaker, Cristina Calderón; name one of the main countries where it was spoken. 4 The Warlpiri Dictionary was shortlisted for a book prize in Australia (a rarity for a dictionary), but how many decades did it take to write it? By the book 1 Which writer overtook Cervantes as the most translated Spanish-language writer, with his Cien años de soledad topping the list of books most translated into 10 languages? 2 Which book was translated into Shona as Chimurenga Chemhuka ('Animal Revolution') to reflect Zimbabwe's history of conflict? 3 Which royal spoke extensively in French as he announced a new Franco-British award, the Prix de L'Entente Littéraire, in Paris? 4 Which acclaimed translator, whose translation of Don Quixote was described as "indisputably definitive", died aged 87? Picture clue In what language has the national park pictured above been renamed as Bannau Brycheiniog, and what is its old name? CONTAINS PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LICENSED UNDER THE OPEN GOVERNMENT LICENCE V3.0 LEE VIA FLICKR CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

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