The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists SUMMER 2025 The Linguist 15 FEATURES IS IT WORTH THE EFFORT? With all the effort that goes into creating videos and results that vary widely, why do I keep going? And why on earth am I working on a longer video project? There are a few answers and they are also reasons why I would like more people to join me. The first is that scripting, shooting and editing videos can be fun. Changing costumes and playing the role of all the speakers who make interpreting more difficult, wearing my best 90s clothes and trying to rap, and even dressing up as four different kinds of conference interpreter – all that is fun. It creates space to play and it introduces me to new people. Editing all that into videos that fit the strict requirements of YouTube and Instagram is another interesting challenge, especially since I rarely get my lines right first time. The second reason is that we all have things that we wish clients would do better. Our current ways of doing client education are mostly boring and ineffective. Few people are convinced to avoid using Apple AirPods for their keynote speech by reasoned arguments about frequencies and latency. A video about AirPods making you sound like a Dalek is much more effective. People can laugh and learn at the same time. If we get the humour right – being entertaining and not mean – we can teach in 55 seconds what would normally take weeks to explain. Finally, our industry public relations have not been that great. We have rightfully fought to be seen as professionals and sometimes that makes us seem aloof. We have rightfully fought to be seen as experts and sometimes that makes us sound elitist. We have rightfully fought for government recognition and that has sometimes meant leaving our clients' desires behind. AI companies, tech firms and startups have come to dominate the conversation about languages. Language professionals like us will never equal the marketing budget of Google or Apple, or even of a well-funded startup, but we can match them for creativity, insider knowledge and passion. If we are going to have any say in the future of our professions, we need to start changing the conversation and explaining to the wider world what it is we actually do. WHY YOU SHOULD GIVE IT A GO The harsh reality we all face is that we have to change how people see our work or we soon might not have any work at all. I recently came across a client who felt that interpreters were basically interchangeable so they chose whichever interpreter was the cheapest, rather than who was best suited for the assignment. It doesn't take much imagination to think that one day soon clients might imagine that humans and machines are interchangeable too. Without solid advice on the language sector, presented in an entertaining, engaging way, people will make poor decisions. Unless we stand up and create engaging content for new audiences, our voices will be sidelined, perhaps permanently. So, what should we do? This month, I want to challenge you to produce one video of less than a minute that provides an insight into your work. Avoid just talking to the camera. Maybe go for a walk or script a little dialogue. Feel free to take ideas from any of my feeds or from any channel you like to watch. It's time for language experts to show we understand public communication too. AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT Stills from Jonathan's YouTube short on 'essential conference interpreter hand signals' © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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