The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists What the papers say… After Decades Studying Spanish, a Chatbot Language Tutor is Helping Me Lift My Game, 24/3/25 I'd never attempt such an ambitious sentence with a human, but Christian, an AI chatbot, gets me… Whenever I interrupt Christian to ask grammar questions, I get some of the clearest explanations I've ever been given… So will I say adios to [my tutor] Maria? I will not. As much as I enjoy Christian's company, he's no Maria. Maria is funny, charismatic and irreverent. The People Who 'See' Foreign Languages: How synaesthesia can help language learning, 25/2/25 Writing music felt a lot like a language to me, as I 'saw' the colours of the sounds in a similar way. I also studied French, German, Spanish and linguistics – the colour of language helping me to remember words as well as the patterns of grammar… [Synaesthete Smadar] Frisch developed a colour coding system to help her learn new languages fluently and quickly. Studying languages no longer felt confusing but "organised", she says. The latest from the languages world Why language provision may be at a crossroads following a public inquiry into court interpreting The publication of the House of Lords Public Services Committee report 'Lost in Translation? Interpreting services in the courts' is a significant moment for language services in crucial public services. On the one hand, easy headlines paint a picture of unsustainable costs associated with language provision. On the other, human tragedies – and legal rulings – remind us that cost savings can be a false economy (or worse). This spring The Telegraph ran with 'Taxpayers spend £8m a year on interpreters for benefits claimants' and 'Taxpayers to foot bill for translators to help social housing tenants'. The Spectator joined the critique with '£1m spent on 2024 Jobcentre translation services'. These are certainly attention-grabbing headlines and are designed to elicit controversy. Equally alarmist headlines show the disasters that can happen when language services are lacking in legal and healthcare settings. The Telegraph declared 'Judge used Google Translate to speak to African asylum seeker' in a case which ended up having to be adjourned as "no interpreter could be NEWS & EDITORIAL found". The Mirror told the heartbreaking story of Kate Boddy, who had to tell her own father that he had terminal cancer as the NHS failed to provide a BSL interpreter. Similarly, a deaf woman in Brighton was unable to access a dentist due to a lack of BSL interpreting. Scratching the surface reveals a more complex discussion about the tension between ensuring rights are respected and the costs this can entail, as well as the systems, rules and quality assurance to facilitate this, including pay and conditions for interpreters and translators. Even the Telegraph's sub-header, explaining that the government's 'DWP is paying out an average of £250 per call to give advice, with some languages having fewer than a million speakers', begins to show the complex reality of providing equitable public services. As services attempt to meet users' legal requirements, this might involve hard-to-find (and more expensive) solutions. The issue is discussed with more nuance in the specialist press, with some interesting pieces in medical outlets. For example, industry figures considered research SUMMER 2025 The Linguist 5 Donald Trump Orders English as Official US Language – Here's what that means, 2/3/25 The order, announced Friday and signed on Saturday, grants government agencies and federally funded organizations the option to discontinue offering documents and services in languages other than English… Critics view it as a divisive tactic fueling fear and potentially hindering access to essential services and democratic participation. The shift in policy raises questions about the future of language accessibility in vital areas such as immigration, voter registration, and healthcare. Public service pivot © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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