In happier news, the Westminster
Language Challenge, run by Duolingo with
the support of the All-Party Parliamentary
Group (APPG) on Modern Languages,
reached its conclusion on 29 April. Cat Smith,
the Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, was
crowned the overall winner, having chosen to
learn French on the app. She pipped runner-
up Adam Thompson to the post in the final
days, while Alex Mayer came a close third.
The MPs for Erewash, and Dunstable and
Leighton Buzzard have been learning Welsh
and German/French respectively.
SUMMER 2025 The Linguist 7
Chartered Institute of Linguists
NEWS & EDITORIAL
Philip Harding-Esch reports on the outcomes of the House of Lords Inquiry
into interpreting in the courts and the Westminster Language Challenge
The House of Lords Public Services
Committee published its report 'Lost in
Translation? Interpreting services in the
courts' following an Inquiry which lasted
several months. Chaired by Baroness Morris
of Yardley, the Committee found significant
issues with the current arrangements for the
provision of language services in the courts.
Baroness Morris said that "significant
problems across the end-to-end process of
the provision of interpreting services in courts
mean that the current system is ineffective
and presents a significant risk of people
suffering disadvantages during hearings
because of language barriers".
The Committee timed its Inquiry to coincide
with the Ministry of Justice's renegotiation of
a new contract for language services, in the
hope and expectation that lessons learned
will shape the new arrangements. The
Government was expected to respond to the
report in May 2025 and the Committee have
requested progress reports on the
implementation of its recommendations from
September 2025 onwards.
The winning MPs nominated local charities
to share £20,000 of prize money at an event
in Parliament. Lord Frost, a French graduate
himself, took the prize as the winning peer.
Over 80 MPs and 120 peers took part.
Research carried out by Savanta had
previously revealed that just 13% of current
MPs speak a foreign language – a 35%
decrease in the last 20 years – but 74%
would if given the chance. This event has
been a great success in raising the profile of
languages in parliament and revealing an
infectious enthusiasm for languages (and a
competitive streak!) among parliamentarians.
The APPG looks forward to engaging
with as many linguistically minded MPs and
peers as possible in future, across a range of
policy areas.
Inside Parliament
TOP MARKS FOR EFFORT
Clockwise from top left: (L-r) Duolingo's
Tamsin Thomas, Adam Thompson MP,
APPG Co-Chair Tonia Antoniazzi MP,
APPG Vice Chair Darren Paffey MP, APPG
Co-Chair Baroness Coussins, Alex Mayer
MP, Duolingo's Michael Lynas, Cat Smith
MP and CIOL CEO John Worne; Tonia
with Duo the Owl; competition winner Cat
Smith and Tonia present the prize money
to Girl Guiding; and Cat makes a speech
Philip Harding-Esch works on
behalf of CIOL to provide the
secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary
Group on Modern Languages.
TL
