The Linguist

22 The Linguist Vol/64 No/4 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist FEATURES Score 1 point for every correct answer out of a total 48 points. Let us know how you did! Fun facts: 1 a). 2 b), he gave himself a year to learn the Spanish Scrabble word list and holds the title in English (5x) and French (2x). 3 c), Newcastle claims to be the first (2020) with Portsmouth following in 2022. 4 a). Schools out: 1 a), Bangor and Nottingham announced some cuts; Oxford and Cambridge topped the QS World University Rankings for languages. 2 a). 3 a), according to the Language Trends survey. 4 c), mainly from its network of 15 Language Hubs. Embarrassing mistakes: 1 b). 2 a). 3 a). 4 c). The year in politics: 1 a). 2 c). 3 b). 4 a), Zambia's official language has been English since 1964; Niger changed its from French to Hausa this year. Who's who? 1 Jason Momoa: lived with a Hawaiian coach to prepare for his role in Chief of War, which heavily featured the language. 2 Prince William: gave a St David's Day message in Welsh and is learning it with Duolingo. 3 Rosalía: sings in 13 languages on new album LUX. 4 Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny: chosen for the Super Bowl halftime show, leading to objections from some right- wingers as most of his music is in Spanish. Technological advances: 1 b). 2 b). 3 a). 4 c). Who said…? 1 b), as the UK government halted plans to scrap the Mandarin Excellence Programme in schools. 2 a). 3 c). 4 a), at a debate following the publication of the House of Lords PSC report; Baroness Morris spoke of the "appalling treatment" of interpreters. Inside interpreting: 1 a). 2 c). 3 c). 4 a). Translation time: 1 a). 2 c). 3 c), the 'Translated By, Bristol' festival. 4 b), 55% of interpreters. Name that object: 1 c), but the $1m Indus prize is real; the Germanic fragments were carved in stone. 2 b). 3 b). 4 b). Pop culture: 1 c), contestant Charlotte Berman adopted a fake Welsh accent to seem more trustworthy. 2 c), Maxine Hughes. 3 a), Reunion, in which Stone also appeared, and Code of Silence. 4 c), to cater to the 80% of Irish people who use them. What links: 1 Accused of deliberately humiliating BSL interpreters. 2 Among the foreign words added to the OED this year. 3 Among the Top 10 jobs most under threat from AI (according to Microsoft). 4 Separate studies found they each have human-like 'language' features. Answers Name that object 1 a) Remnants of the ancient Indus script; the Tamil Nadu government is now offering $1 million to anyone who can decipher it. b) The oldest fragments of Germanic letters, discovered this year, which reveal what the early Norse language was like. c) The Herculaneum scrolls, dating to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, which were digitally scanned this year. 2 a) A mug, which sold out in minutes, with lyrics from bilingual act Oscar and the Wolf. b) Merchandise sold by a train conductor, who was penalised for using French while in Flanders, bearing the greeting he used. c) A fundraising response to Belgium's migration 'clamp down', announced in June. 3 a) The first printed work written in the ancient runic script A' Hobat. b) The first Gaelic translation of The Hobbit. c) Part of an artwork celebrating ancient British languages for the Voiced festival. 4 a) Meta's new 'babelfish' earbuds. b) Apple's new AirPods, whose live translation feature isn't available in the EU. c) Foh Tech's translation earphones, which were recalled due to unsafe volume levels. Pop culture 1 Traitors faithful Elen Wyn believed she was banished from the castle for what reason? a) As a translator she was good at picking up on nuances and so a threat to the traitors. b) Her Welsh accent seemed untrustworthy. c) As a Welsh speaker she feels stilted in English, which came across as suspicious. 2 Why was a TV series following actors and Wrexham FC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in the language news? a) Scenes of them learning Welsh went viral. b) Welsh language campaigners objected to the 'US takeover' of the football club. c) Their Welsh interpreter received an honour at this year's National Eisteddfod. 1 2 3 4 What links… 1 Disgraced MasterChef star Gregg Wallace and former Bake Off presenter Matt Lucas? 2 'Otak-otak' (a Southeast Asian dish), 'class' (an Irish word meaning 'great') and 'gigil' (a Filipino word describing a physical response to seeing something cute)? 3 Interpreters/translators, mathematicians and sales representatives? 4 Bonobos, whales and birds? 3 Which deaf actor starred in two TV dramas featuring BSL and covering access to interpreters for health and work? a) Rose Ayling-Ellis. b) Sophie Leigh Stone. c) Rhiannon May. 4 Which celebrity taught Irish phrases to Amazon's voice assistant? a) Boyzone's Keith Duffy. b) Derry Girls actor Saoirse-Monica Jackson. c) Comedian Aisling Bea.

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