The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists What the papers say… 'I Speak 11 Languages, Now I Help Other People to Learn', 11/10/25 At 23, [Reuben Constantine] has almost 120,000 followers on Instagram, and uses his skills to teach other people how to learn languages online. "I had a friend who is also an influencer," he said… "One video talking about Romanian went viral in Romania, and overnight I woke up with 6,000 new followers"… Now on his Instagram account, called Reuben Lingo, he shares facts about the origins of languages, tips on grammar, and interviews people in their native language. The latest from the languages world It is interesting to track the mixed signals in the media and public discourse about the importance and status of translation and interpreting, especially in public services. Several cases of scandalously poor or dangerous language services have received prominent media attention. For example, the BBC reported that a man who was unable to access a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter in hospital was led to believe, falsely, that he had tested positive for HIV. It was two days before an interpreter was provided and the information was corrected. The inquest of deaf TikTok star Imogen Nunn partly attributed her death to a 'national shortage' of BSL interpreters, while a report criticised University Hospital Coventry (pictured) for its lack of BSL interpreters citing over 100 affected patients. The national hearing loss charity RNID found that only 7% of patients in need of communication support in England say they are always provided with it, and a third say they never are. These are BSL cases, but we know the provision of interpreters is patchy across the public sector, as evidenced by the recent Lords Committee Inquiry into court interpreters. Indeed, the committee was so concerned it issued a letter before its work concluded to urge the government to delay NEWS & EDITORIAL the re-tendering process for further contracts until critical issues had been addressed. The narrative around cost is also interesting. Regular readers of 'In the Media' will know that certain sections of the press like to criticise the cost of state-funded language services. As recently as September, The Telegraph ran a headline that the NHS spends £130,000 per day on translations – apparently twice the amount spent during the pandemic. But of course, language services are not just a cost; a recent study estimated that the Welsh translation sector "contributes up to £8 million annually to the Welsh economy" across the public, private and voluntary sectors. It seems to be very much a matter of perspective. We even see this apparent contradiction in the status afforded to individual translators. Within two weeks of each other, The Telegraph published an obituary for Robert Avery, an "exceptionally gifted Russian interpreter and teacher" who was instrumental in constructing a "working dialogue" between maritime rivals during the Cold War; and The Independent reported that a former Afghan interpreter who had previously been accepted for relocation to the UK due to his work with British troops, has had this offer revoked. He is now awaiting deportation from Pakistan, where he has been in exile for several years. WINTER 2025 The Linguist 5 Rosalía Sings in 13 Different Languages on Acclaimed New Album 'LUX', 30/10/25 The Spanish star revealed that she spent two years learning how to write and sing convincingly in other languages… She had spent a lot of time on Google Translate as well as speaking with professional translators – "If I rhyme this with this, does this make sense?" – she said she would ask them. She also worked with teachers who coached her phonetically. A judged industry Why Your Favourite Tipple Could Help Your Foreign Language Skills, 19/9/25 Dr Inge Kersbergen, who co-authored the study…, asked 50 German students to chat in their new tongue after drinking either water or a small vodka and lemon. Native Dutch speakers, who did not know who had drunk what, rated those who had enjoyed a tipple significantly more fluent… "While our study highlights how a small amount of alcohol may reduce language anxiety, I would not recommend that anyone use alcohol to improve their fluency in a second language," Dr Kersbergen told The Times. CC BY-SA 4.0

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