SPRING 2026 The Linguist 3
CONTENTS
News & editorial
LINGUIST SHORTAGES . . . . . 5
IN THE MEDIA . . . . . . . . . . . 6
A round-up of news in the UK this quarter
Features
GRAPHIC NOISE . . . . . . . . . . 7
From 'bang!' to sbatt!, the challenges of
translating the immersive sounds of comics
DECODING THE SCRAWL . . 10
Why translating handwritten documents, often
in obsolete scripts, is like deciphering code
FROM WAR TO THE NHS . . 12
How one organisation is helping refugees
restart their medical careers in the UK
18
The Linguist
Editorial Board
Chair K Trotman BA MA DipTrans MCIL
D Butler BA (Hons) (ex officio)
B Hart BA MA PGDip MCIL CL
R Keene BA MA ACIL
A Lawson
K McLaughlin BA PhD FCIL CL FHEA
M Moore BA (ex officio)
L Rana BSBio MSC MD MCIL
A Uribe MSc DPSI MCIL CL
BH Wang PhD FCIL
J Worne (ex officio)
A Zafar BA MA MCIL
The Linguist is the official
journal of the Chartered
Institute of Linguists
THE SECRET TRANSLATOR . 14
Working in the shadows: a legal translator
discusses the toll of remaining anonymous
THE ART OF THE SALE . . . . 16
Why conveying the persuasive intent of
advertising in Arabic is poetry in motion
THE K-POP EFFECT . . . . . . 18
How fans are using music to learn Korean
WRITING OUR
OWN STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How one linguist took on Mozambique's
translation-averse publishing industry
GOING GREEN . . . . . . . . . . 22
What is the best way into renewables for you?
ROADMAP TO SUCCESS . . 24
A methodical way to improve your business
IT'S A MATCH
FOR UKRAINE . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The nonprofit helping Ukrainians learn English
A LIFE WITH LANGUAGES . 28
One member's journey in her native Nepali
TAUGHT BY THE BOT . . . . . 29
How AI is being used in language acquisition
Reviews
BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Covering works on AI and Esperanto
PODCASTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Language-themed episodes from BBC Sounds
Opinion & comment
IN MY OPINION… . . . . . . . . 32
Why interpreting should be a protected title
WHY 'JUST' ISN'T JUST . . . 33
Is translation being relegated to a simple act?
FRONT COVER © SHUTTERSTOCK
The Linguist is online at ciol.org.uk/thelinguist.
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ISSN 0268-5965
The editor reserves the right to edit all material submitted. Views expressed in The Linguist are not necessarily the official views of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. All rights of
reproduction, translation and adaptation reserved for all countries. CIOL, The Linguist and officers accept no responsibility collectively or individually for the service of agencies or
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Editor M Moore linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk
Sales D Butler +44 (0) 20 7940 3100; deborah.butler@ciol.org.uk
Thanet House, 231-232 Strand, London WC2E 1DA;
info@ciol.org.uk; +44 (0) 20 7940 3100; www.ciol.org.uk
For a list of Council and committee members,
see www.ciol.org.uk/council
Chartered Institute of Linguists
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