The Linguist

6 The Linguist Vol/65 No/1 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist NEWS & EDITORIAL Interpreter pressures In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH The British media continued to reverberate with the concerning news that Russell Group universities appear ready to close their modern languages degrees, as the higher education sector's financial struggles persist. Highest profile was Nottingham University, where students, staff and campaigners across the country joined in an effort to reverse moves to scrap languages. In a piece for the BBC, students called the decision "insane" and enrolled the support of composer Sam Watts, who wrote the theme for The Traitors, to raise awareness. The Spanish Ambassador made a rare intervention, with reports that he was "very concerned" by the plans. A more in-depth analysis by the BBC showed that there are emerging 'cold spots' for several shortage subjects – languages foremost among them. They interviewed sixth-form staff and students upset that they couldn't continue their studies in their region. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed that French students are mainly concentrated in Bath, Bristol, London and Oxford. This led to several thinkpieces exploring the dangers of losing linguistic expertise in HE, including a piece in The Critic indicating that the UK "has lost 100,000 language learners" yearly. The National reported on more positive news from Scotland. The British Council Scotland found that with 99% of primary schools teaching a language, and increases in the number of pupils taking Highers in modern languages, Scotland has an "excellent foundation" to increase language skills, as long as the government provides "funding and progression pathways". Most outlets covered Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny becoming the first artist to win the Grammy's highest honour for an album written in Spanish, and the first to perform in Spanish at the Super Bowl halftime show. President Trump called the show "one of the worst, EVER!", prompting debate about language and identity in the United States. Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant. A new MA Interpreting course has launched at Queen's University Belfast (pictured) to help boost the number of interpreters in Northern Ireland. Course director Dr Sally Gillespie says "issues with availability can mean interpreters are often called into highly emotional situations at short notice, sometimes moving between a christening and a life-or-death situation in hospital." A scenario participants describe as "emotional whiplash". One participant, Konrad Cheng, is studying in memory of his aunt, who was deaf and sometimes struggled to access services. This speaks to the reality, often recorded, of children being called on to act as interpreters for family members in high-stakes environments such as healthcare and the legal system. This practice is so widespread and harmful that child psychologists in Belgium have launched a public information campaign to discourage people from resorting to it. Even in the most structured and supported professional environments, translators and interpreters face difficult and pressured work. In the European Parliament in December, an interpreter was unable to hide her tears as she interpreted for 11-year-old Ukrainian boy Roman Oleksiv as he spoke about the Russian attack that killed his mother and left him badly injured. The incredibly pressurised situations in which translators and interpreters work are not recognised enough. The recent House of Lords Public Services Committee Inquiry into court interpreting found that problems with the way data is gathered hide "significant issues". Despite figures suggesting that the majority of MoJ interpreters are"satisfied" and "more than 99% of trials needing interpreters go ahead as scheduled", the report concluded that the system is ineffective and poses a threat to the administration of justice. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring back American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for White House briefings despite the US President saying he didn't like to "share his platform". This will certainly add pressure to the first interpreter to walk up to that stage after this ruling. An interpreter and two US soldiers have been killed in Syria by the Islamic State, a reminder of the risk to interpreters working with armed forces in conflict zones. CIOL Vice President Baroness Coussins continues to ask the UK government to push for a UN resolution on the protection of such interpreters. Trump vetoed War zone risks STEVEN LEK CC BY-SA 4.0

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