The Linguist

When my great- uncle Kurt died, his son laid out old photos and materials relating to his life. Among them were letters he had received after fleeing Czechoslovakia through the Kindertransport in 1939, sent by his parents who were left behind. The handwriting is hard to make out, particularly as my surviving family can't read Czech or German. The letters stop short in 1941. So I know, on a personal level, what it would mean to understand these missives; to find out what my great- grandparents were conveying to their children in the months before they were killed. Deciphering such texts is tricky but rewarding work, as Carolin Sommer explains (p.10). The emotional toll is another aspect of this work, and is shared by public service linguists. One translator, speaking on the condition of anonymity, discusses the challenges of working with disturbing content on criminal cases while, for safety reasons, they cannot talk about it (p.14). If you'd like to write about aspects of your work that cannot be shared publicly do get in touch quoting 'The secret…' For work that's a little more lighthearted, we look at the challenges of translating sound words in comics (p.7); how transcreators can convey the persuasive intent of English ads in Arabic (p.16); and how fans are using K-pop to learn Korean (p.18). Fittingly for spring – a period of rejuvenation – we also look at several inspiring initiatives (p.12, 20 and 26). At our February meeting, the Editorial Board thanked Anam Zafar and Kate Trotman for all their input as their terms came to an end. Kate has ably steered us as Chair for four years and her guidance has been invaluable. Miranda Moore 4 The Linguist Vol/65 No/1 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist NEWS & EDITORIAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S NOTES As we move into the Northern Hemisphere spring, we have a refreshed sense of purpose and opportunity for CIOL. Our January Strategy Day brought together CIOL Council, the IoLET Education Trust Board and the in-house CIOL team. Led in our deliberations by CIOL Chair Steve Doswell, we had a thought- provoking and energising day-long conversation about how the profession – including language education and assessment – is changing and developing, and how CIOL can best support and promote linguists and the value of languages in a rapidly changing world. I left feeling optimistic for our future, and grateful to our vibrant governance community for the time and the considered, up-to-date insights they gave us. What struck me most was the pace of change everyone was describing. Whether we were discussing the improving capabilities of Generative AI, the evolving identities of linguists or shifts in educational approaches, there was a collective recognition that change is everywhere, but that we can choose to face this change with confidence. Many language professionals are diversifying. Linguists today are cultural mediators, marketing strategists, localisation specialists, risk advisers, researchers, coaches and more. This breadth is an opportunity. CIOL has always welcomed a wide spectrum of linguists: translators and interpreters, educators, business people, multi-strand professionals (lawyer linguists etc) and linguists working in government, defence and security. The common denominators for CIOL members are excellence in English and one or more other languages, an awareness of and sensitivity to cultures, and a deep appreciation of the value and workings of languages. AI naturally dominated much of our discussion at the Strategy Day, but the conversation quickly moved from anxiety to agency. We heard powerful reminders that human-centred skills – judgement, cultural insight, professionalism, taking responsibility, trustworthiness – remain at the heart of high-quality languages work. In this respect, emerging and improving AI technologies are creating new spaces for us to add value, especially where cultural nuance, risk and meaning really matter. We all need to continue to play our part in articulating that value clearly, to clients, employers, governments and public services, and to the wider public. It was encouraging to be able to share our continued financial stability, strong membership renewals and continuing uptake of our well‑regarded assessment and qualifications. But, of course, we cannot be complacent here, given the economic, social and marketplace challenges we are facing in the UK and worldwide. Perhaps the most exciting conversations looked out to 2035-2040 and beyond. All the ideas and suggestions pointed towards a CIOL that is ever more outward- looking, international and inclusive of all types of linguist. A CIOL which is ambitious in celebrating the real lives and real stories of linguists, and the impact they have across societies, sectors and borders. There is no better or more evergreen illustration of the value of this than The Linguist. So, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Spring 2026 issue. John Worne EDITOR'S LETTER Share your views: linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk

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