The Linguist

30 The Linguist Vol/65 No/2 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist FEATURES A life with languages Writing in Wolof and English, CIOL member Abdoul Aziz Dieng outlines the challenges of interpreting across these languages, Pulaar and French Sénégal laa maggee, di làkk wolof, pulaar ak français, di leen jaxase, melni seen digante amul frontière. Looloo waral ma dem ba bëgg mbirum làkk ak ni nit ñi di jaxasee làkk yi ngir jokkalante. Bi ma noppee jàng anglais ak pulaar ci Université bu Ndakaaru, dama dem Portsmouth ci atum 2000 yi, ngir jàngale français. Làkk yu wute yile, moo gëna dëgëral sama mbebet ba tax may saytu naka la sénégalais yi ci diaspora bi di waxee. Looloo waral ba ma bind téere bii Urban Wolof across Borders: translanguaging while transmigrating (Palgrave, 2024). Luma seetlu mooy sénégalais yi nekkuñu rek di baagante diggante làkk ak làkk, waaye dafa melni wolof, français, anglais, ak arabe bi yëp lañu wal ni sunguf, def leen ci mbuus, ñuy tibb, di waxee nu mu leen neexee. Leneen li mooy: doonte wolof bu rax bi lañuy gëna wax, diaspora bi dañoo fonk wolof piir, rawatina ci yenn jotaay yi ñuy waxtaanee diine, ngir wone teggin. 2018 laa tàmbale liggéeyu interprète ci kër àttekaay yi, te xeetu jaxase làkk yooyu amna foofu tamit. Tekki bi dafay laaj ngay soppi waxin saa su nekk. Jafe-jafe bi ci gëna réy mooy ni ngay fexee tekki yenn mbiri yoon yoo xam ne UK rek la am, ngir ñiy wax français dégg ko. Li gëna am solo mooy leeral mbir mi, te doo jëfandikoo baati administration bu France ngir baña réeral kiy déglu. Yenn saa, su fekkee ki may tekkil wolofu kaw ga lay làkk, damay fexe faramfàcce ci wolof kese ba mu leer. Liggéey bii moo yokk sama bëgg-bëgg ci diggante ni ñuy waxee ak ni mbiri administration di doxee. Léegi, dama nekk di fexe nu may lëkkalee sama gëstu ak liggéeyu interprète bi, jéema xaatim ay baati wolof yu dëppoo ak yoonu UK. Maangi bokk tamit ci waxtaanu mbirum làkki Afrik yi, yi ci melni wolof, ak seen dayo ci Internet bi. Loolu dinaa ci def waxtaan ca Copenhague ci nawet bii. Jaxase làkk xarañteef la, day tax jokkoo gi mën leer. Xam loolu dafa am solo ci gëstu gi. I grew up in Senegal surrounded by Wolof, Pulaar and French, moving easily between them without thinking of them as separate systems. It was this early experience of fluid communication that first sparked my interest in languages and multilingual meaning-making. After studying English and Pulaar at the University of Dakar, I moved to Portsmouth in the early 2000s as a French lecteur. Living between linguistic worlds brought that early intuition into sharper focus and led me to explore the language practices of the Senegalese diaspora. This became the foundation of my research and my book, Urban Wolof across Borders: Translanguaging while transmigrating (Palgrave, 2024). One of the findings that often surprises readers is that speakers are not simply switching between distinct languages. Instead, they draw on a single, flexible repertoire, blending Wolof, French, English and Arabic as needed. I also observed a striking contrast: while Urban Wolof dominates everyday interaction, diaspora communities often elevate rural Wolof in cultural and religious settings as a marker of respect and tradition. My work as a court interpreter in the UK, which began in 2018, has brought these dynamics into a high-stakes environment. Interpreting across Wolof, English, French and Pulaar involves constant adaptation. A major hurdle is conveying specific British legal mechanisms to Francophones. The priority must be absolute clarity, translating the exact effect of the UK system without inadvertently using French institutional terms that could create false legal referents. At other times, especially with rural Wolophone defendants, I rely entirely on precise explanation and reformulation to ensure accuracy. This experience has deepened my interest in the relationship between linguistic practice and institutional frameworks. I am currently working to connect my research more closely with interpreting practice, including developing glossaries adapted to the UK legal context. I am also contributing to discussions on the digital presence of African languages, particularly the visibility of hybrid forms such as Urban Wolof, which I will be presenting on in Copenhagen this summer. Across all these contexts, one thing remains constant: multilingual communication is not fragmented, but creative, adaptive and deeply structured. Recognising this is essential, not only for research, but for fair and effective communication in the spaces where it matters most.

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