The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists SUMMER 2026 The Linguist 9 NEWS & EDITORIAL James Myatt Last Friday, I stepped into a piece of British history. Bush House. The old headquarters of the BBC in London. The occasion? The CIOL Conference 2026. The auditorium was jam- packed. But not with smug 'Tech Bros' peddling AI language solutions. It was filled with brilliant, knowledgeable, and qualified linguists… It was a breath of fresh air. Ibrahim Kadouni MCIL CL (Above, centre) with Ahmad Almuhammad (l) There was a moment (or two), just before stepping onto a stage like the one at Bush House, when I realised the weight of the room; a space filled with experienced linguists. It was, without question, intimidating! But the response that followed, the conversations, the feedback, and the kind words describing the talk as "inspirational" and "commercially insightful", was incredibly humbling and deeply rewarding. Ahmad Almuhammad MCIL As a retrospective person by nature, I found this conference a great opportunity to reflect on changes in our roles as linguists and in the marketplace, on our response and adaptations, and most importantly on ways to thrive rather than survive. Bibiana Horváth MCIL CL (Above, l) with ex-Council Chair Judith Gabler Lovely encounters and sense of belonging to a professional, inclusive CIOL Community where real talks take place and lifelong friendships are formed. Irene Sofia Villon Vega (Above, r) with speaker Josephine Murray I learned how the brain develops as we speak more than one language. Linguists evolve, adapt, and our responses depend on how resilient we are – it's so important to know our value as humans and professionals, so no one else designates this for us. We all have the ability to change our reality and be the best version of ourselves : ) Stephanie Martinez-Hill MCIL CL My favourite, thought-provoking quote came from the closing panel when discussing using AI as a tool rather than for cognitive outsourcing: "Just because you have a power tool, it doesn't mean you go around drilling holes in everything you see. You need to know when and where to use it." Clémentine Terrell MCIL CL (Above) networking during a break This year's highlights included… presentations from Vasiliki Koui Prestidge (always positive, relevant and practical) and Josephine Murray, who gave a fascinating talk about her work as a culinary and literary translator. Nick Nasev MCIL CL, translator We are bombarded by information online every day… but hearing those same words, as well as other and/or clearer perspectives, directly from speakers in a room full of more than 200 fellow professionals gives those points more gravitas and inspiration. That's the power of human interaction. In an increasingly impersonal and exposed social environment, the personal touch matters more than ever – this will be a factor that will continue to set professional translators apart. Attendee highlights The sense of optimism, rejuvenation and inspiration was reflected in LinkedIn reviews from Conference delegates

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