The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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INSTITUTE MATTERS Who's on Council? FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MEMBERS OF THE CIOL COUNCIL Translator Michael Cunningham MCIL was co-opted on to Council in 2008 and elected in 2009. He is also a member of the Institute's Equality and Diversity Committee and of the IoLET Board. I loved language and languages (mainly language) from an early age, but never 'used' my languages until I had gone through many careers and become a freelance translator. And how useful my previous employment turned out to be. I had acquired a specialised knowledge of the 'world of work' (management theories, terms and conditions of employment, trade unions) and continued to read 'trade' literature in English, Spanish and French. So when I went freelance, I had good domain knowledge and opportunities to approach former colleagues for specialised translation – and correspondingly high rates. My client base was always small, but no matter. That did not deter me from seeking non-translation work in my specialist area: this enabled me to keep abreast of new laws and policies, new lexis and changing register. I am particularly interested in language testing, and that explains my involvement in the IoLET examinations: the DipTrans, DPSI and CBS. I would like to find (more) ways of involving more people in the Institute's numerous training (and other) activities. There is a lot of talent out there, a lot of knowledge and experience, and we would like to use that to the advantage of the Institute and the furtherance of its policies. Dutch interpreter and translator Madeleine Lee MCIL was elected to Council in 2009. She is a NRPSIregistered public service interpreter and a member of the Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) campaign steering committee. With my bilingual upbringing, was I ever going to be anything other than a professional linguist? When my parents left 1980s Britain to work in the Netherlands, my brother and I learnt Dutch at the village school while our family spoke English at home. I became a freelancer after leaving university and, after qualifying to join the National Register, I began working in the criminal justice sector. It was my dream job: challenging, unpredictable, and one where I felt my professionalism made a tangible difference. Now we are in a situation where our professional standards, regulatory frameworks and best practice need to be defended from policymakers, procurement officers and commercial agencies. Since the Ministry of Justice's Framework Agreement for language services first cast its shadow over our profession, the Institute has become more outspoken about protecting our standards and is playing an important role in the PI4J campaign. I put myself forward for election to Council to defend the position of public service interpreters. It is turning out to be a prolonged battle, with much at stake. A list of Council members appears on page 3. For further details about CIOL committees and governance, see the 'About us' section at www.iol.org.uk. Vol/52 No/5 2013 COUNCIL NEWS Alan Peacock, Executive Director CIOL, reports on the July meeting of Council, attended by TL Editor, Miranda Moore At its July meeting, Council welcomed The Linguist Editor, Miranda Moore, who provided an update on current and future developments with the magazine. She noted that the online issue, introduced in 2012 to coincide with the publication's 50th anniversary, had been a key development, and that it could also be accessed through the CIOL website. Future plans include the promotion of the online version to broaden readership, and improving the archiving and indexing facilities. The Editorial Board, which is responsible for setting the strategy for TL, remained sensitive to readers' concerns and requests. Some had asked for more academic articles, and this had to be balanced against the need to appeal to a broad range of interests. Ms Moore welcomed the generally very positive feedback. The Chair, Keith Moffitt, reported on the Ministry of Justice contract, and specifically on the recent debate in the House of Commons on the Justice Select Committee's report. There had been some criticism of the way the contract with ALS had been handled. He expressed disappointment that the minister, Helen Grant MP, had failed to respond directly to the concerns expressed and had simply read out a prepared statement. The Chair thanked Tony Bell and Michael Cunningham for the considerable amount of work they had carried out on revising the Institute's disciplinary procedures, which were presented to Council and approved. Proposals arising from the Chartered Linguist review were presented by Karen Stokes and also approved, and we hope to be in a position to relaunch the scheme in October. Ann Carlisle, Executive Director IoLET, reported that staff and Council members had attended the recent re-launch of the Routes into Languages project and also the Speak to the future event, both at Europe House, London. Council was reassured that the Institute would continue to be closely involved with both projects. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER The Linguist 31