NEWS & EDITORIAL
The latest from the languages world
These tools still do an impressive job, and
despite some errors, readers can typically get
the gist of a translation… However, these
tools get risky when they're used in situations
where texts are longer and details are more
critical, such as at work or in academia. As an
ESL teacher, I witness a handful of student
essays each semester that have been run
through some kind of translator. I think every
language teacher will agree when I say that
yes, we can always tell.
'How Much can we Rely on Translation
Software?', 23/8/13
Chinese interpreter Peter Hui was sentenced to
12 months in prison for correcting answers in
tests between 2011 and 2012 in Birmingham.
A few weeks later Mandarin translator Allyson
Ng was jailed for 12 months for cheating on at
least 94 theory tests between 2009 and 2012,
mainly in Cardiff. Although a rare fraud, with
five translators prosecuted to date, its impact
is significant: for each corrupt translator the
number of people who pass with that
person's help can be in the hundreds.
Unmasking the Driving Test Cheats, 19/8/13
6
The Linguist
INTO
© ROuTES
Amid a deepening crisis in language
learning – which is causing alarm at the
highest levels of government – the number of
universities offering degrees in modern
languages has already plunged from 105 in
2000 to 62 at the start of this academic year.
The rate of attrition is expected to continue
into the next decade. A further 20 departments
will be vulnerable to closure in the next 10
years, but there is growing concern that the
pace of decline is set to quicken.
'Language Teaching Crisis as 40% of University
Departments Face Closure', 17/8/13
LANGuAGES
What the
papers say…
A goal for all
Teresa Tinsley on launching a
new campaign for language learning
Speak to the future has launched a new
national challenge for languages this
autumn, with the message that everyone
should aspire to have at least 1,000 words
in another language. This is not about
vocabulary learning. It is a way of
communicating to non-specialists that even
early levels of communication are valuable
and that not everyone is going to be fluent.
The idea behind the campaign is that
1,000 words is a memorable way of
representing a realistic and worthwhile
target for all. The aim is to challenge the
perception that languages are only for the
brightest and best, and to show how
everyone can benefit.
Speak to the future has created a badge
of commitment that supports this goal,
which can be downloaded from the
website. The CIOL has been a staunch
supporter of Speak to the future from the
start. Now the campaign is reaching out to
businesses and employers, educational and
cultural organisations, and individuals to
get them to commit to making 1,000 words
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
for all a reality. That might be by setting out
a new policy within the organisation – for
example a secondary school might agree
to a policy whereby everyone should leave
with some sort of qualification in a foreign
language. Or it might be simply by
displaying the logo and speaking out in
favour of the campaign to the press or at
public meetings.
The 1000 Words campaign is co-funded
by Routes into Languages, and early
indications are that all those organisations
that have been supporting Speak to the
future want to get behind it. The
Association of School and College Leaders
is particularly enthusiastic and the language
company Rosetta Stone has come on
board as a Founder Supporter. The
campaign was launched at the British
Council on 25 September.
To find out how you can get involved,
email Teresa Tinsley, Project Leader for
1000 Words, at teresa.tinsley@gmail.com.
See www.speaktothefuture.org for further
details and to download the logo.
www.iol.org.uk
