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
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/220935
NEWS & EDITORIAL The latest from the languages world Boost for overseas study A €15 billion programme supporting study overseas will begin in January. The new Erasmus+ scheme consolidates and expands existing European Union programmes, with a 40 percent increase in funding. More than four million people will benefit from grants enabling them to study or train abroad. Announcing Erasmus+ in October, the EU Commissioner for Education, Culture and Multilingualism, Androulla Vassiliou, said: 'Languages are one of our six priority topics… whether it is for mobility for language learning, partnerships between institutions for language teaching, or policy support.' Read all about it The Guardian's Wendy Berliner on a new twoyear campaign to encourage language learning The Guardian is the third largest media brand in the world. We have more than 80 million unique online browsers a month, millions of them from outside the UK. We have digital production editors who work across different time zones. That is partly why messages regularly appear on our editorial system appealing for speakers of different languages so that something can be translated before it goes live on the website or in the paper. And, being the place it is, it seems there is always someone here in the building – or contactable by phone or email – who can translate immediately. But we all know that is not true in every business in Britain. The CBI describes our lack of linguistic ability as a tax on UK trade, a tax that could get a whole lot bigger if the large-scale closure of our university language departments continues. Which is why the British Academy campaign on languages appealed to us so much, and why our association with the Academy to raise the public debate on the issue is so timely. The campaign launched at the end of August with a dedicated website, 'The case for language learning'. Edited by Anna Codrea-Rado, it runs regular fresh content which is attracting hundreds of comments. We are complementing this Vol/52 No/6 2013 with coverage in print, and with a programme of events. The campaign is to increase public interest in and awareness of the impact language learning has on British society. We want to put language learning on the agenda for the government, industry, education, media and the public, and to generate a national debate. We want to show the importance of indigenous and community languages. The first major event – a joint British Academy/Guardian Languages Festival – ran in November, during which schools, universities and business showcased language learning. The month culminated in the British Academy Languages Awards and with the award to the first ever Guardian Public Language Champion. It went to Arsène Wenger (pictured), the French-born Manager of Arsenal football club, who was a moving force behind the establishment of the Double Club in which sport is used to teach languages to children local to the Arsenal ground and beyond. See www.theguardian.com/education/ series/the-case-for-language-learning. TL Wendy Berliner is Head of Education at Guardian Professional. • A series of videos to raise awareness of the careers available to languages graduates has been produced by the European Commission Representation in the UK and ThirdYearAbroad. Language Launchpad offers 14 short interviews with graduates as well as a summary video. See www.thirdyear abroad.com/language-launchpad. Tots' language capacity study The brains of pre-school children are optimised for language learning, according to new research from King's College London and Brown University, Rhode Island. The study of 108 children, aged one to six, suggests that the brain circuits associated with language become less flexible after the age of four. 'Historic' day for EU justice Sunday 27 October 2013 was 'an historic moment for justice in Europe', according to the EU's Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding. Member states now have to comply with a law, passed three years ago, that guarantees the right to interpretation throughout the criminal proceedings, for any citizen arrested or accused of a crime. DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014 The Linguist 5