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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28 The Linguist FEBRUARY/MARCH www.iol.org.uk REVIEWS interpreting research is presently under-served due to the paucity of researchers willing to take it on. the field is huge and complex, particularly in the public services arena. interpreting research seems a very daunting prospect. there must be an almost infinite number of completely unresearched aspects of the interpreting process in a variety of public service settings. this groundbreaking book is set to improve interpreting services by encouraging and enabling interpreting practitioners and others to take part in research. the text is well arranged, clearly laid out and written in academic language that is comprehensible. As an irlen Syndrome sufferer, i really appreciate the grey-on- white font and size of the text, though left justification would have made reading and absorbing information easier still. Within the 267 pages there are eight chapters describing the reasons for research, and every step of designing and conducting a research project. the detail included in the contents pages makes navigating the text easy. i only wish that Research Methods in Interpreting had been published earlier, as it would have made my own doctoral research project much less painful. it isn't that no books existed to guide prospective researchers through creating and completing a research project; it's that there was no book (as far as i am aware) that related specifically to interpreting research. that is the breakthrough. i'm glad to see a description that lays out the steps so well. What interpreting practitioners need is more understanding of interpreting theory. theory provides hard standing on which to mount practical techniques and cognitive frameworks of delivery. Good practice arises out of applied research. interpreting researchers will benefit society in general, but more importantly, they will themselves gain new knowledge, new insights and greater confidence, thus improving their own research and interpreting praxis. it is a great pleasure to recommend this encouraging book to interpreter training institutions. the profession of public service interpreting suffers from a lack of credibility and esteem among large numbers of practising public service professionals. it is time to change the perception that interpreting is simply a question of dual literacy and that the work of interpreters can be replaced satisfactorily by untrained people. only research can influence interpreters' thorough training and only research can convince collaborating professionals that we are truly practising an academic discipline. Jan Cambridge FCIL Research Methods in Interpreting Sandra Hale and Jemina Napier Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. ISBN 978-1- 4411-6851-1, Paperback £22.99 A translation approach the headline policy 'Learn English or lose benefits' has generated discussion not only among English as a Second Language (ESoL) teachers but also among refugee communities whose successful integration into Britain depends on their commitment to learning the language. in the Somali refugee community, the policy is viewed by many as one that emphasises both commitment and attainment. An acceptable level of proficiency in English is a requirement for those applying for British citizenship, but it is possible that a large number of people on Jobseekers' Allowance became British citizens long before the ESoL Level 3 requirement was put in place. ESoL students and teachers are committed to make learning English a rewarding experience. Many classes issue learners with bilingual dictionaries to help them to learn vocabulary more quickly. this underscores learners' reliance on translation at a basic level. For many students, learning grammar begins with learning English. translation is a relatively quick way to learn English and compare its structure with the learner's native language. Such an approach can help learners to avoid using the wrong tense. one of my students rendered the phrase London baan tagay shalayto as 'i am going to London yesterday' (instead of 'i went…'). that does not mean the simple past tense was not introduced to the learner but that the opportunity to compare and contrast the past tense in English and Somali was not utilised. Another learner translated a Somali headline into English as 'Fire caught boat yesterday'. From the discussion that followed, he found out that this sentence structure in English makes 'boat' the subject and 'fire' the object. Learners rely on translation to conclude that, for example, in the phrase 'a new car', the adjective comes before the noun. this paves the way for students to develop language use awareness and boost their vocabulary through basic collocations. Asking learners to share what they have heard people say and how they made sense of it instils active language learning outside the classroom, which enables students to get used to deciphering meanings in different contexts. A translation approach to learning a language features heavily at secondary and tertiary levels in the Uk. Materials for secondary schools and colleges reflect the reliance on English to expound the grammatical principles of the other language. ESoL students may benefit from earlier exposure to this translation approach. Liban Ahmad © i S tockphoto