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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22 The Linguist JUNE/JULY www.ciol.org.uk FEATURES subsidise dubbing into their own languages as a means of promoting them. Some regional TV channels adhere to a strict language policy that supports the local language (Catalan, Basque, Galician). This complicates the dubbing process, as the translation must follow certain conventions and involve a language consultant, making it more expensive. New channels broadcasting in Catalan (City TV, BTV, Flax) have increased the demand for dubbing, subtitling and voiceover in the language. Around 80% of dubbing in Spain takes place in studios in Barcelona, so the region already has a well-established Spanish-language dubbing industry. However, the dubbing industry overall has been hit hard by the economic crisis, with VAT in culture and the arts rising from 8% to 21%, and the government cutting back drastically on financial aid and grants. 'The economic situation is forcing the industry to divide into two parts: high-quality versions for film and television, and others where the quality is compromised due to lower budgets,' explains Jordá. Yet he is still optimistic for the future. 'If we adapt to changing times and the changing needs of the market, rather than clinging longingly to the golden age of dubbing in the 1960s and 1970s, the future is promising.' Oliver Doerle explores the ways census statistics can impact on local government language policies Britain today has a more diverse society than ever, and one of the many challenges faced by local authorities is the need to communicate with all sectors of their community, often in a range of different languages. To do this effectively, councils need to have a good idea of the languages that are commonly used in their area – and statistics from the census can help. While individual local authorities may be able to make reasonable estimates of the size of their foreign-speaking populations, census statistics can provide additional evidence, helping to improve the quality of data that councils hold and enabling them to allocate resources in order to provide information in languages other than English. The last 10-yearly census took place in March 2011, when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) sent questionnaires to every household in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland carried out censuses at the same time). The 2011 census explored the diversity of our society in much more detail than the previous census in 2001, with new questions on national identity, passports held, main languages spoken and immigrants' intended length of stay. The information derived from these questions provides one of the most detailed pictures of the true nature of diversity across the whole of England and Wales. So how do we measure up? The last decade has been one of profound change. On census day, the population in England and Wales was 56.1 million. We grew by an astonishing 3.7 million since 2001 – the largest growth in any 10-year period since census taking began in 1801. What's more, 7.5 million people in England and Wales were born outside the UK – that's 2.9 million more than in 2001. This diversity is also reflected in our language landscape. The census showed that 49.8 million people aged three and over (92.3%) reported English (English or Welsh in Wales) as their main language, but 4.2 million (7.7%) also reported another main language. Polish is now the second most common language in England and Wales, with 546,000 people citing it as their first language. The next most common main Informing public policy We grew by an astonishing 3.7 million people since 2001 – the largest growth in any 10-year period ON THE MIC Tools of the trade