10 The Linguist Vol/54 No/2 2015
www.ciol.org.uk
FEATURES
ground, the kind of support required, how it
is to be organised, and how the structure and
personnel
are to be determined.
the doctrine also insists on the need to train
linguists once they are in post, especially if
forces need to recruit non-professionals from
the local population. the training should
cover the languages used in theatre, as well
as linguistic functions such as translation,
interpretation and terminology management.
in addition, it stipulates the need for
training in professional ethics and provides
what i believe to be natO's first code of
ethics for linguists. these standards provide
guidance on how a linguist is expected to
behave, especially in terms of confidentiality
and neutrality, which are particularly important
in building trust when the linguist is likely to
be from an ethnic group representing one of
the (former) warring sides. the code of
ethics is also aimed at service-users, so that
they do not make unreasonable demands
on linguists or force them to behave
inappropriately – a tendency observed in all
three peace-support operations.
My hope is that the doctrine will help not
only the alliance, but also other organisations,
to provide efficient and effective linguistic
support in challenging environments.
Written in collaboration with Louise Askew.
Meeting the language challenges of natO
Operations: policy, practice and
professionalization, by Ian Jones and Louise
Askew, is out on Palgrave Macmillan. It covers
a range of topics, from languages and dialects
to cross-cultural communication, gender and
risks to linguists, as well as the personal
experiences of linguists working in theatre.
See
www.palgrave.com/page/detail/meeting
-the-language-challenges-of-nato-operations-ian
-jones/?k=9781137312556 (checked 12/3/15).
Notes
1 download (checked 12/3/15) via
http://nso.nato.int/nso/nsdd/listpromulg.html
t
he first institute publication,
The Linguists' Review, appeared
between 1924 and 1961, changing
its title to The Incorporated Linguist in
1962. Four editors were in post between
1962 and 1975. apart from a short
interregnum in 1995, just four more have
steered the ship since then: John Sykes,
Jay kettle-Williams, pat treasure and our
current editor, Miranda Moore. the journal
became The Linguist in 1987, moving from
four issues a year to six in 1989.
physically, and in terms of the institute
and the profession it serves, the journal has
changed almost beyond recognition since
1962. the first cover was a stark black-and-
white affair bearing just the institute's crest
and the title. articles appeared in
monolithic columns, and there were few, if
any, illustrations inside.
Monochrome cover images appeared
from 1988, colour images began to
accompany articles in 2002, and colour was
used on the cover from 2003. professional,
full colour, high-quality images now
accompany every article.
GUIDES FOR
THE TROOPS
During WWII, the
Institute produced
booklets to teach
French and German
to 'British soldiers
on friendly terms
with the inhabitants
of the country'
A
history
of
the
Institute
in
6
objects
Janet Fraser looks at the first and subsequent
issues of The Linguist to see what they reveal
about the Institute's priorities over the decades
as well as being professionally edited, the
journal has shifted its focus from articles about
language and languages, to the huge diversity
of professional uses of languages, the impact
of globalisation, and the ubiquity of
technology against a backdrop that includes
the decline in foreign language teaching and
the perception that 'the world speaks english'.
the journal has also reflected the institute's
efforts to professionalise linguists, especially
the award of a royal charter in 2005. perhaps
the greatest change, though, has been its
availability online since 2012, a tool to boost
the profile of the language professions as well
as an added member benefit.
in the 1960s, language teachers and
translators dominated content and interpreting
received scant attention until efforts began to
professionalise 'community interpreting' in the
1980s. technology was then in its infancy, but
The Linguist regularly covered ict from the
advent of personal computers to educational,
translation and interpreting software.
public service interpreting has seen a huge
boost in both its professional credentials and
its coverage in the journal. transcreation,
localisation, sub- and sur-titling, and voiceover
have emerged as new forms of language
activity, while the journal has switched from
carrying job adverts to supporting what is now
the almost wholly freelance nature of the
translation and interpreting industries.
Spine
Gundey
activity,
10/5/12
viaFlickr
(cc
By
2.0)
