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thelinguist.uberflip.com JUNE/JULY The Linguist 9 FEATURES T he history of the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) starts in the early 1980s: a 14-year-old French girl was picked up in Cambridge for shoplifting. There was no procedure for sourcing a qualified interpreter and the Magistrates concerned decided there should be. A taskforce set to work and, together with representatives from the legal services, health service, local government, higher education and Institute of Linguists, with funding from the Nuffield Foundation, the Certificate of Community Interpreting was created, which later became the DPSI. The DPSI, set at Level C1 (first degree), is not easy – either to pass or, indeed, to set. Successful candidates have to demonstrate competence in consecutive and whispered interpreting, sight and written translation – in both languages, both ways. The number of language combinations with English hovers around 40; the most popular languages in 2014 were Polish, Urdu, Arabic, Russian and Romanian. Adding a new language involves at least seven speakers of that language: a setter, a proof reader, an oral examiner, an interlocutor, two written markers and a tape sampler. And the THRELFORD MEMORIAL CUP The Threlford Cup Challenge was first presented by Sir Lacon Threlford in 1935, described as 'the world's greatest trophy for fostering the study of languages'. There are now around 15 awards presented annually for excellence in the Trust's exams and for fostering the study of language, and there has been a special awards ceremony since 2000. (To make a nomination for the 2015 Cup, see page 32.) A history of the Institute in 6 objects Hilary Maxwell-Hyslop considers the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting Certificate oral examination has its own challenges: if the train carrying the Amharic examiner breaks down, you cannot reasonably expect the German or Vietnamese examiner to step in. The appearance of the certificate has changed over the years and its current design has to meet the stringent requirements of the examination's external regulator, Ofqual. Candidates for Law can now choose between the legal systems of England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The Law option has been run in Jamaica and the Health option in Greece, where English is used as a lingua franca. However, its original purpose is still the same: holders demonstrate fitness to practice as public service interpreters, and are able to provide a level of service that promotes the principle of equality enshrined in legislation. The Institute's examinations date back to its foundation in 1910; the first were described as testing a 'practical knowledge of the spoken languages: the ability of the candidate to read at sight and understand the language offered, whether written or spoken, and to express himself or herself both orally and in writing'. They are now administered by the IoL Educational Trust (IoLET), an associated charity of the CIOL since 2001. The current suite of exams includes the Diploma in Translation, Certificate in Bilingual Skills, Diploma in Police Interpreting, and Languages for Business. meeting, he was Faisal's interpreter, speaking in Arabic, French and English. 7 At the time, before the establishment of professional conference interpreting in 1919-20, it was expected that English-speakers of Lawrence's education and background would be capable of conducting discussions in French to a reasonably high level. Indeed, it is evident from Lawrence's correspondence and other sources that he was commissioned to translate one or two French novels. The concern, as expressed particularly in Arab accounts, is a suspicion that Lawrence's spoken interpretations and written translations were not entirely accurate, and that his deficient language skills and dichotomous role combined to misrepresent certain points in the Arab case. This is perhaps the final factor that led to the realisation that neutral professionals were required in a new era of international relations and diplomacy through conferences. However, it is hard to conclude whether there was any wilfulness in Lawrence's actions, or whether it was a more innocent matter along the route of Faisal's and Lawrence's 'perpetual adventure'. I am grateful for assistance and support from Dr Assia Rolls (Head of Research and Professional Development, Regent's University London), Muhammed Bouabdallah (Lecturer in Arabic, University of Westminster and Regent's), and particularly Dr Haseeb Hadeed (Assistant Professor, Department of French, University of Mosul, Iraq). Notes 1 Baigorri-Jalón, J, 2005, 'Conference Interpreting in the First International Labor Conference (Washington, D.C, 1919)' in Translators' Journal, 50,3, pp.987-996. See also Baigorri-Jalón, 2004, Interpreters at the United Nations: A history, Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca 2 Hadeed, H, 1985, Le statut littéraire de 'Les sept piliers de la sagesse de T.E. Lawrence', Thèse de Doctorat, Université de Poitiers, France, pp.26-28 3 Ibid. pp.25-29; and Knightley, P and Simpson, C, 1969, The Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia, London, Nelson, p.206 4 Graves, R, 1927, Lawrence and the Arabs, London, Jonathan Cape, pp.97-98 5 Korda, M, 2010, Hero: The life and legend of Lawrence of Arabia, New York, HarperCollins, p.473 6 Allawi, A A, 2014, Faisal I of Iraq, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, pp.181-187 7 Op. cit. Graves, 1927, p.281