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/614490
When your job is your vocation – as it is for many linguists – starting out can be daunting, especially when employers look for several years' experience as well as postgraduate qualifications. In this issue, we follow three newcomers to translation and interpreting to see how they are making their dream careers happen (pp.14-19). It is often early, positive experiences with 'other' languages that ignite this dream, and compulsory language instruction in primary schools has the potential to offer such experiences to a wider range of children. However, when teachers struggle with the language themselves, and/or instruction is patchy and undervalued, it can put off young learners. Amanda Barton asks whether a broader 'language appreciation' approach, which fosters an interest in languages without the need for specialist teaching skills, could provide a solution (p.20). In Southeast Asia, the problem is not with learning the 'other' language but with maintaining pupils' mother tongues in countries where many local languages are spoken. In most areas, English and the official national language dominate. Andy Kirkpatrick explores this threat in his fascinating Threlford Memorial Lecture (p.8), first delivered at the Institute's Members' Day 2015. For reviews and images of the day itself, see page 30. In October, Janet Fraser and Dominic Luddy stepped down from the Editorial Board after five years. Their contribution will be much missed but I am thankful that they have offered to continue to send insights, opinions and ideas by email – something we encourage all readers to do. Please send your comments to linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk. Miranda Moore 4 The Linguist Vol/54 No/6 2015 www.ciol.org.uk NEWS & EDITORIAL CHAIR OF COUNCIL'S NOTES EDITOR'S LETTER Autumn is traditionally a very busy time in the Institute's calendar, as it is when not only our own Members' Day and annual awards event are held, but also Language Show Live. This year, the awards event was combined with a special reception at Lancaster House to mark the 10th anniversary of the granting of our Royal Charter, attended by our Patron HRH Prince Michael of Kent and many other prominent figures from the world of languages. Members' Day was once again held in the airy and elegant surroundings of the British Medical Association's headquarters in Bloomsbury, BMA House, and combined a range of fascinating seminars with an excellent Threlford Memorial Lecture. See page 30 for pictures and reviews of the event, and page 8 for an edited version of the lecture. Our prominent stand at Language Show Live at Olympia attracted large numbers of visitors interested in CIOL membership and IoLET examinations, and I enjoyed discussing what the Institute could offer them over the three-day show. Institute members played a central role in many of the seminars and events, including a presentation by CIOL Chief Executive Ann Carlisle on our new Certificate in Languages for Business, and the Speak to the Future symposium presented by Vice-Presidents Baroness Jean Coussins and Richard Hardie, and IoLET member Bernardette Holmes. The Institute has been working on modifying our membership structure to reflect changes in the way languages are used professionally and in the workplace generally, and to enable us to build a stronger relationship with language learners, translators and interpreters in training, and those using languages in other careers. This work is known as the membership pathway, and we will be keeping you informed about progress and bringing some aspects of it to our Annual General Meeting in spring. Details of two important public sector language invitations to tender have been published. The first, from the Ministry of Justice, relates to the provision of language services across the justice system. The services are being procured in four lots, and the inclusion of a lot on the quality assurance of language services is a gratifying result of the lobbying work done by the Institute and our colleagues in Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J). The second is the Crown Commercial Service's draft Framework Agreement for the provision of language services across the public sector. We will report further on our response to these in 2016. Keith Moffitt A special reception marked the 10th anniversary of our Royal Charter