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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thelinguist.uberflip.com DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016 The Linguist 7 FEATURES A history of the Institute in 6 objects M odern technology has revolutionised the way CIOL works. The first website was set up by Michael Hopkins in 1997. For many members, the Find-a-Linguist directory, introduced in 1998 following a competitive bid for funding from the Department of Trade and Industry, was the most important aspect. Innovative for its time, it enabled searches by language, region and specialisation. The letter announcing the new service strongly recommended that members obtain internet access, as "a useful means of communication and information". The first overhaul of the website came as part of an Institute-wide rebranding process 10 years ago, which replaced the traditional blue and white colour scheme and logo with a bold palette of black, red and gold. Launched in September 2014, the current website maintains this strong brand identity but has a lighter, cleaner presentation; an open-source platform that links to the membership database; and the ability to share pages on social media, among other new functions. It was developed over two years by a working group of staff, member volunteers and web designers. An ongoing project, the most recent additions are the members-only professional topics, but also a few rogue comments; a lot was learned, very rapidly, about the moderation of such facilities. Nevertheless, with the growth of social media in the 2000s, there were concerns about the Institute's ability to effectively moderate networks. In 2011, the Communications team began to develop a social media presence, and we now have a growing following on our chosen sites: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. We also have an annual communications calendar, and contact members three or four times a month, enabling a much closer relationship. The last paper-based manual mailing was the membership renewal of 2010. This is now done electronically. Storing information Until the late 1990s, member and client records were kept on paper, but the development of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems transformed the process of storing information. It wasn't until 2011, however, that CIOL invested in the current CiviCRM system, which replaced the old 'Subscriber' database. There has been great progress in memory storage systems in the last 30 years. In the 1970s, we stored information on floppy discs; by the 1980s, CDs and CD-Roms had taken over; the 2000s brought the smaller and more convenient USB flash drive. This has been particularly useful to IoLET, as oral exams are recorded and stored for some time. Today, cloud-based options have taken over as the preferred method of information storage. In September 2013, CIOL moved from the four-storey Saxon House, with an in-house IT department, to new premises at Dunstan House. CIOL and IoLET staff now share one floor. Functions such as IT have been outsourced and moved to a cloud-based system, offering a more streamlined, secure and reliable service. The new website reflects this efficient, effective and easy-to-use approach to technology and paves the way for developments in the future. The final article in our series charts technological developments at CIOL with a look at our website area, online payments, and online voting for elections to Council. Transforming communication Before the advent of email, the Institute had little direct contact with members due to mailing costs. Even when email arrived in the mid-1990s, some costs were incurred as messages to the Institute's only email address had to be checked several times a day by calling the service provider. In the early days of computer technology, the CIOL divisions established 'contact groups' with names, specialisations and contact details stored on databases, with print- outs sent to members. As the technology advanced, the information began to be shared by email and the now-familiar e-groups emerged. GerNet began in 1994, followed by TransNet, InterpNet and a BPG e-group. Now with 1,215 members, TransNet moved to a web-based platform (Yahoo Groups) in 2004, as did the other divisional e-groups. Language-specific networks followed, starting with French, Spanish and Italian. The website of 1997 included an open forum to which anyone could contribute, attracting constructive exchanges on