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/665992
Many of our readers will be migrants or, like me, the children or grandchildren of migrants. But you don't need to have personal experience of migration to be affected by the plight of people forced to flee their homes. In this issue we look at linguists working to ease the suffering of refugees caught up in the current migrant crisis – from the interpreter working on the frontline in Greece (p.8) to the creators of the InfoAid app (p.10), and translators volunteering remotely (p.12). It is thanks to a history of immigration that London is one of the most diverse cities in the world. In my daughter's class alone at least 12 home languages are spoken in addition to English, making for a dynamic environment that increases the children's understanding of other cultures. On page 20, Sarah Cartwright looks at the common trends identified in multicultural cities around the globe following an EU project on urban multilingualism. At my children's school, this diversity is celebrated with a special event annually. But such small schools, with complex needs, can, paradoxically, struggle to offer adequate language provision. Instruction by the class teacher has been found to be the most effective at primary level, but where resources to train non-specialist teachers are lacking, learning can be slow or non-existent. Amanda Barton suggests methods to support teachers faced with this difficult task on page 16. Elsewhere, we launch a new series on field linguistics with an insight into one expert's methods for documenting little-known languages. On page 14, Jeanette Sakel gives a fascinating account of how she approached Mosetén, having learnt Spanish in order to carry out the research. Miranda Moore 4 The Linguist Vol/55 No/2 2016 www.ciol.org.uk NEWS & EDITORIAL CHAIR OF COUNCIL'S NOTES The Prime Minister has announced that the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union will be held on 23 June. I know that this will be a subject of vital importance for many of our members, including those of you living in the UK with other EU passports, British members living elsewhere in the EU, and those of you involved in import/export or doing work for clients in other EU countries. As a linguist specialising in French, German and Portuguese, with a partner with an Italian passport, I am well placed to understand why many of our members will be taking a very keen interest in the referendum. We recently surveyed you, our members, about your views on the referendum and on which aspects of EU membership are of greatest importance for you. A significant majority of those who replied (84%) believed that the UK should remain in the EU, with the key reasons being trade, investment in the UK, and jobs and freedom to live and work in other EU countries. The two main reasons cited in favour of leaving the EU were sovereignty of our parliament and greater control of immigration. You can read some individual opinions about the possible effects of 'Brexit' in the article on page 18. In TL54,6, I talked about the Institute's membership pathway project and said that we would keep members informed of progress. Since then, a great deal of further work has been done, including a review of the rules and by-laws and the membership admissions criteria. This 10-month long project is now nearing completion and the team at Dunstan House is currently finalising the implementation, and marketing and communication plans. This is an exciting time for the Institute, and we are confident that the new pathway will support our strategic aim to increase our membership and provide a range of entry points for all linguists, supporting career development and progression. Jane Galbraith, our Head of Membership, provides more detail in the article on page 7. I recently told my fellow members of Council that I do not intend to seek renomination as Chair of Council following the Annual General Meeting. I feel that four years is a good term of office as Chair, and that with the Institute in the hands of a very capable Senior Management Team, led by our Chief Executive Ann Carlisle, this is a good moment to pass on the baton. I will not, however, be resigning from Council and would like to continue to make a contribution in roles where I feel that I have particular expertise or experience. One of those is the area of equality, diversity and inclusion, which has been the subject of some important work in recent months under the able leadership of James Farmer. Tony Bell has also told us that he wishes to step down from Council after the AGM, and I would like to express our very warm thanks to Tony for his extraordinary dedication to the Institute in recent years, both as Chair of Council and then as Honorary Treasurer, while those with longer memories will know that Tony was our General Secretary in the 1980s. We are grateful that Tony has told us he is still happy to advise us on issues where his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Institute's affairs will be valuable. Keith Moffitt EDITOR'S LETTER