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 APRIL/MAY 2017 The Linguist 31 OPINION & COMMENT Moving into spring, I have been immersed in my final translation project for a couple of months. This semester sees a major shift from weekly tasks and reading to independent study of a single project. I have access to support from my assigned supervisor throughout, who specialises in the themes and cultures that I have chosen to pursue. From the start of the MA, I knew that I wanted to use my final semester to complete an extended translation rather than a research project culminating in a dissertation. The translation option is a rare opportunity to analyse a text in considerable, prolonged depth, drawing on a wealth of library resources and staff knowledge to feed into a (hopefully) high-quality product. For relatively new translators like me, this semester is a chance to add value to a burgeoning specialism: surely I should translate a marketing text or business materials, something pragmatic that will glide onto my CV? Then again, is the safe path going to bring happiness? In December, I dedicated space in a reflective learning log and concluded that, although not the easiest path, literary translation is where I find true happiness in my practice. We might associate this field with competition, yet last year I discovered that literary translation events and courses were among the least competitive environments in which I found myself. Among these professionals there is a genuine excitement about each other's projects. I have connected with peers on a fundamental level when such connections, for me, are rare and valuable. It's the familiar follow-your-heart message, and two months in I have no regrets. I am working on a collection of francophone Moroccan short stories, building on my interest in literature from postcolonial cultures and expressed in a colonial language. These stories, told in a western language, highlight tensions between tradition and modernity in Maghreb culture, particularly regarding gender roles, prompting questions such as who the author is addressing (clue: it's not always the West.) What's more, the short story is proving to be a perfect form for this human angle – polyphonic by nature and an embodiment of the moi-éclate ('fractured self') that permeates contemporary literature by Moroccan women. So far, so inspiring. In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH As 2017 began, several stories asked: how can we stem the decline in modern foreign languages (MFL) study? Schoolsweek and the TES both covered the collapse in school exchanges due to "hurdles including costs, visas and 'unclear' government guidance on safeguarding", while The Times reported that the number of MFL teachers in Scotland has fallen by 17% in just six years. In the TES, Alistair McConville argued that "we should stop talking about the earning potential of subjects and instead appeal to pupils' youthful sense of social empathy". The Telegraph ran a great piece by MFL undergraduate Ellie Osbourne – a convincing manifesto for languages. But the description of her own Head of MFL trying to dissuade her from studying three languages at A level stayed with me as an example of the challenges the subject faces. The flipside to reports on MFL post-Brexit is the controversy surrounding indigenous language policies. Wales Online and BBC News reported on the review of "ridiculous" Welsh language rights, while the target of 30% of schoolchildren attending Welsh-medium schools was labelled a "pipedream" due to flawed planning. In Northern Ireland, a £50,000 Irish- language bursary scheme was restored. Its abolition, reported by BBC News, had been part of the reason for Martin McGuinness's resignation as Deputy First Minister, with the issue described as a "political weapon". Meanwhile DUP leader Arlene Foster rejected Sinn Fein's calls for an Irish Language Act: "If you feed a crocodile it will keep coming back for more". There were fascinating reports on research into language evolution: The Independent told of a study showing that baboons make sounds similar to humans despite their higher larynx, implying "spoken languages evolved from ancient articulatory skills already present… about 25 million years ago" (not 70,000-100,000 years ago as previously believed). Language issues are even more ingrained than we thought! Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant. Why extensive reading is the order of the day as students prepare for their final translation project Master in the making Hannah Embleton-Smith is an MA Translation student at Bristol. TL HANNAH EMBLETON-SMITH