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/807252
thelinguist.uberflip.com APRIL/MAY 2017 The Linguist 5 Kate Connolly obtained an exclusive interview with the man police arrested near the scene soon after the [Berlin] attack… The interview was published on 29 December and quickly the German media carried accounts which prompted a furious reaction from Berlin police… Some German media reports had translated 'slapped' as geschlagen, which can mean slap but also struck, hit, beaten, punched. 'Matters of Interpretation after the Berlin Truck Attack', 10/1/17 What the papers say… Trump's vagueness is often clarified for a Japanese audience, which removes innuendo from his speech. Kaku gives an example: "What Trump actually said on ABC news: '[S]he probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say, you tell me, but plenty of people have written that.' What was reported in NHK [Japan's national public broadcasting organization]: 'She likely wasn't allowed to give a statement.'"… It doesn't tell the whole story. But some interpreters, like [Chikako] Tsuruta, are concerned that translating the U.S. President too accurately might reflect badly on them. 'The Worldwide Struggle to Translate Trump', 17/2/17 Sjaak Schulteis, a flight attendant for 30 years, told The Sun that language is usually the very first thing on their agenda. "We pay attention to their language and check if they hold a magazine or newspaper," said Sjaak… Flight attendant Janice Bridger added: "If a person cannot understand English, they cannot understand shouted commands. Nor can they read the instructions on how to open the exits. That may disqualify someone from sitting in the exit row." 'The Very First Thing a Flight Attendant Notices About you When you Board a Plane', 28/2/17 The latest from the languages world British people should be encouraged to learn 'community languages', such as Polish, Urdu and Punjabi, according to an academic at the University of Cambridge. Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett urged the Government to provide more opportunities for people to study the languages widely spoken in their community in order to improve social cohesion. The need for immigrants to learn English in order to integrate and participate in society has been discussed widely, with the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Integration calling for compulsory English lessons for new arrivals. However, according to Ayres- Bennett, who is leading Cambridge's major research project 'Multilingualism: Language change and diversity', efforts to improve integration must come from both sides. "Considering the issue from the point of view of language learning, we rightly expect immigrants to learn English but, as a nation, we often don't see the need ourselves to learn another language, and consider it to be something difficult and only for the intellectual elite," she said. Yet even attaining beginner-level skills in a community language could be hugely beneficial to society, she added. "As a society, we undervalue multilingualism and the positive impact it has on individuals, their health and their wellbeing, as well as on our economy." NEWS & EDITORIAL An Afghan soldier who worked for two years as an interpreter for British troops has been refused asylum in the UK for a third time. Javed Hotak, who is currently staying in Birmingham, UK, said he fled Afghanistan after the Taliban sent him death threats. Responding to the decision of the court, Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, said sending Hotak home would be an "appalling act… as shameful as any I can remember of the British government." Afghan interpreters for the US military are facing a similarly precarious position, with more than 13,000 waiting for special immigrant visas. With fears that President Trump's immigration ban could be extended to Afghanistan, there are calls for the process to be speeded up. Qismat Amin waited four years for his visa, sparking a campaign by his former colleague, Captain Matthew Ball, who paid for Amin's flight to California in February and invited him to stay at his home. 'Learn Urdu' for social cohesion Afghan interpreters in limbo © SHUTTERSTOCK