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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Public service interpreting is an area in which the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modern Languages has shown a great deal of interest, especially since the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) contract for the provision of legal interpreters was outsourced to Capita in 2012. That contract attracted a lot of criticism. In 2013, the Commons Justice Select Committee described the situation as "shambolic"; and in 2014, the Public Accounts Committee and National Audit Office noted that Capita was still not meeting the target of fulfilling 98% of bookings. Individual members of the APPG looked at some of these issues. In 2016 and 2017, CIOL Vice-President Baroness Coussins asked a series of written questions to Parliament establishing, for example, that there is no central record of the cost of rescheduling court cases due to problems with interpreting and translation, making it difficult to estimate whether target savings are being achieved. In 2016, the MoJ awarded the £120m contract for legal interpreters to a new provider: thebigword. The APPG decided to hold a meeting one year later to ask: have things improved? CIOL Vice-President Tim Connell and Stephen Bishop, Executive Director of the National Register of Public Service Interpreters, made presentations explaining the concerns of the profession. All 6 The Linguist Vol/57 No/1 2018 www.ciol.org.uk NEWS & EDITORIAL '88 Very British Phrases that will Confuse Anybody who Didn't Grow Up in the UK', 2/1/18 Someone that lacks common sense might be described as 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic.' The phrase was first documented in the BBC's Lenny Henry Christmas Special in 1987… To "pop your clogs" means to die. This cheery phrase is widely believed to originate from Northern factory workers around the time of the industrial revolution… When someone 'cocked' their clogs, the toes of their clogs pointed up in the air as they lay down dead. What the papers say… 'The Guardian View on Languages and the British: Brexit and an Anglosphere prison', 3/11/17 While other countries speak their own languages and English too, the British just speak English. Where's the advantage there? Theresa May's government talks about 'global' Britain. On the Brexiteer right, this tends to mean an Anglosphere within which the privileged and prejudiced can nurture a reactionary fantasy of British greatness. Mentally and materially it is a retreat from the world, not an engagement – as much a prison as a liberation. A genuinely engaged Britain must not just hunker down in the Anglosphere, the Atlantic and the past. 'British Woman Accused of Smuggling Drugs "Accidentally Pleads Guilty" in Egypt', 26/12/17 Laura Plummer, from Hull, reportedly entered an incorrect plea and admitted importing the drugs by mistake after questions and responses in court were "lost in translation"… It is thought the trial will commence once the defence has found a new interpreter. Highlights from the all-party group's meeting on public service interpreting. By Philip Harding-Esch Inside parliament Philip Harding-Esch works on behalf of the British Council to support the APPG on Modern Languages. TL the major stakeholders were present, as well as representatives from the MoJ, thebigword and The Language Shop, which monitors the quality assurance, who responded to the issues raised. There were also strong contributions from the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), National Union of Professional Interpreters and Translators, and individuals working in the field. Key points included an exploration of the complexities of providing good legal interpreting, its links to fundamental human rights, national and EU law, and the challenge of ensuring that the law is upheld, even in the most linguistically challenging situations. Concerns such as rates of pay, suspicions that the required standard of qualifications is being lowered, organisational issues and working conditions were also discussed. It was an opportunity for the MoJ to demonstrate improving performance and that the new contract is intended to lead to a continually improving standard of service. It was a useful start to a complex conversation, and the APPG will be revisiting the issue regularly during the course of this Parliament. © SHUTTERSTOCK