thelinguist.uberflip.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 33
INSTITUTE MATTERS
The China connection
FROM CREATING THE CIOL'S FIRST OVERSEAS LANGUAGE PARTNER TO MEETING STUDENTS, ACADEMICS
AND MEMBERS, ANN CARLISLE REPORTS ON A SUCCESSFUL TRIP TO HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI
CIOL has a long-standing relationship with
Hong Kong, which hosts the oldest of its
regional societies. Its nearest neighbour, the
China Association, is based in Shanghai and
is one of the newest of CIOL's membership
networks. Each year, staff members from the
Institute visit the region with the purpose of
developing membership and business
opportunities, visiting examination centres,
attending the AGMs of the regional
societies, and presenting awards to exam
candidates. It's always a hugely intensive
schedule across two centres, with lots of
meetings and presentations.
The cultural differences are tangible and
require careful navigation. Do we have the
right gift? Are we presenting our business
cards correctly? Which seat should we
occupy around the conference table? But
they also come in the form of expectations
of politeness, courtesies and hospitality. The
Chinese like to entertain, so you can expect
to be very well looked after on any trip, even
if that means eating up to three amazing
banquets in less than 24 hours!
So there was a great deal of planning,
excitement and some nerves ahead of my
visit with CIOL Head of Membership Jane
Galbraith in November. First stop was the
Hong Kong Society AGM and Annual
Lunch, held at the Salisbury Hotel in
Kowloon. Following the formalities, I
awarded the prize for best Diploma in
Translation (DipTrans) performance in
Hong Kong to Hin Pan Or. It was also an
opportunity to meet local CIOL members,
update them on developments at the
Institute and encourage eligible members
to consider chartership. One motivated
attendee even started the process before
he had finished his lunch!
The second big event of the visit was the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
between CIOL and Caritas Institute of
Higher Education, CIOL's first overseas
Language Partner. The IoL Educational Trust
(IoLET) has moderated diplomas awarded by
Caritas for many years, and extending the
collaboration to include the partnership of
the two institutions was welcomed by both
parties. Caritas President Dr Kim Mak said:
"Being a Language Partner is very important
to our future plans; we would like our
graduates to not only master language skills
but also to develop the skills required to be
professional linguists."
Jane and I also visited local exam centres,
explored opportunities for collaboration with
universities, and had meetings with CIOL's
regional coordinator in Hong Kong.
AMBITIOUS TOUR
(Clockwise from top left): Ann Carlisle with
translation competition winner Zhou Yangmeishan
in Shanghai; the University of Nottingham in Ningbo;
arriving in Hong Kong; Ann with prizewinner
Hin Pan Or; Jane Galbraith with Dr Kim Mak, the
President of CIOL's new Language Partner Caritas;
and one of many banquets laid on for the tour
