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/988970
@Linguist_CIOL JUNE/JULY The Linguist 5 How Netflix's Increasing use of Foreign Language Content is Helping to Fight Xenophobia, 14/4/18 An audience of 104 million Netflix subscribers are devouring content in Spanish, German and Arabic… The streaming service is producing popular programming depicting foreign and first-generation English-speaking actors, each communicating in their native tongue. The English speakers simply respond without skipping a beat. The implication is that they understand one another and choose the language they're most comfortable responding in. What the papers say… Macron thanks Australian Leader's 'Delicious Wife', 2/5/18 Mr Macron had referred to Mrs Lucy Hughes Turnbull, recipient of the order of Australia and chief of the Greater Sydney Commission, as 'delicious'. But all was not quite what it seems. The French word is délicieux, which can be used to describe a very tasty meal. But it can also be used to refer to something very good or very agreeable, in the sense of 'delightful'. Mr Macron chose the word he wanted, but not the meaning he wanted. Losing your First Language? Here's how to rediscover your voice, 3/4/18 [When we spend time abroad] our vocabulary becomes less sophisticated, and our grammar less complex… For 3 million EU citizens living in the UK and 1 million Britons on the continent, many of whom may now be contemplating a return to their home country because of Brexit, language attrition could be a real problem. A badly spelled or clumsily worded letter of application, a fumbling and hesitant performance at interview… may ruin any chance to prove yourself in the job. The latest from the languages world The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, has agreed to waive immigration fees for more than 150 Afghan interpreters who served with the British Army in Helmand Province. As the government faces criticism for creating a 'hostile environment' that has affected those with a legal right to live in the UK, the Home Office came under pressure to support military interpreters whose five-year relocation visas are due to expire. In a letter to the Home Secretary, they said they had been left in "limbo" by "shameful" rules obliging them to pay an "unaffordable" fee of £2,389 for indefinite leave to remain, or face deportation. NEWS & EDITORIAL Afghan linguists secure status £7k test case on NHS interpreting "Lessons have been learnt" after a family had to tell their relative he was dying because the hospital failed to provide an interpreter. The healthcare trust paid £7,000 compensation to the family of Thomas Carson, whose first language was BSL (British Sign Language), in a test case brought by the Equality Commission. In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH Perhaps reflecting the ongoing Brexit saga, many of the recent news reports on languages have considered issues of identity in the UK. The government launched its Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper, including a new ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) strategy promising "sufficient funding" (FE Week). The press generally reflected the inclusive tone of the Green Paper while showing the scale of the challenge ('English "a foreign language to 770k"', Metro). This didn't stop The Daily Mail declaring that "schools may be forced to make pupils mix with other ethnicities" as part of the proposals. Dame Louise Casey, whose review fed into the strategy, said the "UK should set date for everyone to speak English" in order to "heal rifts" (BBC). Meanwhile there were significant milestones for the UK's regional and minority languages. Echoing the first ever Welsh language debate in Westminster in February, Kate Forbes MSP delivered a speech in the Scottish Parliament entirely in Gaelic to mark the launch of the National Gaelic Plan 2018-2023 (The Scotsman). A Welsh MP called for the Welsh language to be protected under the Equality Act, and MPs called for a British Sign Language GCSE in the first ever parliamentary debate to be broadcast with live interpretation in BSL (BBC). Lord Trimble said Northern Ireland could look to other parts of the UK to solve "disastrous" Irish language policy issues (Belfast Newsletter). A wonderful story for the translators among us is the discovery that a French scholar, Isaac Casaubon, advised the team of 40 translators who compiled the King James Bible, helping them to solve the thorniest translation problems. Newly discovered letters "get us as close as we will ever get to hearing the translators in conversation" (The Guardian). A lovely example of cross-European scholarly collaboration – in 1610. Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant. HOW HARD IS THAT LANGUAGE? A map showing the 'difficulty ranking' for English speakers learning the main languages of countries in Europe and north Africa has gone viral. Created by Reddit user Fummy, it is based on analysis by the Foreign Service Institute of their experiences of training US diplomats. It ranks level of difficulty from category 0 (blue; no study required) for English to category V (red; 88 weeks of study required). © SAMUEL KEAY /USER/F UMMY.