Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
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Recent emails for infoNote the email and the reference to it at the end.
On Friday, 07/10...
The new Chair of the UK Parliament’s languages group on how judgements over his Geordie roots, a year abroad in post-Pinochet Chile and a love of language learning contributed to his political awakening and dedication to sociolinguistics
So, Darren, what made you want to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages (APPG ML)?I was first elected as...
In a recent Members Poll we asked people to share their favourite ‘untranslatable words’. The responses included the Portuguese saudade and Welsh hiraeth, Turkish yakamoz and Greek philotimo. These words illustrate how different languages and cultures capture concepts, sentiments and experiences that English can only describe at greater length. But there were some nice...
By Duygu Türer, 2026 winner of the award for Best Candidate in the Diploma in Translation, pictured receiving her award from CIOL Honorary President Baronness Jean Coussins
Why the DipTrans?
As a full-time freelance translator with a background in mathematical engineering, I had long wanted to complement my professional experience with a recognised...
Asparagus on the menu in the delightful little town of Telgte
I was asked recently whether being able to speak the local language means that travelling is a different experience. Travel is a wonderful thing per se of course – but speaking the lingo does indeed add a whole extra layer of interest, understanding and joy.
By Mark Robinson
What versions of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ reveal about the conflicting needs of song translation.
By Vivian Federicci
Anyone who’s heard the iconic jazz tune ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ – or, more precisely, the bossa nova classic – can instantly drift away on its smooth melody to a sun-soaked beach in Rio de Janeiro. You can practically feel the tropical...
By Cory Massaro
Some claim the tech world wants you stupid and addicted.
This is not hyperbole. People are saying it plainly.
Tully et al.’s 2024 study, “Lower Artificial Intelligence Literacy Predicts Greater AI Receptivity” encourages AI-related organizations to keep people stupid. Having established a statistical link between lower AI...
Sabine Braun receives the Threlford Award from Baroness Jean Coussins
The CIOL Awards 2026 took place on 10 June 2026 at King’s College London, bringing together award winners, CIOL Council, Awards and Educational Trust Board members, partners and stakeholders to celebrate achievement, leadership and impact for linguists and languages.
Celebrating...
By Dom Hebblethwaite, CIOL Head of Membership A year ago, CIOL members and fellow linguists were almost evenly divided on generative AI: just under half were using it in some form, just over half were not. Twelve months on, we have run the same poll. The picture has shifted, but the divide hasn't gone away. If anything, it has sharpened.
The story isn't only...
By Alex Myatt
'The click'
Curiosity is something shared by all linguists. The decision to study other languages and cultures is often a product of this curiosity, but not always. Speaking personally, I know that there was a specific moment that gave me ‘the click’, and ever since, I’ve known that I wanted to follow the path of language study.
A few years...