Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
Tim F Nash in front of the background photo of barred gate from Max Payload on Unsplash
By Tim F Nash
By Danielle Boaler
I have recently completed my tenth year as an MFL teacher in the UK and this year I covered the Head of Spanish role while my colleague was on maternity leave. I have always found languages a tricky subject to win students over on. ‘Why bother learning another language if everybody else speaks English?’ As a nation, we need...
CIOL Council Member Emma Gledhill reflects on thirty years in the languages profession which, as she says, “teaches you a few things.” One is that whenever translation is reported to be on life support, it's actually just changing. And you can change with it.
Jobs are Changing, Not Disappearing
Over the last thirty years, the profession has seen three major...
By Dr Eyhab Abdulrazak Bader Eddin
Can one little word make ‘love’ into a dirty word? Is it possible to show intimacy towards someone in one moment and contempt in the next by calling them “thou”? Does adding Sir to the beginning of Master indicate ignorance, question someone’s social standing, or cause offence? Why should Your Grace be appropriate...
What is Women in Translation Month?
Each August, Women in Translation Month highlights books written by women in languages other than English and draws attention to the role translation plays in connecting readers with voices from around the world.
Established in 2014 by Meytal Radzinski, the initiative was launched to increase awareness of the...
By Emily Boaler
There can come a time as a linguist, when we start to feel a bit stuck in our work, especially when we find ourselves in a role or sector that no longer fulfils our purpose or needs. However, renewed purpose may lie within a sector where we have little or no experience – a leap into the unknown for sure, but with languages as our super-power it...
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
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...