Chartered Institute
of Linguists

NEWS & VOICES

Category:
CIOL Voices

By Una Dimitrijevic
 


Even if machines one day become perfect at interpreting our words correctly, I’m not sure they’ll ever be able to do the following things that are always required of us as interpreters:

Consider cultural context when interpreting Convey the tone and spirit of the original message Point out when one party may not have understood something...
Published on Thursday, 14 March 2024 - 2:46pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Antonica-Roxana Clinciu

 

 

As a recent graduate in English Language and Literature, with a fluency in English and a native command of Romanian, I find myself standing at the threshold of a vast linguistic landscape, eager to immerse myself in the art of interpretation and translation. It's not merely a career path I'm drawn to, but rather a calling rooted in a...

Published on Tuesday, 12 March 2024 - 12:43pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Debbie Butler


As we celebrate International Women's Day, as a longstanding member of the CIOL team, a member of the CIOL Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and as a linguist (German) myself, I feel it is well worth recognising the remarkable contributions of female linguists, interpreters and translators as we celebrate International Women’s Day. Many women...

Published on Friday, 8 March 2024 - 10:19am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices


By Gwenydd Jones MA, DipTrans, MCIL, Chartered Linguist

The Translator's Studio

 


Since I have no functioning crystal ball, this article is my opinion in 2024 about the future of translation. If you’re asking yourself whether AI is going to replace translators, I’d like to throw a couple of questions back at you:

First, have you used ChatGPT to...
Published on Wednesday, 21 February 2024 - 1:00pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

Thoughts from the steering group of the CIOL Scottish Society


In many ways, Scotland is a great place to be a linguist. It is a multilingual, multicultural and inclusive society. Linguistic diversity is part of the national identity: while English is the main language, over 150 other languages are spoken in Scottish homes.

Historically, Gaelic was the main language...

Published on Wednesday, 31 January 2024 - 4:54pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

Mentoring in troubled times
 

By Steve Doswell, CIOL Chair of Council


Today, 17 January 2024, is International Mentoring Day – a day to celebrate the power and impact of mentoring in personal growth and development, our working lives, education and in building our communities. 

CIOL offers a free Mentoring platform, supported by an expert UK-based third-...

Published on Wednesday, 17 January 2024 - 11:55am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Mark Robinson


I like to think that we’re ahead of the AI (artificial intelligence) curve in the world of professional translation. We have had a form of AI – neural machine translation – around for a few years now, and it has become a helpful tool for professional linguists - in certain circumstances only, and for appropriate projects with careful checking. The large...

Published on Tuesday, 17 October 2023 - 12:37pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Dr Joseph Lambert
 

"Happy robots” - AI and robots are now literally everywhere..! Photo from Joseph’s recent trip to Copenhagen.


What are the biggest threats and opportunities to you as a professional freelance translator today? Are you happy with your rates of pay and working conditions? What is the longer-term outlook for the...

Published on Thursday, 12 October 2023 - 10:42am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Giulia Lucania


Food conveys history, identity and tradition. These aren’t just empty terms, they symbolise worlds whose stories are just waiting to be told.

Translating and writing for the food and beverage industry isn’t always a piece of cake. It has two main flavours, technical and creative. This sector is brimming with lots of different text types, from...

Published on Thursday, 5 October 2023 - 11:01am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Diana Singureanu

This article is written in response to WIRED's Pro Interpreters vs AI Challenge, referenced within the article

Translators and interpreters have been conscious of the threat of AI for some time. Many view the question of whether machine interpretation will take our jobs as a when rather than an if. I must also declare I'm sceptical that machine...

Published on Wednesday, 30 August 2023 - 12:00pm
Category:
CIOL Voices