Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS
John Worne, CIOL CEO, writes: we often hear ‘bad news’ stories about languages in the UK - fewer young people studying languages at GCSE and ‘A’ Level, languages ‘dying out’ in UK Primary schools and Language Departments closing in Universities etc. But...
It's not all bad news
Look beneath the surface and there is a huge reservoir of linguistic talent in...
When one chooses which language to learn, they will often choose it based on how many native speakers there are of that language across the globe. However, what one often fails to consider is how many people can speak the language as their second, third or even fourth.
By Emily Boaler
Languages as a network for communication
English is my native...
By Gillian Morris
I never know what to tell people when they ask me what I do for a job. A few years ago, I would have proudly and unhesitatingly announced that I was a translator, but more recently, the lines have become blurred. Am I really a translator now? My working hours are increasingly dominated by other language-related pursuits.
A shortened version of the keynote speech delivered by CIOL Honorary President Baroness Jean Coussins at Glasgow University, 9 May 2025
There has never been a better time to be a linguist, or to have a language as another string to your bow
By Ana Ilievska Završnik MCIL CL
To be Macedonian is like being part of an epic tale, one filled with poets, revolutionaries, and dreamers who refused to let history forget them. It’s about carrying a legacy of resilience, wrapped in the warmth of traditions that make every home-cooked meal a feast and every gathering a celebration. Macedonian language? It’s a...
Chartered Linguist and Linguist Editorial Board member, Bokani Hart, wrote recently on medium.com on the ethics of translation, neutrality and engendering positive social change. Medium also hosts Global Literary Theory which Bokani recommends for more resources. An extract from her article is below, to read the full article click here.
In ‘Ethics’,...
By Chris Hughes
Very often, when we're asked to promote the learning of languages in school, the focus is on how languages benefit your career. And that's admirable and valid, of course. But learning another language is about so much more than that. There's a human side to learning languages that opens up full, genuine experiences, and brings benefits and...
By Dom Hebblethwaite, CIOL Head of Membership
The 2025 Chartered Institute of Linguists conference season in March brought together hundreds of language professionals for what I found a series of really energising and enriching events. With the in-person Translators Day and Interpreters Day held at the impressive Convene venue at 22 Bishopsgate (...
By Mark Robinson
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an important subject for professional linguists – and rightly so. For translators, interpreters, project managers – and indeed for many other roles, some of which are evolving in the profession – it matters. CPD ensures that linguists maintain and enhance their languages...
Recent CIOL Voice’s contributor John Claughton, who is former chief master of King Edward’s School, Birmingham, and co-founder of WoLLoW (World of Languages, Languages of the World) has written a powerful article in the TES Magazine. Some of his key points are here:
Languages are squeezed out in UK schools
In a land dominated by literacy and...