Chartered Institute
of Linguists

NEWS & VOICES

Category:
The Linguist

An experienced European Commission linguist outlines the strategies she uses as a visually-impaired interpreter

I am a visually-impaired (VI) interpreter and have been on the European Commission staff since the early 1990s. There were already some VI interpreters working as freelancers for the EU Institutions at that time. We have certain challenges in common, but have devised our own...

Published on Wednesday, 1 December 2021 - 1:03pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

by Maurice Varney

Writing on the body can be a covert form of communication, says Maurice Varney

‘Every picture tells a story’ has been used many times to explain art which at first seems inexplicable. There may be art that has no intended meaning, but it will always have meaning for the viewer. The same applies to tattoos. Someone who has HATE tattooed on one hand and LOVE on...

Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2021 - 2:39pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

by Isabelle Heyerick

The interpreter selects strategies in real time, but little is known about this process. Isabelle Heyerick asks how signed language interpreters make such decisions

Any interpreter can attest that the cognitive work we perform entails more than merely rendering words from language A into language B. There is context to consider, the social rules and norms of...

Published on Wednesday, 3 November 2021 - 10:48am
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

by Michal Glowacki

Michal Glowacki considers the challenges of translating for the cycling industry and why it can sometimes be an uphill ride.

Imagine an amazing day, sunny, with hardly any wind – the perfect day for my first ride with a group of fellow cyclists (Polish zgrupka), some six years ago. I was enjoying the ride and learning the various hand gestures cyclists use to...

Published on Wednesday, 20 October 2021 - 4:26pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

by Annie Rutherford

Why Annie Rutherford added linguistic diversity to her translation of The Peacock, and how she approached the Scots text

It’s a strange thing: as a reading public, we think nothing of British novels set in Botswana, France or Brazil – and yet with translated books there’s an expectation for them to function as ambassadors for the countries they’re from. When...

Published on Wednesday, 6 October 2021 - 1:05pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

by Sophie Llewellyn Smith*

Sophie Llewellyn Smith offers her advice on self-assessing a C language, and effective approaches to turning it into a B language

An interpreter’s quest for rock solid passive languages is never-ending. How can you assess the lacunae in your passive or ‘C’ languages and design an action plan to address your weaknesses?

Resources for foreign...

Published on Wednesday, 22 September 2021 - 3:01pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

How are bilingual Welsh-English shows made? Miranda Moore speaks to the makers of Keeping Faith and Hidden to find out

Faith Howells is one of those roles that actors dream of playing. Relatable, funny, empassioned and complex, the character had viewers gripped as she struggled to make sense of her husband’s disappearance in the surprise BBC hit Keeping Faith. Eve Myles brought...

Published on Wednesday, 8 September 2021 - 12:21pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

By Claire Storey

Why is it important for children to have access to books in translation? Claire Storey reports on World Kid Lit.

Over the last 18 months, countries around the world have seen borders closing and restrictions imposed on travel. Against this backdrop, interest in children’s books in translation appears to be growing, and 2020 was the most successful year to date...

Published on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 - 5:01pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

By Romana Sustar

Romana Sustar meets bestselling novellist Mario Giordano.

I discovered Mario Giordano at a Graz train station on my way back to London. It was a freezing morning and it started to snow. I got myself a cup of coffee, sat down in the waiting room and found a book that somebody had left there: Tante Poldi und die sizilianischen Löwen (Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian...

Published on Wednesday, 11 August 2021 - 12:24pm
Category:
The Linguist
Category:
The Linguist

By Eloísa Monteoliva-García

When we talk about interpreting, whether related to interpreting practice, research or interpreter training, it is often conceptualised as an activity which primarily functions as a bridge between two parties who would otherwise be disconnected because they cannot access each other’s language. The interpreter is typically the bilingual participant in the room...

Published on Wednesday, 28 July 2021 - 10:56am
Category:
The Linguist