Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
R B Lemberg considers their translations of Ukrainian war poets, which reflect their own emotional response to the original poems.
On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation mounted a brutal, full-scale military invasion against Ukraine. Like many members of the Ukrainian diaspora, I was glued to my smartphone, following the fierce Ukrainian resistance with awe and gratitude,...
Sue Leschen and Rosalind Howarth outline their distinct perspectives of a murder case across two venues, as interpreters for court and counsel
During a recent assignment on a murder case, Sue Leschen was booked ‘off contract’ (directly by the court and not by the Ministry of Justice’s outsourcing agency) as the ‘court interpreter’ and Rosalind Howarth was booked by the defendant’s...
The CIOL team have been working hard to create a new level 6 translation qualification to meet demand: staff members from different departments explain what the CertTrans means to them
Rob Beswick, Head of Membership
From a membership perspective, I am really pleased to see the development of the CertTrans (Certificate in Translation). For established translators it can be a...
When the translator becomes lexicographer and a driver of language evolution and growth. Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún discusses his poetry translations into Yorùbá
Translating into one’s own first language is supposed to be a breeze. After all, I have spoken it all my life, used it in many professional settings, and I am a 40-year-old linguist and creative writer. The language is Yorùbá, spoken in...
Reproduced from The Linguist 61-1
The author of Nemesis and McMafia speaks to Miranda Moore about the role of languages in his life.
As an undergraduate studying drama with German at the University of Bristol in the mid-1970s, Misha Glenny got involved with a group of activists fighting censorship in the Eastern Bloc. “They would smuggle books and dismembered Xerox machines to...
Helle Gulowsen reports on a historic step forward as Norway regulates interpreting in the public sector
Governmental involvement in the provision of public service interpreting (PSI) in Norway is not new. The state has long recognised the crucial role of interpreters in ensuring equal access to public services and the right to due process for all, but it is only now that this has been...
Dom Hebblethwaite outlines a new initiative to validate and accredit courses around the world that meet CIOL’s exacting quality standards.
CIOL’s Recognition, Validation and Certification (RVC) Scheme is a new initiative. Introduced in 2021, it offers organisations delivering language education, vocational learning and assessments for linguists a formal means to achieve CIOL recognition...
How can former military interpreters transfer their skills to language work in the UK? Miranda Moore investigates
When interpreter Habib Abdali1 came to the UK in 2010 he took whatever work he could find, helping on a market stall, delivering food, driving taxis, painting and decorating. He even worked crowd control at the London Olympics. “Whatever paid me, I did that.”
It was a...
by Heather Watson
Heather Watson outlines the challenges of working as a multilingual press officer for the motor-racing industry
The Superbike World Championship is an international racing series for production-derived motorcycles. Founded in 1988, the championship is contested over roughly 13 rounds, which are held at some of the world’s most famous racetracks, from Australia...
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...