The Linguist

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. Since going freelance, I’ve always had other strings to my bow to keep my income steady and sustainable.

CIOL Language Professionals CIOL language professionals apply their language skills in the UK and internationally across a wide range of language-related activities. Our Chartered Linguists are professionals who have had their competences recognised as meeting an established set of professional standards, educational and skills criteria by CIOL, the professional body for linguists backed by UK Royal Charter.

As part of our drive to further strengthen CIOL's mentoring community, CIOL CE John Worne spoke with Yolanda Vercher, one of our most active mentors, about her experience supporting fellow language professionals through the CIOL Mentoring Platform. Here she shares insights from her mentoring and why she finds mentoring so rewarding.

CIOL Council Member Rasha Alajouz gave a talk on linguists and mental health at The Language Show in November 2024. Here are some of the key points: Mental Health Insights: How To Live A Solution-Focused Life In the complex landscape of linguists’ mental health, perspective and languages play crucial roles in shaping our well-being.

By Claudio Fantinuoli PhD In this post, I aim to explore the future of translation and interpreting education in academia, particularly the trajectory of translation departments and faculties. In short, my prediction is that translation departments and faculties will gradually lose relevance and, ultimately, at least some of them, sadly, disappear.

CIOL has been very engaged in the recent UK House of Lords Inquiry into Interpreting and Translation Services in the Courts, along with NRPSI, the ITI and other UK Professional Associations. This led to a powerful letter from the House of Lords Public Services Select Committee to the Lord Chancellor, available here and below.

The Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) at the University of Surrey has recently received AHRC funding to support a research project on the use of bespoke Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for interpreters. As a result of recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the field of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has advanced rapidly, leading to more accurate rendering of speech for general domains and easier access to ASR for everyday use.

I recently took my family on holiday to Paris, to show them some of my old haunts (I lived in the Convention-Vaugirard area for a brief period fifteen years ago). Being countryside dwellers, the change of pace in the city was a bit of a shock for them – but more of a surprise was my ‘personality change’, which started to set in the minute we passed border control. When in France, I’m in French mode. I start thinking and acting differently.

To highlight the importance of language learning, Duolingo is challenging Westminster MPs and peers to learn a language in 2025 and compete to be the first ever Westminster Language champion. Starting on January 1st and running to the end of March, the three best performing individuals will win a share of £20,000 for a charity of their choosing, with the winner crowned Duolingo's Language Champion for 2025 at an event in Parliament in April.

By Professor Paul Bishop Abercromby Street in the Calton district of Glasgow is home to the Calton Weavers’ Cemetry, an historical burial ground established in 1787 by the Calton Incorporation of Weavers. Pride of place in the cemetery is a monument to the “Martyrs,” or those Weavers who were killed during the strike of 1787. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, weaving had been the mainstay of the local economy.