Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
As we gradually see the pandemic restrictions being lifted, it is clear that life will never return to the same ‘normal” as pre-pandemic. The workplace has undergone a quiet revolution in terms of the way people now want to work and it has been proven that new ways of working can be implemented.
For many, home working or partial homeworking has become the norm and is likely to remain...
by CIOL
In response to the crisis in Afghanistan, we have recently published an interview with Mehdi Bahrami MCIL CL, an experienced interpreter and translator as well as a language and cultural advisor.
In this video, Mehdi talks to CIOL's CEO John Worne to discuss the professional opportunities that exist for working in Dari and Pashto in...
by John Forster
Overview on back cover
This little booklet, inspired by and dedicated to my two grandchildren, consists of a series of anecdotes in which I recall events and personalities during my 25 years of military service and thereafter, with the odd white-knuckle episode, making the most of the dying embers of the British Empire. I am now in my 87th year, ostensibly fit...
by Hero Cai FCIL, CL, MITI
It is commonly acknowledged that being a translator or interpreter requires bilingualism (or multilingualism). But is it the same case with teaching English to speakers of other languages? We seem to be less certain when there is a native English speaker who does not speak the mother tongue of his/her students and a local teacher whose native language is not...
By Judith Ridgway FCIL
I’d like to tell you how my language skills have helped me to have an interesting and rewarding career in industry.
I studied German and French for A-level, and at university German was my main subject, whilst continuing with French and later Italian. At that time, language degrees focussed mainly on reading and analysing literature and we didn’t really...
When it comes to the question of "What is the difference between mentoring and coaching?" it appears that much confusion exists, and many different definitions abound. According to Coaching and Mentoring by Eric Parsloe and Melville Leedham, there are indeed many areas of overlap between mentoring and coaching as essentially both involve having purposeful, skilful conversations that...
By Gill Bevington MCIL
I am going to tell you how language skills can lead to a varied, interesting and sometimes adventurous career...
I knew that I wanted a career that would involve working internationally and foreign travel, so I decided to do a degree in Modern Languages (French and German). And every job I have had had an international element – I worked for...
Having a mentor is one of the most important things a person can do to enhance their career and professional life, so it's no surprise that at least 75% of executives have said that mentoring has been vital in their career development.
What is mentoring and how does it differ from coaching?Before we look at the benefits of mentoring it is important to understand the difference between...
By Vasiliki Prestidge
At the CIOL Conference in March, Vasiliki Prestidge gave a presentation on how to kick-start your career as a translator. There wasn’t enough time at the conference to answer all your questions, so we sent them over to Vasiliki, and in this blog post she talks about: how to create your portfolio, address copyright issues, develop your specialism, navigate website...
The most effective mentoring conversations need to focus on setting and achieving goals, exploring issues and making informed decisions. Just asking a mentor for “any help you can give” is unlikely to lead to a productive mentoring relationship. The relationship needs to have a focus and a purpose to work towards. Goals don’t necessarily need to be big ambitions; they just need to be...