Chartered Institute
of Linguists

NEWS & VOICES

Category:
CIOL Voices

 

 

John Worne CIOL CEO writes: 

 

A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute, ‘A Languages Crisis: Arresting decline’ by Megan Bowler (HEPI Report 192) and sponsored by Duolingo, shows a big drop in formal language learning in the UK.

 

Key Stats

The report sets out the current state of language learning in UK’s schools and universities...

Published on Thursday, 31 July 2025 - 11:35am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

 

 

By Tom Crook, CIOL Qualifications Client Services Officer.

 

The Chartered Institute of Linguists is a not-for-profit organisation and has always had a public purpose to enhance the recognition and promote the value of languages and language skills in the public interest, and we work to do so by encouraging the effective study and practice of languages.

...
Published on Thursday, 24 July 2025 - 4:58pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices


Ross McCalden receiving his award from CIOL Royal Patron HRH Prince Michael of Kent


Congratulations to Ross McCalden, 2025 winner of the Best Candidate Award for CIOL's Master's level qualification, the Diploma in Translation - the long-established translation qualification, which sets the ‘gold standard’ for professional translators worldwide.

The DipTrans...

Published on Wednesday, 23 July 2025 - 10:39am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

 


Lt Col John Cross (rtd) lives in Nepal and is in his fifth decade of CIOL membership.

He speaks a great many languages – including some very rare ones as you will read below – and has had several books published drawing from his 99 year life with languages, published by Pen & Sword Books https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/J-P-Cross/a/870.

In a significant...

Published on Tuesday, 22 July 2025 - 11:37am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

 

Plague in the house of Sir Jordan Fitz-Eisulf Part 3, Stained glass window     Photo © Julian P Guffogg



Dr Eyhab Bader Eddin brings to life the fascinating story of how the English language rose to power from the ashes of the Black Death

 

From calamity to catalyst

In the centuries following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the English language...

Published on Monday, 21 July 2025 - 1:14pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

By Dom Hebblethwaite

  CIOL roundtable on freelance careers in a changing profession 

The Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) recently hosted an online roundtable addressing key questions about freelance careers in the language services industry. The event drew significant interest with over 850 registrations and 367 live attendees, reflecting the importance and widespread...

Published on Wednesday, 9 July 2025 - 12:00pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

 

 

We all have daily habits so natural that they slip under our radar. Breathing, eating, sleeping — these are the first three essentials we rarely think about. But there’s a fourth, just as vital, that often goes unnoticed: language. The words we speak, the stories we tell, the way we make sense of the world — language is the silent engine driving much of what we do....

Published on Tuesday, 8 July 2025 - 11:52am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices


 

By Teresa Simone

 

When you change language, you're not just translating words. You're rewriting yourself.

 

Those who live between languages know it well: speaking is never just about communication. It's about inhabiting a world, a body, a way of thinking.


Take two examples: Italian and Danish.
 

Italian has high...

Published on Monday, 30 June 2025 - 2:40pm
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices


 

Amina Saif is a Chartered Linguist and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. Just back from a major interpreting assignment at the G7 meeting in Canada, which she describes as ‘a career milestone, and a moment of reflection on how far I’ve come in this journey..’, she shares with us what it takes to work with world leaders, interpreting on the international...

Published on Tuesday, 24 June 2025 - 11:43am
Category:
CIOL Voices
Category:
CIOL Voices

 

 

If you look at today’s leadership playbook, you’ll see a lot of talk about empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ). These are, of course, crucial. But as the world grows more diverse and interconnected, it’s becoming clear that the next big leap in leadership isn’t just about feeling what others feel — it’s about being truly eclectic: blending, adapting, and drawing...

Published on Monday, 23 June 2025 - 10:49am
Category:
CIOL Voices