Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...