Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
When Patch Magtanong failed to win Miss International 2019, fans in her native country were quick to blame the interpreter, who was accused of omitting parts of the Filipino contestant’s final speech. Trained to be ‘invisible’ conduits for communication, interpreters suddenly find themselves in the spotlight when working at the ‘Big Four’ pageants (Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss...
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By Hiba Bayyat MCIL/RPSI/DPSI-Law
‘No, you can cross this bit out, it is irrelevant’, that was the worst advice I was given whilst preparing my CV during an employability workshop a few years back. True story!
Nothing you have done in your life is irrelevant to what you are doing now or planning to do in the future. In fact all of your skills and experiences, past and present,...
By Allison Spangler, former Head of Resource Management at Surrey Translation Bureau
As Head of Resource Management at Surrey Translation Bureau, I always have an inbox full of CVs. I make sure to vet them carefully, but with so many to view, I normally scan for a few key points before diving into the details. The points I look for straightaway include things like language...
By Maria Cristina Petrizzi
Born in Brazil and a native speaker of Portuguese, from a young age, I have always been fascinated by foreign languages. English is definitely my favourite one and for over 35 years I have worked with it, first as a teacher and then as a translator and interpreter.
My career in translation started informally, but it didn’t take long until important...
By Jonathan Downie
Should interpreters adopt the marketing approaches of automated interpreting devices, asks Jonathan Downie.
“Imagine being able to snap your fingers and become fluent in twenty languages.” That may well be the dream. It is also the first line of an advert for a device that claims to be able to deliver “professional grade translation” by going “a step further”...
By Ceyda Aldemir-Down, MCIL Chartered Linguist
Growing up in Turkey, I studied English from the age of 11, and when I worked in a hostel for a year, it became a daily part of my life. As I read the English books left by visitors, it occurred to me that working with books and using my language skills is what would make me happy; I began by translating a romantic novel.
After...
By Michael O’Laughlin
I work as an expert witness in the courts of Massachusetts, USA. I am in demand because I have found a niche in which language issues come quickly to the fore. I was a court interpreter for most of my life, and I am also the Director of Interpreter Training at Boston University. I realised that I could combine my interpreter experience, academic position and...
By Joanna Ramsden
It goes without saying that recent work circumstances have been even more challenging than usual for everyone.
On the one hand, freelance translators generally work from home on our own most of the time, so the transition to working online has been easier. However, on the other hand, it can be easy to get ‘...