Chartered Institute
of Linguists
NEWS & VOICES
By John Barry Haywood
John Barry Haywood MCIL English / French Business owner of study abroad programmes
At the Eurolingua Institute in Montpellier, South of France, we offered group language courses for students and clients of all age ranges from 16 to 75+ years. Class numbers were limited to between 8 and 12 participants at the same language level, determined...
John Barry Haywood MCIL English / French Business owner of study abroad programmes
I founded the Eurolingua Institute in 1993 but the inspiration and skills were born out of my teenage interest in French, my early career in export marketing, and my twenty years as an International Management Consultant.
At an early stage, I realised that a professional...
Raheleh Ghiasvand Ghazvini FCIL CL Farsi to English Translator / Interpreter / School parent governor
My translation work has varied across a number of fields, which include: science, environment, web, oil and gas, court documents, contracts, company disputes, educational degrees. I have also done interpreting at courts, notary public offices, arbitration centres and conferences...
I always wanted to work as a translator and to translate books. My work has encompassed non-fiction translation but I have completed a memoir that is awaiting publication and I have proofread fiction work. In addition, I have completed a variety of translation projects for the media and for business.
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As translators, we chose to work in one (or more) areas of specialism – this may be due to an existing relationship with the field, or just a particular interest or curiosity. Sometimes it is a matter of opportunity as you think you’ve spotted a niche, as may be the case with translating the large sphere of Ocean Sciences, which can place you aboard a very exciting vessel! However,...
Frank Gardner tells Miranda Moore how his passion for Arabic drives his work as BBC security correspondent
Frank Gardner talks about languages the way an explorer might talk about his most exciting voyages. To him, they are the start of an adventure: “the wardrobe that leads to Narnia… the door to someone else’s world”. It’s not just that the renowned Arabist found his passion for...
Have you ever noticed that multilingual people, whether through formal teaching or due to social factors, are perfectly suited to, or naturally gravitate towards, some not-so-immediately obvious careers?
Allow me to give you some food for thought. I’ve just returned to study for a Translation MA at the University of Surrey after a ten-year hiatus; as much as I would have loved to have...
As CIOL launches a new mentoring platform, translator mentor Helle Gulowsen considers why people mentor and how it benefits them
When CIOL launched its mentoring platform earlier this year, the decision to sign up was an easy one. Partly, of course, in the hope that the knowledge and experience I have built up over many years working as a freelance translator could be of some benefit to...
An Intelligence Analyst* in the RAF Specialist Recruitment Team explains why language skills are so vital to the work
An Intelligence Analyst (Linguist) or Int An (L) plays a vital role in protecting the security of domestic, national and international interests by interpreting, analysing and disseminating intelligence through the interception of foreign voice transmissions using state-...
How a seemingly simple public service interpreting assignment can get dangerous. A cautionary tale by Sue Leschen
Here’s what can happen when an interpreting job suddenly goes off piste. I was booked to interpret for Social Services after concerns were raised about the father of a French-speaking family, who had allegedly been beating his children. Attendees at the child safeguarding...