“The key to being a good mentor is to help people become more of who they already are – not to make them more like you.”
The traditional view of a mentor is someone who shares experience and imparts knowledge. In contemporary mentoring a mentor does a lot more listening than talking. A mentor’s role isn’t to tell a mentee what to do, it is to act as a guide. A mentor asks questions and...
Victoria Hislop’s love of Greece runs through her eight novels – every one of them set in the country. So much so that she was awarded honorary Greek citizenship in July for promoting the nation’s history and traditions. Though I knew of her reputation as a dedicated hellenophile, I was less aware of her passion for languages when we spoke in October. I discovered a...
Public Service Interpreters may work in a variety of settings on a daily basis, moving between locations regularly and therefore carrying a high risk of coronavirus exposure, as they have to move between settings from one booking to another.
For this reason we would like to see the inclusion of public service interpreters in the COVID-19 Vaccination Priority Groups alongside police,...
The Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) has chosen former BBC Moscow correspondent Bridget Kendall MBE as the latest recipient of the David Crystal Award, originally donated by the eponymous linguist, a vice-president and Fellow of CIOL.
The award is presented annually to an individual ‘for whom languages have been a constant within their work and life and who has...
By Carina Balbo
How Carina Balbo put self-doubt aside and entered the field of linguistic validation
Tuesday 19 June 2012. I will never forget that day. Usually after a job interview you hope with every ounce of your being to get the position. But this time I did not feel so desperate. Instead, I had an inner feeling of ‘what will be, will be’. I checked my emails and saw one...
By Karl McLaughlin
In the first of three stories from the "Pick of the conference" article in the latest issue of The Linguist, Karl McLaughlin speaks on translating press releases in emergency situations.
In countries that rely heavily on tourism, a less obvious consequence of health-related emergencies and other crisis situations is the need for translation of press releases...
The British Academy, together with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Australian Academy of the Humanities, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and The Royal Society of Canada, has just published The Importance of Languages in Global Context: An International Call to Action.
This unprecedented joint statement highlights the key role that language skills play in...
Inspiration, intrigue, advice – whatever you’re looking for in a podcast, CIOL staff, volunteers and members have it covered.
The Allusionist
The Allusionist is the podcast for language nerds. When it began, it primarily focused on exploring English lexicon, etymology, idioms, slang and more. Over time, Helen Zaltzman’s “adventures in language” have evolved to embrace languages...
CIOL Vice President Baroness Jean Coussins has asked Government whether they have provided guidance to GP practices about the responsibility to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to public service interpreters who are needed for face-to-face patient appointments.
Read the answer here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-11-19/hl10504...
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