4 TheLinguistAUGUST/SEPTEMBERwww.iol.org.ukNEWS & EDITORIAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE'SNOTESQuis custodiet ipsoscustodies? (Whoguards theguards?) As a recognisedAwarding Organisation withmore than 2,000 peopletaking our examinations inapproximately 40 languagecombinations and about 40 countries, the Trust (IoLET) issometimes asked who oversees our work. It is answerableto the Office of Qualifications and ExaminationsRegulation (Ofqual) and has recently gone through acomplex exercise to prove that it is compliant with thecriteria necessary for recognition. The production of thestatement of compliance involved the Trust Board,which had to scrutinise and verify what the Trust does. Apart from accredited qualifications, the Trust offerscustomised assessments and has several arrangementswith universities and other institutions, for exampleDurham University and the FCO (Foreign &Commonwealth Office), to moderate and jointlycertificate their students and, in some cases, offerexemptions from units of our qualifications. Thesepartnerships work well, and there is steady interest bothin the UK and overseas. Our most widely-recognised accredited qualificationsare developing. The DPSI (Diploma in Public ServiceInterpreting) has traditionally focused on the UK.However, there is now interest in the DPSI Health bothin the Gulf and in Greece. By its very nature, minimalchanges are necessary to ensure that the qualification issuitable overseas. Obviously sourcing and training oralexaminers would have to take place locally, but it seemsthat there is a definite market. We are also hoping to pilot a unit in Public ServiceTranslation in January, which would be set at DipTrans(Diploma in Translation) level but offered in the PublicService pathways of Law, Local Government and Health.The Certificate in Bilingual Skills (CBS) now has a pathwaydesigned specifically for the Metropolitan Police. This wasdriven by the need for an accredited qualification forofficers with foreign language competence suitable forbilingual skills work, but not at the level required forinterpreting, which is assessed by the Met Test. I have just returned from a conference arranged bythe Northern Ireland Health and Social Care InterpretingService, which manages the recruitment, training anddeployment of interpreters in the health sector.Although it operates on a much smaller scale than theservice in England, it was illuminating to see how it wasorganised. They are now interested in developing theirinterpreters' language skills to a higher level, which iswhere the DPSI comes in. At conferences and workshops, the work of the CIOLand the Trust is jointly promoted and while I was inBelfast I publicised the benefits of membership. Theactivities of the Trust complement those of the Instituteand, although they are legally separate entities (theTrust is a registered charity), the synergy between bothorganisations enables us to make a comprehensive offerto the world of languages. The relationship between thetwo entities is valued and valuable.With more than 2,000 people taking our examinations in about 40 countries, the Trust is sometimes asked who oversees our workHilary Maxwell-HyslopDirector of Examinations and Joint Acting CEO Alan PeacockDirector of Membership and Joint Acting CEO

Vol/51 No/4 2012AUGUST/SEPTEMBERTheLinguist5Learning another language makes you thinkdifferently about your own: it makes youanalyse the role each word plays in asentence. It also introduces you to the ideathat some cultures are so different from yourown that there are words which are literallyuntranslatable. Latin will help you learn pilesof other languages that have similarvocabulary. And it will give you excellentspelling and grammar in your first language. Natalie Haynes: It's not Latin's fault that toffsand Tories studied it, 25/6/12What thepapers say.Duolingo, a site that gives free languagetutorials and in exchange solicits aspiringlinguists to translate sentences from theinternet. The site asks users to rate eachothers' answers and chooses only the top-ranked solutions. And the site has echoes ofa computer game. Points are offered foreach translation attempted; completing around earns the user a shiny gold medal; andlearners can follow each other, adding acompetitive edge. But is Duolingo really ableto teach people enough to reach fluency?The Evolution of those Annoying OnlineSecurity Tests, 20/6/12Their mother tongues are English, French,Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese,Portuguese and Russian. So how do theheads of the G8 group of leading economiesactually converse? . It's possible, of course,to provide interpretation into and out ofevery delegate's first language. This is called'symmetric' and 'complete' interpretationand costs a bomb: a meeting at which all theEU's 23 official languages had to besimultaneously interpreted into all the EU's23 official languages needed 96 interpreters. 'G8 Interpreters: The art of many differentdinner party conversations', 21/5/12NEWS & EDITORIALEDITOR'SLETTERThe majority of children in my daughter'sreception class speak more than onelanguage; many speak English as anadditional language. Yet there is nolanguage provision beyond a half-hearted'Language of the month' display board inthe corridor. I intended to do what I couldto change this, but then the Governmentforced the school's hand. Languages are now set to becomecompulsory at Key Stage 2 from September 2014. Fortunately, mostschools already have some provision, thanks largely to the previousGovernment's commitment to establishing languages in the primarycurriculum. For those that do not, it may be a struggle to make thenecessary preparations in just two years, but it is a very welcome andpositive step, which we examine in more detail on pages 6 and 8.At the other end of the spectrum, the decision to raise tuition feesthis year has seen applications fall, not only to languages degrees butacross all subjects. The uncertainty over funding for the year abroad hasbeen allayed somewhat (at least in the immediate future), but thereremain doubts over the impact that the new fees regime will have onlanguage departments. Jim Coleman, Chair of the UCML (UniversityCouncil of Modern Languages) addresses these concerns on page 14.Technological advancements and the increasingly high expectationsof clients and end-users make creative translation an exciting andchallenging field to work in. Our three-article focus on newer forms oftranslation includes a personal insight into the world of transcreationfrom Bill Maslen of the Word Gym (p.20). Adriana Tortoriello asks ifprofessional subtitlers can learn anything from the amateurs (p.16), andSilvia Ferrero looks at how games localisers can keep up with theindustry's rapid expansion into new markets and platforms (p.18). We also launch a series of articles about the links between singingand language learning, with articles to come on language lessons foropera singers (now considered essential) and an interview with DowntonAbbey singer Mary-Jess Leaverland, who broke into the music industrywhile studying Chinese in Nanjing. In this issue we ask if singing in acommunity choir can help with language learning and encouragepeople to 'have a go' when it comes to languages (p.26).Finally, for interpreters considering work in the European institutions,we bring you absolutely invaluable advice from David Smith of DGInterpretation, as he offers his tips on how to pass the EU accreditationtest (p.10).Miranda Moore