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

The latest from the languages world6 TheLinguistAUGUST/SEPTEMBERwww.iol.org.ukNEWS & EDITORIAL Fewer learners in England continue withlanguages at 14 than in any other Europeancountry covered by a recentstudy. Managedby the British Council, the Language RichEurope survey reveals England's manyadvantages, including innovative teaching and'linguistic capital' in the form of more than amillion school children who speak a languageother than English. Yet this potential is under-exploited because other languages are notconsidered 'essential'. Most drop languagesat 16, with private and selective schoolsaccounting for the majority of languages A-levels, according to the EuropeanCommission funded report, launched at theLondon School of Economics on 28 June. In a separate European Commission study, also published in June, young peoplein England were found to have the worstlanguage skills in Europe, with less than 10 percent of 14- to 15-year-olds able tocommunicate their interests and experiencesin a foreign language, compared to aEuropean average of 42 percent. Thiscontrasts sharply with the situation inSweden, the Netherlands and Malta, whichhad the best results in the SurveyLang studyof 16 EU member states.For details see www.language-rich.eu andwww.surveylang.org.Languages to be compulsory forchildren aged 7-11 within two yearsPrimary concernMichael Gove, the Secretary of State forEducation, announced on 12 June thatlanguage learning is to become a compulsorysubject in the primary curriculum in Englandfor the first time. This change, due to beimplemented in 2014, will provide students asyoung as seven with the opportunity to learnfrom a range of languages, including German,French, Mandarin and Latin. Not only will thishelp children to understand the world morefully from an earlier age, but it will also helpthem to develop a strong base in languagelearning to support study in Key Stage 3. The Government had previously mademoves to improve the take-up of languagesin secondary education with the introductionof the English Baccalaureate but, until now,the issue of language learning in Key Stage 2had not been fully addressed. The reversal ofa commitment, made by the previousgovernment, to make languages part of theprimary curriculum this year would have leftEngland at a disadvantage. A new CfBT Education Trust researchreport, 'Lessons from Abroad: Internationalreview of primary languages', compareslanguage learning systems in primary curriculaacross the world. Its findings challenge theassumption that English speakers do notneed to learn other languages, not only oneconomic grounds but also because of thecontribution language learning can make tothe wider aims of education. The reportreveals that English-speaking countriesgenerally provide fewer resources andencouragement for language learning thanother high-performing education systems.'Lessons from Abroad' is broken down intotwo parts. The first covers internationalresearch and developments in early languagelearning. It provides evidence of the benefitsof introducing languages in primary schools orearlier, as well as current policy developmentsin other nations. The second focuses on theissues that are common to all educationsystems and need to be addressed if primarylanguage teaching is to be a success. The report is available to download for freefrom www.cfbt.com.Claire PendletonTeen languages:could do betterNew inquiry isLost for WordsAn investigation into the public sector'spresent and future language requirementshas been launched by the British Academy.The inquiry will focus on public policy in theUK and assess the needs of Government,NGOs, business and the public sector,including the Armed Forces. Overseen by a Steering Group chaired byDr Robin Niblett, 'Lost for Words' will reporton the state of languages provision in the UKcompared with overseas, and makerecommendations to Government andHigher Education providers.For details email . © ISTOCKPHOTO