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Logic dictates that higher immigration levels increase the demand for language provision in both the healthcare and justice system. But what happens when increased demand and a need to cut costs meet head on? For the NHS, providing interpreters for patients who do not speak English is vital for patient…

“I am a citizen of the world”, this is what both myself and my two brothers, who also live abroad, think of ourselves. Having left home at 18 to come to the UK to study, when people ask me now if I miss “home”, sometimes I wonder: Where is home…

I have a tattoo, something which I don’t necessarily regret now, but should I have had my time again I think I would probably not choose to ‘scar’ myself for life with one Japanese symbol. I often forget it’s there until someone spies it and then asks what it means;…

I recently had the chance to chat with a Polish interpreter who is registered with the NRPSI and successfully passed the demanding DPSI last year. Whilst she had been trying to build up her business as a freelance interpreter and translator, the Ministry of Justice’s announcement regarding the provision of…

Having been immersed in a different language from a young age and subsequently pursuing my passion of learning and speaking languages throughout my school life and into my adult career I find it very hard to understand the lack of interest in foreign languages at school. Nor do I understand…

I love English! It’s so versatile and rich in synonyms, turns of phrase and idiomatic expressions. In fact, I like nothing more than expressing something in the written word. When I was younger my mum used to bring out a poem after dinner on occasion, and if we had a…

Knowing a rare or less–used language has traditionally been considered as a resume advantage, a way to edge out the competition within the ever-shrinking jobs pool. But what do recruiters really think about the languages we know (or claim to know?) A spread of languages will undoubtedly make reading your…

The prohibition of English and the exposure of rare languages? Most of us will be familiar with the Eurovision Song Contest which graces our screens offering up cheesy Euro Pop tunes, which are ever increasingly in English. In essence, singing songs in English in a European song competition seems to…

We’ve read about endangered and minority languages and how many people are passionate about keeping these languages alive. But what about languages that have not had the same linguistic forces behind them and have died out like the woolly mammoth did thousands of years ago? Can we really revive an…

Balancing spending cuts and minority language representation At a time of austerity measures and cuts to public sector spending, the public are easily inflamed when they see what they consider to be public money being wasted. This is true not just in the UK but elsewhere in Europe, as we…