We’re helping at a local sixth form careers evening tomorrow – it’s something we’ve done for a long time and we think it’s a very important part of what we do as a company.
Why? It’s simple. We need to encourage the next generation of linguists, whether they are going to be a translator / interpreter or whether they choose to use their language skills in a different setting.
Against the background of a decrease in universities offering language courses and reducing numbers of students taking A level languages, we’re looking at a future where good linguistic skills are going to be at a premium.
True, Google Translate and other such apps are beginning to play more of a part, particularly when social interactions are the focus. However when you’re in a court of law, a critical business negotiation or a hospital, do you really want to rely on an automated translation engine?
Planting a few encouraging seeds with students keen to find out more about the options seems a very worthwhile cause. Not everyone will take up the challenge, but if just one does, our time will have been very well spent.