Centenary 1910-2010
Centenary of the Institute
In 2010 the Institute celebrated 100 years since its foundation. The Institute was founded by Lacon Threlford (later Sir Lacon), with the first Council meeting being held on 15 April 1910. The founding purpose of the Institute was stated as:
To further the study of modern languages and to unite in corporation teachers, scholars, men of letters, interpreters or foreign correspondents who desire to co-operate in the endeavour.
To grant certificates of qualification to candidates who pass practical tests for admission to the Institute.
To hold conferences and meetings for the reading of papers and discussion thereon.
This anniversary provided an opportunity not only to commemorate, but also to review where we are and what the Institute stands for. It was a platform for renewal and revitalisation as well as celebration, and involved the rich variety of elements that make up the Institute. The events and activities organised were based firmly on this triple purpose.
While the motivation was commemorative, the events and activities planned for 2010 were most definitely in the present. The Institute organised a bigger and better Members’ Day, on 25 September 2010, the day before the European Day of Languages and therefore a most appropriate date for the occasion. Members’ Day has included the Threlford Lecture for some years now and we were delighted to announce that Professor David Crystal agreed to give the lecture in our centenary year.
The Divisions and Regional Societies also held a number of events throughout the year to celebrate the centenary.
Activities in the course of the year included the Critical Link 6 conference. The Institute has been a regular contributor to this important triennial conference series promoting research and practice in public service interpreting. Critical Link 6, “Interpreting in a Changing Landscape”, took place at Aston University on 26-30 July 2010.
The history of the Institute from 1910 to 1970 and 1970 to 2000 has been published in the past in two series in The Incorporated Linguist (the name of the Institute’s journal up to 1985) vols. 9 and 10, and The Linguist, vols. 42 and 43. The history was brought up to date to the full one hundred years, and a feature of the centenary was the publication of the history in an attractively presented volume.
The Institute organised a special reception on 15 April (the anniversary of the first Council meeting), hosted by the Institute’s Royal Patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent. This provided an opportunity to commemorate key individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Institute over the years and it also provided an opportunity for the Institute to bring into its celebration people in government, education, the public services, finance and business who are important to our role and development.
Promoting excellence
In the second of a series of articles to mark the Institute’s first 100 years, Karen Stokes explains the significance of the central theme of the Centenary celebrations
Arguably one of the great strengths of our Institute is that it is a ‘broad church’ of linguists of all descriptions: translators, interpreters, modern foreign language educationalists and those whose language skills are a critical part of their work in business, the professions and government. Our four Divisions represent this diversity in our members’ professional backgrounds, whilst our Regional Societies reflect the Institute’s geographical spread: both rightly inspire affection and loyalty. Nevertheless, what unites us all is our shared interest in languages and how they are used, whatever our specific skills as practitioners. As we approached our Centenary year, it was perhaps worth reminding ourselves of the Institute’s mission statement, according to which our aims are to:
- promote the learning and use of modern languages
- improve the status of all professional linguists
- establish and maintain high standards of work
- serve the interests of all linguists
- ensure professional standards amongst language practitioners through the Code of Professional Conduct.
Our Divisions and Societies rely on the commitment of members who volunteer enormous amounts of their time and energy. Ably supported by the Membership Department at Saxon House, they run an impressive series of training and professional networking events throughout the year, as well as hosting lively discussion forums where members pool their knowledge and expertise on matters ranging from tricky terminology to challenging ethical issues. So what, in all of this, unites us? The answer can be found in the motto on the Institute’s crest: “Universal Understanding”. The way to realising that aspiration, surely, is through ‘excellence’ and it was with this in mind that the team coordinating the Centenary celebrations agreed on “Promoting Excellence in Languages” as the strapline for the year’s events.
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