Women in Space

I was the first. My first bore no comparison. I made my way through the vast open space. I headed up into the eerie purple light, before emerging into another vast open space.

It was a strange experience to make my way - on my own - through London's Science Museum. I had just visited the new Cosmonauts Exhibition after normal opening hours.

First woman cosmonaut

A vast photo of the first woman in space looked down on the IMAX auditorium. I had just seen the unbelievably tiny "pod" in which Valentina Tereshkova had bravely ventured into space in 1963.

Even Valentina's mother hadn't known about her space mission. She had believed that her daughter was just on parachute training. Can you imagine finding out that your daughter was the first woman in space from the TV? She was present when Valentina collected a bravery medal afterwards.

Science Museum Talk

Broadcaster Helen Keen hosted a talk at the Science Museum on "Women in Space" on 23rd October. Her guests were the French cosmonaut, Claudie Haigneré and British Flight Director, Libby Jackson. Both women have had extraordinarily inspirational careers. As Valentina Tereshova said:

"A Bird cannot fly with one wing only. 

Human space flight cannot develop any further

 without the active participation of women".

Claudie Haigneré

When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, Claudie Haigneré was 12 years' old. She was camping on her summer holiday. She marvelled at the moon in the sky. The inaccessible dream had become a reality. In the absence of any European space opportunities, Claudie embarked on a career in medicine.

In 1985, Claudie saw an advertisement for cosmonauts with a scientific background. She jumped at the chance. Only 10 women applied. Only 7 candidates were selected from 1,000 applicants: 3 pilots, 4 scientists.

Claudie became the only female cosmonaut training at Star City. She paved her own way. She didn't dwell on being the only woman in a male-dominated field. The more appreciable difference is between a military and civilian role.

Cosmonauts' Exhibition at the Science Museum

Libby Jackson

Libby Jackson showed a similar go-getting attitude. She had always been interested in space. Her earliest memory was of the Challenger Disaster. At 17, she had the nerve to ask to shadow a NASA flight director in Huston, Texas. If you don't ask, you don't get! She saw NASA's moon rocks and thought "this is me".

There were no Brits employed at NASA back then. She had to forget the idea.

Libby studied Physics at university. She headed for Munich when she first became aware of the space industry there. She always made people aware of what she wanted to do. She is now delighted with her role as Flight Director at the UK's Space Agency in Swindon.

Libby is very excited about her involvement in Tim Peake's Principia mission in the International Space Station (ISS). The launch date is not far away on 15 December 2015.

Left to right: Libby Jackson, Helen Keen and Claudie Haigneré

Women in STEM

The two women debated how there has not generally been enough progress.  Women are not putting themselves forward. There are still not enough women studying STEM subjects.

It is important for women like Claudie and Libby to share both the technical and human adventure of their stories. Claudie found living in a multicultural environment incredibly enriching for her life and career. Libby similarly spreads the message by visiting schools.

There is no need to act like a man. NASA achieves its best results in mixed teams. Libby stressed that the UK Space Agency employs 44 women and 34 men.

Future missions

Only 500 astronauts have ever travelled into space. Yet, there are countless ground support roles. A Mars mission is a very distant prospect with the journey taking 6-9 months. Revisiting the moon is more likely. A mission's success is the focus of the whole team whether male or female.

Claudie would welcome a mission to the moon. Mars is for the next generation of astronauts. Her funniest story was of a phone call from space. Her daughter claimed she was too busy to take the call, as if her mother was just around the corner.

Impatience

A member of the audience asked about fear. Claudie replied that impatience was the greatest emotion after 5 years for her PhD and 10 years of training.

Libby confirmed that the British astronaut, Tim Peake feels the same way. He is more nervous about missing out after all the training and build-up. 

Britons in space

He won't be the first Briton in space. That honour went to a British woman, Helen Sharman in 1991. Six male British citizens followed her.

Inspiring a new generation

You can see the Principia mission's countdown ticking away on the European Space Agency's website. Maybe the mission will inspire a whole new generation of female astronauts and flight directors?

For further information about Anglicity's content writing services, email karen@anglicity.com.
 

Members' Day at the Chartered Institute of Linguists

The Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) held their annual Members' Day on Saturday 3rd October. 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the Institute's Royal Charter. 

Chair of Council Keith Moffitt described the CIOL as a "broad church" representing a very rich community of linguists with a massive range of languages. Chief Executive Ann Carlisle explained how the Institute is reaching out to a wider, younger membership and introducing new professional examinations.

The event was held in Central London at BMA House, home of the British Medical Association. The large Grade II listed building meant that a series of break-out sessions could run concurrently to meet members' varied interests and backgrounds.

In the morning, there were 4 presentations:

·      Translation and Interpreting at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Richard Littlewood

·      Be professional! Act professionally! by Alina Cincan MCIL

·      Languages in Higher Education by Dr Elena Polisca

·      Getting involved with the CIOL by Marta Stelmaszak MCIL Chartered Linguist

·      Languages in the workplace by Richard Hardie, CIOL Vice President

Membership

My first session was "Getting involved with the CIOL". In keeping with its intention to reach out to younger linguists, the Institute invited the young and well-known Polish translator, Marta Stelmaszak to present the benefits of membership, Chartered Linguist status and volunteering. After her excellent presentation, a panel of long-standing members explained the value of their membership throughout their careers.

Volunteering at the CIOL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Richard Littlewood's began his good-humoured session on the FCO with a description of the Special Translation Section in the 1970s. A team of 30 translators was created for the UK's accession to the European Union. Richard continued the tale all the way to today's trading fund with just 10 translators. He explained both the kudos and difficulties of running an "independent business" against the cut-throat pricing of competitors and the FCO acting as both client and landlord.

FCO building in Whitehall, London

2014-2015 Review

After a delicious lunch and networking, we all gathered for a review of the CIOL's year. An 8-page, full-colour printed summary was available to all members in their pack for the day and should soon appear on the website. It was particularly good to meet the two key new members on the Institute's staff: Matthias Postel (Business Development Manager) and Jane Galbraith (Head of Membership). Both appointments demonstrate the Institute's new strategic drive.

Hong Kong and China

In her talk, Ann Carlisle emphasised the importance of Hong Kong and China to the Institute. The Hong Kong Society has just celebrated its 30th Anniversary. In November 2015, Ann Carlisle and Jane Galbraith will visit China to launch a new Chinese Association. Ann described the rich thirst for recognition and qualifications from the UK in particular.

Threlford Lecture

Professor Andy Kirkpatrick of Griffith University gave the prestigious 2015 Threlford Lecture. His topic was "English as a lingua franca: the threat to other languages". Unfortunately, it was not a happy story to tell to a room of linguists.

Endangered languages and communication

According to SOAS predictions, we could see a 90% reduction in the world's 6,500 languages. There are more than 1,000 languages within the 10 nations of ASEAN. Surprisingly, the working language of ASEAN is English. It avoids the need for a translation budget. Yet, not all delegates feel able to participate fully as a result. Sometimes a representative is chosen for his English skills rather than relevant subject knowledge.

A different form of English

English is used by more multilinguals in Asia than English native speakers. They have adapted the language to their needs. Andy Kirkpatrick stressed that native Brits and Americans need to understand how English is changing there. He talked us through the differing language and educational situations in the various ASEAN countries.

Singapore's devastating policy

Andy described the devastating effects of pushing education in English too early. English almost always replaces the language of the region. Singapore's language education policy was seen as spectacularly unsuccessful with English crowding out other languages. There are concerns that the ethnic Chinese in Singapore are now unable to communicate at a high level in their native tongue.

English only

Parents seek to help their children succeed at school by speaking English at home too. Some of the middle classes do not even learn their own native language. In Malaysia, there was a legal challenge precisely because learning in English privileged the wealthy and elite.

Devastating impact on education

English is easier to learn a later stage. There is a shortage of teachers. Primary school drop-out rates are high. Children find it particularly hard to understand Maths and Science in a language that is not their native tongue.

Timing and text books

English teaching should be delayed until children have mastered two local languages. Asian multilinguals want to talk about different qualities of rice, coffee, Islamic finance, etc. Yet, these subjects are not found in any English text books. They need their culture and daily life preoccupations incorporated into teaching materials.

Chinese education policy

National Chinese law prescribes Putonghua Mandarin and the Standard Written language. There is no teaching in Cantonese. 70 million Cantonese speakers are pushed to speak Mandarin. There are 55 ethnic minorities in China. Parents naturally want their children to succeed. English is seen as important to that success. Many send their children to be educated abroad - some to escape the competitive Chinese system.

Trilingual policy

In North East China, there is an example of a successful trilingual policy. Korean and Mongolian are successfully taught. This has been shown to be of great economic benefit.

Insightful lecture

By the end of his lecture, Andy Kirkpatrick had provided CIOL members with a thorough insight into the effects of English language in Asia.

Multilingual end to day

The full day ended with a friendly drinks reception. English was not the only language heard at BMA House. Some members seized the opportunity to practise their language skills in the multilingual environment fostered by the CIOL.

For information about Anglicity's translation, editing and content writing services, please email karen@anglicity.com

Biometrics 2015

The Biometrics 2015 Conference and free exhibition will take place from 13-15 October in London. The conference's subtitle is Secure Identity Solutions Now! This clearly conveys the topical and urgent nature of secure identity management today.

The 3-day conference will discuss issues and applications relating to:

·      ID management in the digital world

·      Law enforcement, forensics and military applications

·      Borders and travel

·      Developing economies

·      Mobility and payments

The event is organised by the scientific, medical and technical publishers Elsevier in partnership with the Biometrics Institute.

Biometrics 2014

I attended Biometrics 2014 at the QEII Centre in Westminster. Biometrics is an ideal domain for Anglicity's translation and copywriting services. It intersects my financial background, specialisation in technological innovation and keen interest in human rights' issues.

Secure border controls and identity authentication in the banking world are of even greater concern in 2015 than in 2014. Following Biometrics 2014, I was invited to attend Biometrics in Banking at Citibank on 24 October 2014. The European Association for Biometrics organised that event with Financial Fraud Action UK. 

Developments in biometrics were initially driven by the US military and Homeland Security. Technologies developed for national security purposes cannot simply be transferred to the banking world. Banks have to strike the right balance between security, respect for privacy and serving their customers.

Mobile and Contactless Payments

In the past year, I have become a big fan of the ease of online payments using my laptop, mobile or iPad. I am very used to Oyster card or contactless payments on the London Underground and buses.

I have just read the latest revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden on how GCHQ can track and access your mobile remotely.  At a UKTI event at London's City Hall, I was introduced to the company that produces TFL's real-time maps of commuter movements. They assured me that all data is anonymised. It is hard not to wonder what fraudsters might do in future - or can possibly do already.

Fraud

I have had two fairly recent experiences of fraud on my personal bank account. On the first occasion, I was impressed by how quickly my bank called my mobile to advise me of the attempted fraud. I had only just reached the store's exit following a purchase. A lost debit or credit card is easily replaced and any losses are covered. 

The second fraudulent transaction took place online. I spotted the problem and advised my bank. Amounts were debited from my account in the Netherlands. A series of debits hit my account. Although my losses were covered, the incident was more alarming and took more time to rectify.

Password Alternatives

I would welcome alternatives to reduce the number of passwords that I need to remember. Banks have to find an alternative or combination of alternatives that the public will accept. Just today, I overheard a conversation in which a customer did not wish to give her credit card details over the phone while travelling.

Different age groups have different expectations. All customers want convenience without any security worries.

The loss of biometric data would be even alarming than either of my two experiences above.

Range of Technologies
At Biometrics 2014, I was amazed at the range of technologies in use or in development. Last year I saw or heard about the following biometrics:

·      Fingerprint

·      Palm

·      Hand

·      Vein pattern

·      Face recognition

·      Voice recognition

·      Iris

·      Behavioural

·      Real-time signature recognition

·      Gesture recognition

·      2-factor

·      Multimodal

I am looking forward to an update from the experts at Biometrics 2015.

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