Language is Everything

We launch our 2008 annual report

Today is International Mother Language Day, a UNESCO-inspired event to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. This year, it also marks the start of the United Nations' International Year of Languages.

At Language is Everything, we're celebrating the day by launching our annual report for 2008.

The report includes:

• A vision of the future: what will the world look like in 2040?
• Peace through trade: what exactly is a World Trade Centre?
• Telephone interpreting: what are the two crucial issues facing the profession?
• Financial results: how did we do last year?

You can download a PDF version of the report by clicking on the link below.

Download Annual_report_2008.pdf

Printed copies of the report are available upon request.

New post for Carolyn

At its AGM last Friday, the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce appointed Carolyn Burgess (our chief exec) as its vice president. At the same meeting, Carol Thomsett succeeded Malcolm Scott to become Chamber president for 2008.

Carolyn said:

"It's a huge honour to become an officer of an organisation stretching back 171 years. Malcolm has done a fantastic job as president over the past 12 months, and I know that Carol is going to continue driving the Chamber forward during her term of office. The Hull & Humber region is bursting with talent and vision, and the Chamber plays a critical role in bringing people together and making things happen."

One World One Dream Two Winners

Later today Ian Cawsey, the MP for Brigg & Goole, will present a prize to the overall winner of our Chinese writing competition.

We challenged local primary schoolchildren to write the slogan for the Beijing Olympics — One World One Dream — using Chinese characters, and to decorate the page in an imaginative way.

The overall winner, chosen by Coco Zhao, one of our senior Mandarin and Cantonese linguists, was ten-year-old Alex Smith from Marshlands Primary School in Old Goole. (Click on the picture to see a larger version of Alex's winning entry.)

Mr Cawsey will be taking part in a prize-giving ceremony at the school this morning. He will be joined by Coco, Carolyn Burgess (our chief exec) and Colin Pepler (our national sales manager).

The winner in the reception to year 2 age group was 4-year-old Eve Atkinson from Carlton-in-Snaith Community Primary School.

Meanwhile, together with the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, we're making the final preparations for a trade mission to Qingdao, which leaves in just under a fortnight. One of China's most important ports, Qingdao will be hosting the Olympic sailing events later this year.