In other news: stories from the language industry and beyond

BBC: NHS interpreting service problems contributed to patient deaths

In late November, the BBC reported on failures in language support contributing to the deaths of 80 babies between 2018 and 2022. In an online article, it highlighted two other maternity cases, detailing how one woman had tragically died in labour, while another had had her womb removed. Neither had adequate language support to know what was happening to them. 

NHS England has responded to the investigation by saying that interpreting was “vital for patient safety and a review would identify if and how it can support improvements in the commissioning and delivery of services”.

The Diversity Dashboard: Disability Influencer launches world’s first truly accessible retail site

Disability influencer Mike Adams OBE has launched the first accessible online shopping site, www.enableall.com. The site beats disability discrimination on two fronts: by conforming to standards of accessibility, making it possible for everyone to use, and by promoting businesses that support disabled people. 

And finally…

BBC: Endgame author Omid Scobie criticises translated extracts of royal book

No one is safe from the perils and pitfalls of bad translation – not even the Royal Family! Late in 2023, Royal commentator Omid Scobie published Endgame, a book about the relationship between King Charles and his two sons, William and Henry. However, soon after publishing, Scobie was forced to beg the public to ignore badly translated snippets of his book, which gave incorrect or misleading versions of events.