Photo of the Houses of Parliament, by Dean Evans
The Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) has been active on several policy fronts in early 2026, making the case for language education and the value of professional linguists.
By Sara Robertson, Chief Executive (ITI)
The ITI began 2026 with a significant push on language policy, working alongside fellow professional bodies to address the growing crisis in language education and to raise the profile of the translation and interpreting profession with the United Kingdom (UK) government.
In January, we published The strategic case for languages in UK higher education jointly with the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) and the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL). The report, sent to the Vice-Chancellors of all UK universities offering language degrees, sets out the economic, strategic and cultural arguments for protecting language and translation programmes. The scale of the problem is considerable: 28 UK universities have closed modern languages degrees since 2014, student numbers have fallen from 125,900 in 2012/13 to 80,100 in 2023/24, and the lack of language skills is estimated to cost the UK economy around 3.5% of GDP each year in lost export trade.
The report argues that university closures are not simply an educational concern – they are accelerating a vicious circle of decline that will reduce the number of skilled linguists who could become the translators, interpreters and language teachers of the future, while creating ‘cold spots’ that disproportionately affect young people unable to travel to study.
The urgency of the issue was brought into sharp focus in February when Heriot-Watt University announced proposals to cut staffing and potentially close programmes within its Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies (LINCS). We wrote an open letter to the university’s leadership urging it to reconsider, challenging any assumption that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rendered language degrees redundant, and highlighting Edinburgh’s role as a diplomatic, cultural, and business hub that depends on highly skilled language graduates.
Our report’s key points were also echoed in a House of Lords debate secured by Baroness Coussins, which examined the crisis in modern foreign language teaching and called for coordinated action across education, immigration and economic policy. There was cross-party agreement that the current trajectory is unsustainable, and peers directly challenged the notion that AI can replace human language capability.
Alongside this education-focused policy campaign, we have also been involved in broader efforts to foster collaboration between professional bodies. In January, ITI board member Dean Evans attended the Trade Association Forum (TAF) parliamentary reception at the House of Commons, where Trade Secretary Chris Bryant and others emphasised how trade associations speaking with one strong voice help shape government policy. ITI also joined over 60 professional bodies in signing a letter calling on the government to establish a more strategic relationship with professional associations and to embed professional accreditation within its skills and industrial strategies.