A WOMAN CENSOR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20132, 29 December 1939, Page 12

A WOMAN CENSOR

PRESS BUREAU LINGUIST BREAKING NEW GROUND LONDON, Dec. 1. No longer are the 34 women linguists of the postal section of the Press Bureau commanded only by men. For the first time there is now woman deputy assistant censor, newly promoted from the ranks of the examiners who look through mail matter sent by foreign journalists to various world centres. She is paid £320 a year. "You must not reveal my name,’’ she told a reporter. “It's against regulations. But you can say, if you like, that I’m very pleased indeed vo have broken new ground. After all. why shouldn’t women be censors? "I’ve been abroad a good deal with my husband, who is a colonel in the R.A.S.C., and have learned three languages and some ‘smut ter.s’ as well. And I have done some organising work. That is all there is to it.”

She added: “Now don’t describe the girls as ‘pin money’ girls. You should see how they work.” “Three languages and some smatters” js a trifling accomplishmcn compared with that of some ol the others. The record is nine languages, held by a quiet middleaged woman whose peace-time wor! is translation. She can tranship French, German, Italian. Spanish Dutch, Danish, Russian, Polish anc Hungarian. A full knowledge of French and German is expected from the examiners, all of whom are British, and then they “branch off" into rarer tongues.

Between them, women can tackle every European language, excep. certain of the .Baltic ones, and tties', are dealt with elsewhere. Chines, and Japanese are covered by ar Eoglishmm expert in another section of the bureau. Arabic is done as a side line by Lord Raglan, also ir. another department.

And when there are messages ir obscure Eastern or African tongues, they are translated under ar arrangement with the School ol Oriental Languages.