As reported in BusinessZone, A free on-line register of professional language service providers is now available from the Languages National Training Organisation (LNTO).

The Business Language Information Service (BLIS) is a database of over 1600 language service providers. The database covers Translators, Interpreters, Language Trainers and 'Cultural Consultants', which have agreed to abide by a code of best practice. Disappointingly there are no course breakdowns available, but the search will find a list of providers in the area you specify.

The LNTO has welcomed the recent Nuffield report which highlighted a lack of language skills in the UK, and said there was a strong co-relation between the Nuffield Inquiry's recommendations and many of the LNTO's own actions over the two years since it was established.

To promote the use of language in business, it has developed National Occupational Standards for Languages which are accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and are now widely used by business for training and for benchmarking language performance. It was also accredited as an NTO by David Blunkett in 1998.

The LNTO is currently working with Regional Development Agencies to identify areas where language training is in short supply, and aim to have a network of regional centres which will co-ordinate information on skills needs and facilitate contact between business users and practitioners.

LNTO will be organising workshops across the UK between June and September at which representatives of the business community and language practitioners will be invited to share their reactions to the Nuffield recommendations, as well as formulating views on what might be done in their Region to raise awareness.