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Rock researches the comprehensibility and effect on readers and hearers of police language. She has deployed this research in a long-term collaboration with South Wales Police (SWP) and their associated agencies, such as trainers and interpreters. Rock has used her research findings to offer tailor-made solutions to a range of specific problems that SWP have identified in their communications with the public. So as to build capacity rather than creating long-term dependency, she places strong emphasis on acquainting the in-house staff sufficiently with her research to enable them to understand the potential options available, and to contribute to developing the best outcomes. Her interventions focus on written and spoken communications with the public relating to complaints, victim care, interviewing and interpreting. Outcomes have been major revisions to texts and permanent modifications to individual and organisational practices.
Both the introduction of legislation in England and Wales and the mandatory recording of interviews with criminal suspects has led to an increased examination and understanding of what happens in such interviews. Such studies have led to a prescribed framework, which following its implementation, has led to further study concerning its efficacy in gathering a reliable account. This case study, demonstrates how (through dissemination of the research and through working with practitioners) particular research findings concerning approaches to the investigative interviewing of suspects have influenced the practices of those users of the research both in this country and overseas.
Increasingly in court cases the recorded voice of a perpetrator has to be compared with that of a suspect. Research on speaker characteristics carried out by/under Prof. Nolan has directly contributed to the work of those offering forensic speech services commercially or developing relevant speech processing software. Impact arises from seminal ideas such as LTF (Long Term Formant) analysis, and from the 100-speaker `DyViS' accent-matched database. The latter has directly enabled: the testing of an automatic speaker recognition system preparatory to its incorporation into forensic casework; the development of speaker recognition and speaker separation software; the adoption of systematic `voice quality' analysis; and the availability for casework of population statistics on pitch and disfluencies. Public engagement has raised awareness of the possibilities and limitations of speaker identification in legal and general audiences.
University of Huddersfield research into corpus stylistics has led to the development of Language Unlocked, a consultancy service that uses linguistic methodologies and interpretative procedures to help public, private, third-sector and non-governmental organisations. Language Unlocked has informed clients' strategic decision-making, communicated their organisational strategies and assisted them in realising long-term goals. Beneficiaries have included Britain's unions, which have reassessed their communications policies; the Green Party, which has revised its policies, manifestos and communications; and a major chemical company, which increased its visibility as a result of carefully worded advertising.
The impact claimed is the international uptake and successful commercialization (as www.carmtraining.org) across public, private and third-sector organizations, of a pioneering method for communication skills training called the `Conversation Analytic Role-play Method' (CARM). CARM's development was funded by the ESRC knowledge-exchange scheme and is based on research conducted at Loughborough University. It has reach and significance in attitude change in training culture: 130+ workshops have taken place at 60+ organizations since 2008. CARM's impact on training practice is evidenced by its accreditation by the College of Mediators for the Continuing Professional Development of mediators. CARM won Loughborough's Social-Enterprise Award (2013).
Material characterisation research in the UOA has helped Orchid Cellmark Europe Ltd (Cellmark) to deliver forensic services to 85% of the police forces in England and Wales. The work of the UOA has helped Cellmark to participate successfully in National Forensic Framework tendering exercises and to double their market share. The work of the UOA in partnership with Cellmark has been accredited by the UK Accreditation Service and the UOA now provides an average of 360 forensic glass analyses and 60 gunshot residue analyses to Cellmark each year. These analyses have secured, amongst others, convictions for perpetrators of serious gun crime.
In a series of papers published from 1999 on, Aitken (Maxwell Institute) and collaborators applied Bayesian statistics to develop a methodology for the quantification of judicial evidence derived from forensic analyses. They proposed and implemented procedures for (i) determining the optimal size of samples that should be taken from potentially incriminating material (such as drugs seized); and (ii) the estimation of likelihood ratios characterising evidence provided by multivariate hierarchical data (such as the chemical composition of crime-scene samples). Their procedures have been recommended in international guideline documents (including a 2009 publication by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and have been routinely used by forensic science laboratories worldwide since 2008. The research has therefore had an impact on the administration of justice, leading to a better use of evidence and accompanying judicial and economic benefits. Examples are given from laboratories in Australia, Sweden and The Netherlands.
Biak (West Papua, Indonesia) is an endangered language with no previously established orthography. Dalrymple and Mofu's ESRC-supported project created the first on-line database of digital audio and video Biak texts with linguistically analysed transcriptions and translations (one of the first ever for an endangered language), making these materials available for future generations and aiding the sustainability of the language. Biak school-children can now use educational materials, including dictionaries, based on project resources. The project also trained local researchers in best practice in language documentation, enabling others to replicate these methods and empowering local communities to save their own endangered languages.
This research by Professor Yaron Matras produced tools to promote awareness of the Romani language through popular websites, online documentation, learning resources and audio-visual educational materials. It also produced policy papers which prompted the launch of a European Language Curriculum Framework for Romani. This led to the consistent monitoring and reporting by governments on policy to promote Romani through the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Professor Matras was responsible for establishing the first-ever online multi-dialectal dictionary in any language. `Romlex currently offers an online lexical database of 25 Romani dialects with search and translation facilities in 14 different target languages.
This case study outlines how our research has improved intercultural communication for a wide range of beneficiaries in Norwich, Norfolk and the East of England. The impact it describes is threefold. We have changed practice, perceptions, and values around issues of intercultural understanding in an increasingly globalised context. Beneficiaries are local government (Norwich City Council), businesses (Norwich City Football Club), service providers in sensitive domains (law enforcement agencies, legal interpreters), and the general public. The impact is thus on practice and policy in the region, but also, importantly, on public attitudes and cultural assumptions, exemplified by the testimonial from the Head of Equality and Diversity at Norfolk Constabulary.