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Mona Baker has involved the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the dispute over her dismissal of two Israelis from the editorial board of periodicals she publishes ("Umist finding may gag academics, lobby fears", THES , February 7).

Baker's extracurricular periodicals would not have got where they are had it not been for her translation studies post at Umist. This post is mentioned in those periodicals. The two scholars were dismissed on the basis of their universities' "nationality" rather than on their scholarly contributions.

Mona Baker, Umist and her regrettable action will forever be linked. The scholarly status of her periodicals and of her post have therefore been diminished.

Henry Pavlovich
Director and chief executive
Institute of Linguists