As  a continuation of the now well-established tradition of conferences focusing on “Retranslation in Context, first organised at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul (2013 and 2015), Ghent University (2017), Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid (2019) and most recently at Károli Gáspár University in Budapest (2022), we are delighted to announce the international conference Retranslation in Context VI, to be held at Ege University, Izmir on 31.10 - 01.11 2024. 

As succinctly emphasized by Paloposki and Koskinen (2010, 30-31), retranslation is “a field of study that has been touched from many angles but not properly mapped out, and in which there exist a number of intuitive assumptions which have not been thoroughly studied.” In a further attempt to explore the concept in its broadest meaning, we hope to expand the discussion around the exciting phenomenon of retranslation. The aim of the conference is to gather researchers from various academic fields and encourage a multidisciplinary discussion regarding the intricacies and complexities of retranslation, drawing on both textual and contextual work.

We invite papers and panels based on research into retranslation in the field of literary translation as well as studies on retranslations of scholarly and scientific texts. We also welcome studies on other aspects of retranslation, such as the historiographical, political and/or philosophical, as well as methodological approaches. Other subjects for discussion at the conference may include among others retranslation and gender, drama and retranslation, retranslation and censorship and taboo, the dissemination of knowledge, the role of different agents, market struggles and dynamics, retranslation and multimodality, digital paratexts and social media discourse around retranslated works.

We invite contributions (20-minute papers) addressing diverse aspects of retranslation, focusing on but not limited to any of the topics listed below: 

1. Retranslation and (Self-)Censorship

2. Retranslation and Taboo

3. Retranslation and History

4. Retranslation and Gender

5. Retranslation and Drama

6. Retranslation and Canon

7. Retranslation and Intertextuality 

8. Retranslation Ethics 

9. Retranslation and Multimodality

10. Retranslation and Politics

11. Retranslation and Digital Humanities

12. Retranslation and Audiovisual Translation

13. Retranslation and Religion

Deadline for abstracts: 15 Feb 2024

For more information, click here.

The 21st International Congress of Linguists (ICL) will be held from 8 to 14 September 2024 in Poznań. We invite abstracts for Sections, Focus streams, and Workshops. Sections will take place on Monday and Tuesday (9-10 September), Focus streams on Wednesday (11 September), and Workshops on Thursday and Friday (12-13 September).

Abstracts should clearly state the research question(s), approach, method, data, and (expected) results. They should not display the names of the presenters, nor their affiliations or addresses, or any other information that could reveal their authorship. They should contain the title, five keywords, and a text between 300 and 400 words (including examples, excluding references).

For more information, click here.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 Feb 2024

T-RADEX aims to bring together scholars working on any form of radical, extreme or extremist narratives from a translational, cross-cultural, multilingual and intercultural perspective.

Participants are invited to consider the role of translation in reproducing, manipulating, and spreading such discourses or to examine how extreme or radical narratives unfold in cross-cultural and/ or intercultural communication. T-RADEX aims to shed light on any form of extremist discourse / extreme or radical narrative that goes beyond what the majority considers extreme / extremist or radical. Such narratives can be found in both far-right and far-left discourse, and include radicalization discourse, social and/or exclusion narratives based on sexual orientation and gender.

T-RADEX welcomes papers using a diverse range of perspectives and approaches to translation and cross-cultural communication, including Critical Discourse Analysis, Narrative Theory, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Appraisal Theory, Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, and Social Semiotics. We are inviting papers based on a variety of contexts (mainstream and alternative media, social media platforms), types of translation (translation, adaptation, localization, audio-visual translation, including dubbing and subtitling of videos of extreme or extremist content) and cross-cultural communication.

For more information, click here.

Closing date for submissions: 31 Jan 2024

The Faculty of Arts is internationally renowned for its quality in education and research and has an extensive international academic network. The Translation Studies Research Unit conducts high-quality research across various subdisciplines, including interpreting studies, and covering a wide range of languages and research methods. In collaboration with the internationally acclaimed Center for Translation Studies (CETRA), the research unit is dedicated to training young researchers and building national and international networks. Starting from the academic year 2024-2025, a full-time position is available within the Research Unit Translation Studies of the Faculty of Arts at KU Leuven under the status of senior academic staff (tenure track), with a focus on interpreting studies. We are looking for candidates with an international profile, an excellent research track record, and outstanding teaching skills in the Dutch-Spanish language combination. The appointment will start on September 1, 2024.

For more information, click here.

Deadline for applications: 15th Feb 2024

We welcome proposals for conceptual papers as well as case studies and empirical research contributions that address the labour and work of translation and interpreting in both theory and practice. Please send your extended abstract (700-800 words, excluding references) to both editors Cornelia Zwischenberger (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Alexa Alfer (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 15 January 2023.

Further Information: https://transcultcom.univie.ac.at/news-and-events/news-detail/news/call-for-papers-special-issue-of-traget/

NHH is pleased to announce vacancies as PhD research scholar at the Department of Professional and Intercultural Communication. The department welcomes applications within three fields of research as specified below.

The PhD specialisations offered by the Department of Professional and Intercultural Communication aims to give dedicated students solid training in performing high quality research. The students must undertake relevant course work equivalent to 45 ECTS. Given the international focus of the department, the PhD research scholars are strongly encouraged to carry out some of their coursework abroad or at other Norwegian institutions.

Qualifying education in the PhD specialisations in Professional and intercultural Communication should normally be a master’s degree in language/linguistics or translation. Emphasis will be placed on the quality and relevance of the research proposal. Some formal education in economics, business administration or other social sciences is an advantage. 

In the application, candidates should state explicitly which research area they are applying for. Research proposals should preferably include a sustainability perspective.

Deadline for submissions: 15 Jan 2024

For more information, click here.

The School of Languages and Cultures at Purdue University is seeking an Assistant Professor of Teaching (non-tenure-track clinical faculty) for a joint-appointment in French (School of Languages and Cultures) and African American Studies (School of Interdisciplinary Studies) in the College of Liberal Arts beginning in Fall 2024. The person hired for this position will generally teach four classes per semester at the undergraduate and graduate levels and will be expected to participate in some departmental service activities. Teaching expertise should include the Diaspora of the Atlantic World, Black Transnationalism, and Francophone Cultures.

The candidate must have a Ph.D. in Francophone Studies, African American Studies, or related field in hand before the start of this position, must be able to conduct classes in French and in English at all levels and have previous teaching experience at the college level.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. The clinical faculty position at Purdue is benefits-eligible and starts with a three-year contract (renewable), and there is a pathway to promotion to the ranks of associate and full professor.

Interested candidates should submit a letter of application indicating relevant experience and qualifications, curriculum vitae, and names of three potential references (letters not required for the initial screening stage).

We will begin reviewing applications on December 8, 2023 and we will continue to accept applications until the position is filled. The contract of the successful candidate will begin on August 12, 2024. A background check is required for employment in this position.

For more information, click here.

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages in the University of Oxford is seeking to appoint a full-time Associate Professor (or Professor) of German. The successful applicant will also be elected to a Tutorial Fellowship at St Hugh’s College and a Stipendiary Lecturership at St Anne’s College.

We intend to appoint a candidate with research interests in modern (post-1770) German, with a preference for expertise in Performance, broadly defined. The focus on Performance for this post highlights an increasing acknowledgement of the centrality in the German tradition of drama, theatre, film, dance, voice, song, performance, and performance literature of all varieties. An ability to deliver high-quality undergraduate teaching (lectures, tutorials, and seminars) in modern German is essential, as is evidence of excellence in postgraduate teaching and supervision. Candidates should have native or near-native competence in both English and German. Please see the Job Description and Selection Criteria for further details.

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria.

Only applications received before midday on Friday 19 January 2024 can be considered. The interviews are likely to take place in early March 2024. The starting date will be 1 September 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

For more information, click here.

The fast-paced advancement in science and technology in an increasingly globalized world demands a greater interaction between individuals from different cultures and societies. Thus, translation has become a necessary an invaluable tool for communication in all fields of knowledge. In this context, the VII International Congress on Science and Translation: “Interdisciplinary bridges and dissemination of scientific knowledge” emphasizes on the essential role of translation in the dissemination of ideas and scientific advances.

This congress aims to be a meeting point and a discussion forum about science and translation connections.

The congress will be organized around the following discussion panels:

• Panel 1 – Translation & Interpreting in Specialized Contexts

• Panel 2 – Audiovisual & Multimodal Translation

• Panel 3 – Didactics of Specialized Translation and Interpreting

• Panel 4 – Specialized Languages

• Panel 5 – Technologies & New Research and Professional Perspectives 1. Contributions Contributions shall not exceed 20 minutes.

Contributions dealing with any of the above thematic panels are welcomed, specially those that deal with the study of:

- Terminology and specific languages.

- Lexicology and contrastive phraseology.

- Translation and interpreting in specialized contexts.

- Didactics of translation and interpreting.

- Dissemination of scientific knowledge.

- Labour market and translation. Translation as a business.

- Research on translation and interpreting.

- Specialized languages, terminology

- Audiovisual and multimodal translation

- Technologies, translation and interpreting

Deadline for abstracts: 1 Feb 2024.

For more information, click here.

Guest editors:

Deborah Giustini & María Jiménez-Andrés

Language rights encompass the right to choose and use one’s language in various spheres, including legal, educational, and media contexts (De Varennes 2007). Globally, minority language speakers and their associated language rights face threats from factors like national language dominance, assimilation, and colonialism, leading to declining usage (Romaine 2007). In particular, the rapid advancements in information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are significantly impacting language rights and multilingual societies.

Language policy and planning increasingly attend to the role of technology in the revitalization of endangered languages and more widely, in the governmental promotion of multilingualism and social justice (Gazzola et al. 2023). International organizations such as at the EU level are often at the forefront of preserving language rights as fundamental rights of people and essential components of their cultural heritage. Initiatives like the Digital Language Equality and European Language Equality projects aim to support languages for them to prosper in the digital age (Gaspari et al. 2023). International organizations, NGOs, and humanitarian groups as well prioritize managing communication and preserving linguistic diversity through technologies to enhance information dissemination in crisis settings (Tesseur 2018; O’Brien et al. 2018; Federici & O’Brien 2019; Jiménez-Andrés & Orero 2022).

However, digital services remain unevenly accessible to vulnerable communities like migrants and refugees, reliant on supporting organizations (Jiménez-Andrés & Orero 2022), and facing obstacles related to digital literacy, potentially exacerbating social exclusion. Additionally, NGOs and humanitarian aid groups encounter limited adoption of translation and interpreting technologies (Rico 2019). Machine translation is often reserved for donor and official publications (Hunt et al. 2019), with limited support for minority languages since it is primarily designed for commercial and organizational use (Nurminen & Koponen 2020). Although many organizations endorse video remote interpreting (VRI) as a cost-effective solution, technical infrastructure limitations constrain use in humanitarian settings (James et al. 2022). Furthermore, technology use in organizations raises ethical and quality concerns, notably seen in the increasing reliance on AI-powered translations in asylum and immigration systems (Giustini 2024a, 2024b).

Recent developments in the field of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs) could aggravate the already disadvantaged situation of certain languages. LLMs often perform badly in non-standard languages, yet they play a growing role in life-altering decision-making settings, such as justice, asylum, and healthcare. Trained on human language, LLMs perpetuate racial and gender biases (Wang, Rubinstein & Cohn 2022), impacting accountability and necessary corrective measures as machine-made mistakes remain opaque.

This issue relates closely to tech companies’ role in language rights. Current LLMs are mostly property of a few tech giants (most of them from the Global North), raising ethical concerns about AI resource concentration, transparency, and open science criteria (van Dis et al. 2023). Developers prioritize LLM applications for languages with more reliable performance, perpetuating lower model performativity and exacerbating under-representation of languages and social groups from digital spaces (Weidinger et al. 2021; Rozado 2023). While LLMs can level language barriers, they may be exploited by high-income countries and privileged groups. In the Global South, tech firms based in the Global North are leveraging economic disparities to create products that further entrench Western hegemonic dominance in AI, and thus digital colonialism (Healy 2023, 4). Unequal internet access and hardware requirements also mean that LLM benefits are seldom accessible to all (Sambasivan & Holbrook 2018).

Finally, technological advancements in remote interpreting (Fantinuoli 2018; Giustini 2022), computer-assisted interpreting (Fantinuoli 2023), gig translation/interpreting models (Fırat 2021; Giustini forthcoming), AI/LLM training (Healy 2013), and machine translation (Rothwell et al. 2023) have raised questions about fair employment rights in the language industry. These changes also led to a re-evaluation of working conditions, roles, and identities, enhancing efficiency and flexibility but requiring professionals to adapt to machine integration, with implications for skills, labor pricing, and job satisfaction.

Against this backdrop, the special issue illuminates the critical need to address concerns at the intersection of language rights and technology, especially as we delve into the complex challenges faced by vulnerable communities across various contexts. Furthermore, it emphasizes the call for increased research to unravel the intricate societal, political, humanitarian, and organizational factors that amplify language-related power imbalances, specifically in the context of technology’s evolving landscape.

Just. Journal of Language Rights and Minorities, Revista de Drets Lingüístics i Minories is seeking submissions for a special issue on the topic of language rights and technology. The special issue aims to propel a debate on the dynamics and challenges surrounding the intersection of language rights and technology, exploring how advancements in (but not limited to) artificial intelligence, machine translation, machine interpreting, and digital communication impact linguistic diversity and accessibility, as well as language communities and policies, in our increasingly interconnected world.

Researchers are invited to submit articles in English, Spanish, or Catalan. Articles are expected to represent research across a wide range of disciplines, as well as inter- and transdisciplinary studies. The special issue aims to foster more interdisciplinary discussion among scholars from translation and interpreting studies, social sciences, political sciences, development studies, human-computer interaction, and science and technology studies, among other fields. We welcome any article that contributes to our understanding of the crossroads between language rights and technology. In preparing their submission, authors may wish to consider and address the following guiding questions:

Organizations, technologies, and vulnerable communities:

• How can technology ensure equitable language access and safeguard linguistic diversity for vulnerable communities in a variety of contexts, including humanitarian and crisis situations?
• How can translation and interpreting technologies better support minority language speakers and non-standard language varieties within and beyond organizational settings?

Ethical and quality concerns in technology use:

• What ethical safeguards can be implemented to address potential biases and inequalities arising from AI-powered language technologies?
• How can technology-driven decision-making processes be made more transparent and accountable, especially in life-altering situations?

Tech companies and language rights:

• What roles should tech companies play in promoting language rights? How can their near-monopoly on language models be ethically managed?
• What strategies can ensure equitable access to language technologies for marginalized languages and communities, in line with language rights principles?

Impact on language professionals:

• How can language professionals negotiate fair working conditions in an increasingly technology-driven landscape?
• What are the implications of technology integration for language professionals, particularly concerning skills and job security?

Language, human rights, and technologies:

• How does technology contribute to sustaining or disrupting gendered and ethnolinguistic communities?
• What role can technology play in safeguarding ecological knowledge and cultural heritage, and/or preserving and transmitting indigenous knowledge through language?

AI and linguistic communities:

• What concerns are associated with bias in natural language processing and AI systems, particularly as it pertains to language rights?
• How does the use of machine translation services affect linguistic communities, and what are the implications for languages with limited digital representation?

Digital linguistic landscapes:

• How does language use in digital spaces reflects power dynamics and language rights, and are there any strategies and tools that have been successful in promoting language rights activism?
• What are the legal and ethical dimensions of language rights in the context of the internet and digital communication, and how can linguistic diversity online be protected?

Just. Journal of Language Rights & Minorities, Revista de Drets Lingüístics i Minories is a journal dedicated to disseminating scholarship on the protection, enforcement, and promotion of the rights of linguistic minorities as well as related themes arising from the confluence of language, the social dynamics of dominance and oppression, and the law. Interested authors are invited to send 500- to 700-word proposals (excluding references) and inquiries directly to the guest editors: Deborah Giustini (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and María Jiménez-Andrés (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by May 1^st, 2024. Please include a brief 150-word bionote about the authors, their affiliations and contact details in a separate file. All abstracts and manuscripts should use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) for both citation (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html) and drafting. A summary of the drafting CMS guidelines is available in Just’s author guidelines (https://ojs.uv.es/index.php/JUST/about/submissions). Authors of abstracts that are accepted for consideration will be invited to submit a full manuscript that is between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length (exclusive of abstract and references but including footnotes). Every manuscript will be submitted to a double-blind peer review that includes at least two referees.

For more information, click here.