The time is past when digital technology in translation was no more than a supporting tool. The digital revolution is transforming the landscape of translation theory and practice. From translation memory tools to online corpora and databases, to machine translation and to cloud-based workspaces, technology is making translation more effective and time-efficient, while changing the roles and profiles of translators themselves. Furthermore, beyond enhancing and facilitating the translator’s work, the new technologies are making a profound impact on the very nature of our discipline. The conventional model of one-on-one agency and client is being replaced by a vast global network of faceless, and loosely connected, translators and customers, where the distinction between professional and non-professional translation is often blurred. New modes of translation, such as fansubbing, fandubbing, and crowdsourcing, are challenging the traditional structure of the translation market. Furthermore, translators (professional and otherwise) are using the new communication and collaboration tools to connect with other translators across geographical barriers, engaging translation in political, social causes on an unprecedented scale.
We believe that such developments call for new ways of theorizing translation theory and practice—be it pedagogy and training, translation tools and strategies, as well as the cultural and socio-political aspects of translation.
Thematic areas include, but are not limited to, the following:
Arabic translation in the digital age.
Translation and activism: online translator communities.
Collaborative translation.
Multimedia, and hypermedia translations
Translating/communicating the Digital Humanities
The changing face of the translation market: crowdsourcing, outsourcing fansubbing/fandubbing and non-professional translation
Online databases and corpora
Translation productivity software, ‘chunking’/micro-translations, collaboration tools and quality control
New developments in machine translation
Censorship/Manipulation in a digital age
New landscapes beyond translation proper
Transadaptation and transcreation
Submission of Abstracts
The languages of the conference will be Arabic and English. Proposals should be submitted via the link on the conference page (http://www.tii.qa/en/9th-annual-international-translation-conference-translation-digital-age-translation-tools-shifting).
Proposals should include the following elements:
• Applicant’s institutional affiliation and contact information, including email
• Abstract of at least 300 words which states:
An introductory statement that outlines the background and significance of the studyA short description of the basic methodology adoptedA clear indication of the major findings of the studyA concluding statement
• A short Bionote of no more than 100 words
The deadline for proposals is November 12th, 2017.
Papers accepted will be allocated 30 minutes in the program, which includes no more than 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for questions/discussion.
Accommodation and travel costs:
CHSS will sponsor speakers; this will include economy flight tickets, accommodation, and transportation to and from the conference only. CHSS will also apply for the speakers’ visas; however the approval is subject to the State’s regulations.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Conference Organizing Committee at transconf@qf.org.qa.
Call for PapersEvent: the 16th International Symposium on Bilingualism.Place and date: University of Saskatchewan, Canada, June 14-18, 2027. Thems and topics:Bi-multilingual speech and communicationCognitive, neuro- and psycholinguisticsChild and adolescent bi-multilingual developmentAdult bi-multilingual developmentEducation and pedagogy HJHeritage, immigrant, regional and other minority languagesIndigenous languagesTranslation and InterpretingSociolinguistics and Sociology of languageSpeech-language pathology; Health CommunicationAbstract submission deadline: 1 October 2026. More details: https://conferences.usask.ca/isb16/
Call for Abstracts This is a call for an edited volume on 'Translators at Work in Periodicals: Agency, Mediation, and Cultural Power'. Edited by Ivana Hostová and Eva SpišiakováSuggested topics:• periodicals as infrastructures of literary, cultural, and intellectual mediation• translators, editors, reviewers, and other mediators shaping periodical cultures• translators’ multiple roles, including editing, curating, annotating, and framing• distributed, relational, or contested agency in periodical cultures• translator agency, editorial strategy, and activism• translation in peripheral, semi-peripheral, or politically unstable ecologies• periodicals as spaces of cultural resistance, ideological struggle, or symbolic negotiation• paratextual framing, editorial positioning, and the politics of selection• material and medial conditions of translation, including format, layout, page space, seriality, and multimodality• circulation of minoritized, marginalized, or non-canonical literatures• periodicals and the transfer of theory, philosophy, science, or political ideas• translation in periodicals and the making of national, regional, or transnational cultures• microhistorical or biographical studies of translators and editors• actor-network, social-network, bibliographic, or database-driven approaches• methodological reflections on blending close reading with large-scale or digitally assisted analysisDeadline for abstracts: 31 December 2026Deadline for full chapters: 31 July 2028Expected publication: 2029Full info: https://ktr.ff.ukf.sk/en/research/call-for-abstracts-translators-at-work-in-periodicals-agency-mediation-and-cultural-power/
Call for Papers:Conference: Global North and Global South Perspectives on Literature, Linguistics, and Translation.Organised by the Research Centre for Irish Studies (RCIS).Date: 7-8 June 2026. Main themes: Literature;Irish Studies;Linguistics;Translation, Power and Knowledge Circulation. Submission deadline: 30 April 2026More info: https://old.bue.edu.eg/global-north-and-global-south-perspectives-on-literature-linguistics-and-translation-conference-7-8-june-2026/
Call for papers:Journal: Translation in Society.Special issue on 'Translation, Social Media, and the Creator Economy' (2028)Guest editors: Renée Desjardins & Émilie Gobeil-Roberge.Main themes: Translation strategies and practices among creators, influencers, and social media usersTranslation tools used by creators and influencers to expand their multilingual reachTranslation as a form of online compliance or resistanceTranslation and online misinformation, disinformation, and propagandaTranslation, social platforms, and societyTerminology related to the social internet and the creator economySocial platform translation and language policiesMultilingual influencers and creatorsMultilingual online activismMultilingual fandomsMultilingual and translation trends on social platformsDeadline for abstract submissions: July 1, 2026Full info: https://www.benjamins.com/series/tris/callforpapers.pdf
Call for PapersThis is a call to submit papers to the non-thematic issue of JosTrans, 48, to be published in July 2027. The journal welcomes submissions on:Theoretical, methodological and practical issues in specialised translation,Subject field translation/interpreting, i.e. medical, legal, financial, technical, localisation, etc.Media accessibility and audiovisual translationTranslation technologies, translation and AI (with human factors),Aspects of training and teaching specialised translation/interpreting.Submission deadline: June 30, 2026. More details: https://www.jostrans.org/about/cfp48
