THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
RESHAPING LANGUAGES IN THE MEDIA
'The Fourth Industrial Revolution – Reshaping Languages in the Media' is the overriding theme of 'Languages and the Media', which will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Berlin from 3rd – 5th October 2018. In its sessions and workshops, the conference will examine in detail the various developments, innovations and changes that are setting the framework for the future of the audiovisual media industry and the role of languages in it.
We are in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution, an age in which the physical, digital and biological worlds are increasingly interlinked by new technologies. This revolution is already having a profound impact on almost all industries and economies.
What will its effect be on the media? How will it transform the use of languages? How will technological innovation lead to change that is "empowering" and "human-centred"?
'Languages and the Media,' the 12th International Conference on Audiovisual Language Transfer in the Media, will examine the ways in which innovative technologies are changing the globalised provision of audiovisual media and the ways we consume it across and within languages. It will consider how audiovisual media is produced, accessed and made accessible to diverse international, national and regional user groups. And it will ask how, to increase their revenue, proliferating transnational distribution channels are able to target diverse multilingual populations with language and accessibility services that are both immediate and disparate.
With an increasing demand for both universal design and personalised user experience, as well as a growing need for trained language professionals, how will the rapidly evolving audiovisual media industry rise to the challenge of the 21st century? As providers of education and entertainment, such as universities, museums and theatres, seek to offer more for their sight and hearing impaired audiences and multilingual patrons, the emergence of new technologies and the breadth of available content are giving rise to increased demands for greater inclusion and accessibility. They are also spurring novel and often spontaneous crowd responses, quick to meet the needs of specific audiences and to exploit the interaction inherent in the new technologies. As machine-to-machine interfaces gain in importance, human and machine interplay within the audiovisual language industry is also set to become a critical factor. How will it affect work processes, training and research?
The need for collaboration between industry, practitioners, researchers and educators is greater than ever before. It is essential if we are to master the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and understand the importance of the role that languages and accessibility will play in the coming years.
Share your experience or your best practice on how to thrive in today's dynamic mediascape and submit your proposal related to the main conference themes.
Proposals that do not fall under the themes but are related to current trends and issues within the sector will also be passed on to the reviewing committee.
You are invited to submit proposals for any of the following:
To hold a pre-conference workshop on October 3To give a presentation in one of the parallel sessions during the main conferenceTo suggest a topic for a panel discussion during the main conference
For details on this year's conference formats please refer to Formats
To submit your proposal, please use the online Form.
The deadline for receipt of all proposals is March 31, 2018.
Accepted papers by registered speakers will be included in the Conference Book of Abstracts
(ISBN: 978-3-941055-50-6).
Full details: http://www.languages-media.com/conference.php
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Call for Papers:Journal: Translation Studies, Special Issue, 21(2), 2028.Theme: "Translation as Post-Occupational Practice? How Non-Professional (Human and Algorithmic) Translators are Driving the New Value Economy".Guest-editors: Lynne Bowker and Luis Perez-Gonzalez.Key dates:31 October 2026: Submission of Abstracts15 December 2026: Decision on Abstracts30 April 2027: Submission Paper for Peer Review30 November 2027: Submission Final ManuscriptMay 2028: Publication DateMore info: https://cfp-translationstudies.my.canva.site/
Call for Papers:Conference: The International Conference Translating and Interpreting in the Era of Algorithms (TIERA).Date: October 9th-11th, 2026Organised by the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting and the MA Science of Translation of the Ionian University.Themes:Translation Technologies and Human AgencyThe Creative Translator and the Algorithmic TurnEthics, Justice, and Responsibility in the Age of AutomationInterpreting FuturesAudiovisual Translation and AccessibilityPedagogical Shifts in Translator and Interpreter EducationCultural Mediation and Posthuman TranslationLegal, Institutional, and Policy PerspectivesIntralingual TranslationTranslation CriticismSubmission Deadline: 20 June 2026.Read more: https://conferences.ionio.gr/tiera/en/about/
Call for Papers:Symposium: Multilingual Archives, New Perspectives: China and the Sinophone World at the End of the Cold WarOrganiser: ALTER research groupLocation: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), BarcelonaDate: Mid-May 2027Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026Limited travel subsidies may be available, with priority given to early-career participants with limited access to funding.More info: https://blogs.uoc.edu/alter/symposium-multilingual-archives-new-perspectives/
Call for Papers:Conference: International Writing Workshops in Jordan for Translation StudiesAbout:The conference programme is designed for early-career scholars with a strong commitment to publishing high-quality research in translation and interpreting who feel that additional training and support would help them achieve this goal. The aim is for all participants to have an article draft ready for submission to an international journal by April 2028.What’s included?Travel, accommodation and subsistence costs to attend the workshops are fully coveredVisiting researcher status at Queen’s University Belfast, July 2026 – April 2028. This provides free access to online library resources.Mentoring (August 2026-April 2028). Participants will have three mentoring meetings with either Professor Baker, Professor Harding or Dr Sadler to give individualised support and feedback over the course of the programme.Workshop 1 – Research design and planning (February 2027). Topics will include: what international journals in translation studies are looking for and how they assess submissions; the publication process; key issues in research design and methodology; emerging areas of research in translation and interpreting researchWorkshop 2 – Refining your work for submission and wider academic skills development (August 2027). Topics will include: refining drafts from ‘nearly finished’ to ‘finished’; performing and responding to peer review; applying for research grants and collaborating internationallyOnline symposium (March 2028) – participants will be invited to share their work in an online symposium to enable final refinement before submission and receive feedback on presentation skills.You may apply by completing and submitting the following form at https://lnkd.in/e8zdeibq by 17:00 GMT Saturday 20 June 2026.More details: https://www.monabaker.org/2026/05/13/call-for-participants-international-writing-workshops-in-jordan-for-translation-studies/
