8th International Conference on Public Services Interpreting and Translation, 22-24 March 2023, University of Alcalá (Madrid)

The 21st century seems set to transform the world. The COVID 19 pandemic, the
outbreak of armed conflicts, the climate change threat or the different population
movements have brought about health, educational, social, economic, and
environmental consequences. Countries are trying to cope not only at institutional level,
but also with civil and private initiatives and proposals, with varying degrees of success.
Sometimes these are long-term measures (see the UN’s 2030 Agenda). Other times, they
are immediate and improvised actions, marked by a sense of change, fragility and
vulnerability for people and countries, and by the realisation that neither are selfsufficient. In fact, they are completely interdependent.
To talk about these societies in transition is to talk about PSIT. The protagonists of the
global order are not only states and their various forms of political organisation, but also
the emerging civil society, which is committed to the task of defending universal
interests in the context of globalisation, which entails both connectivity and the
elimination of borders at the same time. Moreover, exchanges between different
countries, societies, languages, and cultures mean that PSIT as an activity must be
articulated through codes of ethics and guidelines for good practice that reflect the
model of a sustainable, egalitarian and just society to which humanity must aim for.
The prevailing philosophy in many institutional spheres is based on the mere
maximisation of economic profit, without thinking about mutual support between
institutions, users, and intermediaries, including interpreters, and the most vulnerable
are excluded while solidarity is called for. In this context, the role of PSIT, on its path
towards professionalisation, takes on a new dimension. It becomes, together with the
other agents involved in this process, one more piece in the overall framework that
should lead to a fairer and less vulnerable society.

PSIT8 proposals submission:
With these premises as a context, the 8th International Conference on Public Services
Interpreting and Translation (PSIT8), PSIT in Transition, will be held at the University of
Alcalá (Madrid) from 22nd March until 24th March 2023. The main objective of this
eighth edition is to continue exchanging thoughts, projects, and experiences about PSIT
in the line of previous meetings. T&I professionals, researchers, educational authorities,
and institutions, both public and private, language service providers or anyone
interested in making our world more sustainable are invited to participate.
We welcome proposals that focus their research on PSIT and that help to answer some
of the many questions that the highway to PSIT recognition and professionalisation can
offer us. We aim to stimulate debate and reflection on the following questions:

• Who are the interlocutors deciding how to handle communication?
• Who are the decision makers defining budgets and the available resources to
overcome linguistic and cultural barriers?
• Who develops codes and guidelines for good practice? Do these codes
correspond to the reality of PSIT?
• Which active actors are involved?
• Are emotions and their management taken into account?
• How are cultural issues dealt with in today's mixed cultures?
• Should translators and interpreters who feel under pressure, even if the situation
is one of crisis, and even if they themselves may be personally affected, work for
free?
• What changes can be observed in civil society and private initiative in the move
towards a fairer society?

Deadline for proposals: 5 November 2022

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