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:
Ethical and quality concerns in technology use:
Tech companies and language rights:
Impact on language professionals:
Language, human rights, and technologies:
AI and linguistic communities:
Digital linguistic landscapes:
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 (dgiustini@hbku.edu.qa) and María Jiménez-Andrés (mandres@hbku.edu.qa) by May 1st, 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.
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CfP: Edited volume “Translation, Religion and Technology” (Routledge Research in Translation and Religion series)Editor: Prof. Anne O’ConnorAbout: While it is acknowledged that in a digitally linked world, religious experience can travel at speed and globally, the challenges of the linguistic dimensions of this communication, and the role played by translation have not been adequately considered. As religious content, rituals, and interactions become increasingly present online, attention to translation becomes crucial in the global digital space. The modes of communication of digital religion oƯer exciting new opportunities for translation scholars which have heretofore been untapped (Blumczynski and Israel 2018). Interaction with technology can encompass religious communities engaging with digital tools—whether through online sermons, virtual worship services, or religious apps—with translation becoming a key factor in ensuring that these practices remain meaningful and accessible across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Much study on digital religion has considered the new opportunities opened up for religion by the internet and user interaction with web-based technologies and social media. For religion online (Helland 2000), organisations and institutions use digital spaces and technological tools to enable a presence that reaches beyond a local or national borders and thereby encounter many translational issues. However, religions also make use of translation technologies in contexts other than digital spaces and it is important to acknowledge the presence of translation technology in physical religious spaces. Where a religious group has a multilingual community, technologies can enable religious practice and communication, especially in the absence of a common language. Moreover, interpreting in religious contexts (Furmanek 2022, Downie 2024), is primed for innovative uses of technologies to enable communication and understanding. Audiovisual translation, ad hoc interpreting devices, and volunteer-led technical innovations can all be present in religious spaces as communities seek to overcome linguistic barriers to enable religious practices.Themes: Chapters will focus on the intersection of translation, religion and technology in the diverse religious spaces mentioned above with topics including a selection of the following: The use of translation technologies in religious contexts AI-assisted translation and its use in religious communication Translation and online religion/religion online Institutional religious translation practices and technological change Volunteer religious translation activities incorporating technology Religious translation in informal, low-resource settings Translation, religion and social media Interpreting in religious settings and translation toolsThe intersection of religious practice, belief, and community with digital technologies Balancing between innovation and tradition, between technological advancement and historical sacred practices and texts Alternative discourses and their presence in digital religious spaces Enabling religious practice through translation technologies Adapting religious content for new digital environments The digital realm as both a space for innovation and a challenge for maintaining religious (and linguistic) authenticity and continuity AI, ethics and religious translation Issues of gender in religion, translation and technology Canonical religious texts and technical/digital change Untranslatability and religion in digital contexts Technology and sustainable futures for religious translationDeadlines and submission:The volume will be published by Routledge. Deadline for abstracts: 27 February 2026 Notification of acceptance: March 2026 Deadline for chapters: September 2026 Review process: September - December 2026 Publication: 2027 Abstracts of 300 words and author bio to be sent to anne.oconnor@universityofgalway.ie
Translation and interpreting are increasingly shaped by complex, real-world technological, institutional, and socio-cultural contexts. Yet, research that emerges from direct engagement with these contexts often remains underrepresented in scholarly publishing. Collaborative research, understood as research conducted by or with practitioners, offers a vital corrective: it brings to light the lived realities, adaptive strategies, and situated expertise of professionals working within and alongside evolving systems. Academia-industry collaboration is the cornerstone of future-facing and impactful translation and interpreting education and research. This special issue aims to showcase how collaborative research and educational partnerships with the professional world advance theory, push disciplinary boundaries, and deepen our understanding of translation and interpreting as practices shaped by social, cultural, and pedagogical contexts.Synergising professional experience and field research has gained significant attention in recent years, particularly in certain areas such as audiovisual translation (Tuominen & Silvester, 2025) and language automation technology (Rodríguez de Céspedes & Bawa Mason, 2022). Although perhaps rare in other fields within the arts and humanities, academics who also professionally involved in the industry are relatively common in translation and interpreting. This has logically led to certain research outputs focusing on aspects such as working conditions and translation rates (Carreira, 2023; Lambert & Walker, 2022, 2024) and trust in translation project management (Olohan & Davitti, 2015), among many other areas of scholarly interest that can be found in recent publications on the translation industry (Angelone, Massey & Ehrensberger-Dow, 2019; Walker & Lambert, 2025).ThemesThe journal invites manuscripts that engage with one or more of the following key themes, while also welcoming fresh perspectives that expand the conversation:Wellbeing, resilience, and soft skills in translation and interpreting practice;Employability and career pathways for graduates entering the language professions;Situated learning and work placements as bridges between academia and industry;Embedding professional practice in teaching through practitioner involvement and industry-informed curricula;Networks, support systems, and alumni engagement for sustainable career development;Diversity, equity, and inclusion: embracing difference in collaborative contexts;Educating clients, companies, and end users about translation and interpreting, including AI/MT-mediated content;Ethical collaborations and responsible partnerships between academia and industry;Innovation, co-creation, and participatory research methods;Enjoyment and rewards of the language professions (slow translation);Ways in which academia-industry synergies generate new knowledge, foster innovation, and support inclusive, context-sensitive scholarship.Practical informationSelected papers will be submitted to a double-blind peer review.Submission of paper proposals (including a title and an abstract of approximately 300 words, excluding references) should be sent to all three guest editors:Xiaochun Zhang (xiaochun.zhang@ucl.ac.uk)Alejandro Bolanos-Garcia-Escribano (a.bolanos@ucl.ac.uk)Olivia Cockburn (o.cockburn@ucl.ac.uk) DeadlinesAbstract deadline: 1 May 2026Acceptance of abstract proposals: 1 July 2026Submission of papers: 1 December 2026Acceptance of papers: March 2027Submission of final versions of papers: 1 June 2027Editorial work (proofreading, APA, layout): September – October 2027Publication: December 2027
CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR A SPECIAL ISSUE Submitting Proposals are open for a special guest-edited issue of Translation Studies 21(2) to be published in May 2028 Translation Studies aims to extend the discipline’s methodologies, areas of interest and conceptual frameworks while testing the traditional boundaries of the notion of “translation” and offering a forum for debate focusing on historical, social, institutional and cultural facets of translation.The editors are inviting proposals for a special issue that engages with cutting-edge debates, critical questions, and innovative directions in translation studies with relevance for a global scholarly audience. Please note that in line with the aims and scope of the journal, we will not consider submissions dealing with translator and interpreter training.Guest editor(s) will be responsible for curating the content of the issue, overseeing the review process in consultation with the journal editors, and copy editing the accepted submissions. The Editorial Team will provide guidance and support to ensure the highest level of quality for the guest-edited special issue.Submission You can submit your proposal to the Editorial Team (translationstudiesjournal@gmail.com), with “Translation Studies 21 Special Issue” in the subject line, by 31 March 2026, for consideration in Volume 21 (2028). Decisions will be communicated by 30 April 2026. Each proposal should include:- A title- A call for papers outlining the thematic focus, rationale, and significance (up to 750 words)- A list of indicative topics- The names and contact details of the guest editors, along with brief bio notes highlighting their editorial experience (up to 150 words)
The inaugural issue, on the theme of Community, will be published in the autumn of 2026.Only ONE submission per Call can be accepted from the same contributor, and all submissions must follow the Style Guidelines. Submissions are invited in the following categories: Translations, Research Articles and Reviewes.Key datesDeadline for submitting your contribution: Friday 10 April 2026Authors notified of publication decision: by Friday 12 June 2026Authors to submit revised contributions: Friday 21 August 2026Publication: Autumn 2026
Guest editors: Xany Jansen Van Vuuren, Helen-Mary Cawood, & James Kelly. Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2026 More details here.
