This event witnesses the first collaborative efforts between professionals and academics under the innovative theme. The speakers include professional mediators from the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and academics specialising in sociolinguistics, translation, intercultural communication and conflict management studies. They will present and debate how professional knowledge and academic research into those areas can contribute effectively to the understanding of language use and inter/cross-cultural differences in mediation and conflict management and their representation in translation/interpreting.