The work of the Saarland Language Council
TINNEFELD, Thomas: Professor of Applied Languages at Saarland University of Applied Sciences in Germany. He is President of the Saarland Language Council and sits on the Board of ICC – the International Language Association. His research interests cover applied linguistics, language teaching methodology, grammaticography, and interculturality.
Introduction to the Symposium theme
DENDRINOS, Bessie: Professor Emerita and Director of the Research Institute for Multilingualism and Language Policy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), as well as president of the Examination Board of the Greek national foreign languages examination suite. She publishes in English and Greek but her work has also appeared in Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Internationalisation of HE in the Time of Antiliberalism (online)
This talk explores how the internationalisation of higher education (HE) is increasingly shaped by the rise of antiliberal politics and their growing influence on academic institutions. Drawing on comparative examples, it examines how ideological pressures, regulatory interventions, and challenges to academic freedom are constraining cross-border collaborations, mobility programmes, and research networks. Moreover, this presentation highlights how antiliberal actors instrumentalise internationalisation to project legitimacy while simultaneously restricting critical inquiry. It argues for renewed strategies to safeguard institutional autonomy, support scholars, and reimagine international engagement in ways that strengthen democratic values and protect the integrity of HE systems.
PETŐ, Andrea: Professor at the European University, Vienna, Austria, research affiliate of the CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest, and a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Her works on gender, politics, Holocaust, and war have been translated into 24 languages. She has been awarded by the All-European Academies (ALLEA), received the Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values and the 2022 University of Oslo Human Rights Award.
TSAMADOU-JACOBERGER, Irini: Professor of Greek linguistics and sociolinguistics at the University of Strasbourg, Former director of GEO, the Research Centre for Oriental, Slavic and Modern Greek Studies, and Associated Member of the Research Centre for Linguistics, Languages and Discourse. Her research and publications focus on General Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Contact linguistics, Plurilingualism, Representations and their construction in discourse. Vice President for European and International Affairs at UNISTRA from 01.2017 to 04.2025.
Towards an inclusive multilingual university
Universities in the UK are keen to prioritise their focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Yet institutional attitudes towards multilingualism often reflect those of the UK more broadly by tending to deny the importance and benefits of linguistic diversity for our societies, institutions and, importantly, for the personal, academic, social, cultural and employability benefits for individuals. This presentation will report on ways in which this is being addressed in a linguistically superdiverse university in London, researching and engaging with the university community in order to shift the monolingual habitus to a plurilingual habitus.
LAMB, Terry: Professor of Languages and Interdisciplinary Pedagogy at the University of Westminster. His contributions extend internationally, as an advisor to several governments and research councils, including France, Hong Kong, Malta and UK, and he is currently a consultant on the Council of Europe’s Language Policy Advisory Group. He is also President of FIPLV.
MARTYNIUK, Waldemar: Professor at the Institute of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Teacher trainer, author of textbooks, curricula, and testing materials for Polish as a foreign language. Executive Director of ECML of the Council of Europe and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE).
Universities as bordering spaces: internationalisation, immigration, and the affective realities for students
Universities occupy a paradoxical position in contemporary internationalisation: they promote global engagement while simultaneously acting as bordering spaces through their statutory roles in immigration regulation. Drawing on qualitative research with visa-required international students in the UK, this talk examines how institutional responsibilities for monitoring, compliance and sponsorship shape students’ affective realities. Experiences of surveillance, precarity and “stranger” positioning sit uneasily alongside universities’ claims to openness and diversity. By understanding internationalisation as an affective process, I explore how immigration governance structures belonging and exclusion within UK higher education. The talk concludes by considering how universities might re-imagine internationalisation in ways that support mobility without reproducing harm.
TIERNAN, Aisling: Postdoctoral researcher at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. Her work examines internationalisation, academic mobility, and the affective and regulatory dynamics of higher education. Drawing on extensive professional experience in international offices in the UK and Ireland, her research focuses particularly on visa-required students and universities’ evolving roles as bordering institutions.
The de-internationalization policies in the Netherlands, and the experiences of students
In recent years, Dutch higher education has been marked by strong internationalization and a growing influx of international students. This trajectory shifted under the Rutte IV government and intensified further during the Schoof I cabinet. New measures, such as restricting English-taught programs, reducing financial support, and tightening security screening, have resulted in a less welcoming climate. Using the concepts of the hostile environment, (de-)internationalization, and the sense of belonging, this study explored how these changes influence international students’ experiences. Based on thirteen interviews, findings show a declining sense of belonging, amplified by housing, bureaucratic, and integration challenges.
EL-MAHJOUBI, Monté: Resarcher trainee at Tilburg University, he has a BSc in International Business Administration, an MSc in Data Science & Society, and an MA in Culture Studies. His academic work has focused on student perspectives on de-internationalization in Dutch higher education and on Dutch directness.
SWANENBERG, Jos: Professor of Diversity in Language and Culture at Tilburg University, and senior researcher at the Meertens Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam. He co-edited Language and Culture on the Margins. Global/Local Interactions (2019) and Language Policies and the Politics of Language Practices (2021). (Photo: Monique Kooijmans.)
Bridging research and society: perspectives, challenges and mutual benefits
Research shows that bi/multilingualism in any languages, regardless of prestige or worldwide diffusion, can potentially give children and adults a range of linguistic, cognitive and social benefits. However, there are still many misconceptions about what it means to be or become bi/multilingual. Building bridges between research and society can provide the ground for more informed decisions in different contexts and enrich research with a deeper understanding of the bi/multilingual experience. This involves learning to address a series of challenges, including simplifying, and adapting complex content to different audiences by mediating and translating scientific information within the same and across languages, a profound understanding of financial, political, and ideological constraints, as well as forestalling misinterpretations. Bilingualism Matters centres are committed to bridging the gap between research and society and during my presentation I will discuss both the challenges faced and ways of dealing with them.
SORACE, Antonella: Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. She is internationally known for her interdisciplinary research on bilingualism across the lifespan, and for her commitment to building bridges between research and society. She is the founding director of the non-profit organisation Bilingualism Matters, which currently has 30 branches in three different continents.
RINKER, Tanja: Professor of German as a Second and Foreign Language at the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany. Since 2016, she has been leader of the “Multilingualism in the Classroom” project, funded by the Ministry of Education and Research in Baden-Württemberg. In 2018, she became part of the EU-consortium “MultiMind” which aims at training PhD students in the area of multilingualism.
DIALOGUES – languages, literacies, and learning in a digital age
This paper presents the DIALOGUES project (2024-2027), an Erasmus+ capacity building in higher education project with partners in Zambia, Iceland, and Norway. The project aims at building competence in multilingualism, including sign language, in teacher education in Zambia and addresses digitalization for inclusion. Activities in the project include blended mobility, joint supervision and a transnational supervisors’ forum, as well as the development of Storybooks Zambia. The discussion is guided by the following questions: How can we engage in Global South-Global North collaboration in decolonizing ways? How can we challenge power imbalances when funding is based on those very power imbalances?
LEXANDER, Kristina Vold: Professor at the University of Inland Norway and professor II at the University of Oslo. Her research focuses on multilingualism and digital interaction in families, at work, and in education. She teaches sociolinguistic perspectives on multilingualism, digitally mediated language practices and qualitative research methods.
Language teaching and citizenship language requirements in Scandinavia
This presentation provides insights from a 4-year project (IMPECT) on the consequences of language and knowledge requirements for citizenship and residency for learners with low levels of print literacy hosted in Norway (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences). The focus is on how language requirements influence teachers’ professional identities, their perception of agency and professional responsibility across the Scandinavian Introduction Programs for adult migrants (Nordanger & Egeland, 2024; Nordanger, 2026). How language requirements for legal and democratic rights contribute to a politization of language teaching potentially affecting the negotiation of classroom epistemic trust will be presented.
NORDANGER, Marte: Associate professor at University of Inland Norway. She holds a Ph.D in second language acquisition from the University of Bergen. Her published research includes works on adult language development from a usage-based perspective, and the consequences of migration and citizenship requirements for refugees and language teachers.
MORACZEWSKA, Agnieszka: She holds a doctorate in bilingual subject education. She teaches Norwegian as a second language and language pedagogy, including in subjects related to teacher education and in Norwegian courses for international students. She is a member of the research group Language Teaching and Learning in Multilingual Contexts at the University of Inland Norway.
Language data for European AI
This talk will focus on the EU efforts to address the evolving challenges of artificial intelligence, emphasising the need for continuous updating of knowledge, skills, and language data. It will highlight the EU’s strategic direction for AI and regulatory framework, including its use in public services, academia, SMEs and NGOs. The talk will also cover investments in supercomputing infrastructure, AI toolkits, skills programmes, and progress in institutional large language models trained on European data, supporting technological sovereignty and linguistic parity.
ELLINIDES, Christos: Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation, overseeing EU translation policy and AI-based language technologies. He chairs the Management Board of the Translation Centre of the EU, the European Masters in Translation Board, and the Commission’s language industry expert group. His career spans leadership roles driving the strategic adoption of digital solutions across Europe.
BARNI, Monica: Professor of Educational Linguistics at the Sapienza Università di Roma. She is Director of the Sapienza University Language Center and coordinates the Research Unit for the Study of Linguistic Diversity and Multimodality at the Sapienza Department of Humanities and Modern Culture. Her research activity focuses on teaching, learning and assessment of languages and analysis and impact of national and European language policies.
The prerequisites for constructing foreign academic knowledge through translation
In order for a broad internationalisation of higher education to work, academics have to be able to understand each other across languages. Translation is a relevant tool for this, due to the limitations concerning the number of languages a person may have. In my talk, I will apply my take on the Knowledge Communication Approach, which is based on the idea that knowledge is what humans may construct from texts. Focus will be on the way an exchange of academic knowledge via translations may be conceptualised from this point
ENGBERG, Jan: Professor of Knowledge Communication at Aarhus University. His main research interests are the study of cognitive aspects of specialized discourse and the relation between specialized knowledge and text formulation. Much of his research is focused upon communication, translation and meaning in the field of law.
JESSNER-SCHMID, Ulrike: Professor at the University of Innsbruck (Austria), the University of Pannonia, Veszprem (Hungary) and an Extraordinary Professor at North West University (South Africa). She has published widely in the field of multilingualism and has been engaged in the development of the research area of third language acquisition/multilingualism as a Founding Member and President of the International Association of Multilingualism.
Monolingual filter bubbles in the translanguaging space? Machine translation and multilingualism in HE
LLM based automated translation from and into text and speech is not only an opportunity for the inclusive internationalisation of HE, but these emerging affordances of digital multilingualism calibrated to individual profiles can create quasi-monolingual bubbles for the uptake, and perhaps, production of scientific knowledge. Such bubbles would filter out sociolinguistic realities, the indexicality and enregisterment of voices in the multilingual/dialectal/idiolectal continuum of variation and differentiation, and the resulting performance of social space and positionlities. It would suppress exposure to transformative translanguaging experience, and reiterate boundary-making and identification along the engrained language ideologies of the nation state fostered by and fostering populist policies and politics.
SZABÓ, Petér: Staff conference interpreter at the European Parliament, also involved in the university training and assessment of interpreters for EU institutions. His main research interest is the ethnography of language policy, explored through situated sociolinguistic performances of multilingualism in the European Parliament. He obtained his PhD at Tilburg University (the Netherlands).
Translation as global knowledge infrastructure: from the European interoperability to planetary knowledge commons
This intervention discusses translation as a strategic infrastructure for global knowledge circulation. Moving beyond linguistic transfer, translation mediates cultures, epistemologies, and policy-relevant knowledge, enabling interoperability across institutions, languages, and digital systems worldwide. Departing from a purely European paradigm, the discussion situates EU initiatives within a broader global knowledge ecology, emphasizing equitable collaboration between regions, languages, and knowledge producers, with emphasis on research centers and universities. Particular attention is paid to the emerging translation landscape shaped by AI, advocating a EuroStack-inspired but globally connected model that prioritizes high-quality data, sustainable energy, and humanities-driven research. Through interoperable, open-access, scalable solutions and transnational university cooperation, translation supports a resilient, multipolar deep-tech ecosystem serving shared global knowledge needs.
FRAGKOU, Effrossyni: Associate Lecturer at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a course director at York University, Glendon College. She specializes in medical and public service interpreting, translation, terminology, and pedagogy. A co-editor of the Handbook of Research on Medical Interpreting (2020), she actively publishes and participates in international conferences.
From translation tool to epistemic technology: Generative AI and the changing nature of knowledge translation across languages
In this contribution, I reflect on how the growing use of generative AI is reshaping translation practices in higher education and research communication. Rather than functioning solely as productivity tools, AI-based systems increasingly influence how academic knowledge is formulated, adapted, and circulated across languages and cultures. Particular attention is paid to the risks of over-reliance on GenAI-driven translation systems that foster practices such as automation-induced standardisation of academic discourse and the uncritical transfer of knowledge claims across languages. I argue that translators increasingly act as epistemic mediators responsible for safeguarding diversity of perspectives, contextual adequacy, and academic autonomy in multilingual higher education.
TRKLJA, Aleksandar: Associate Professor at the Institute for Translation Studies, University of Innsbruck. With a PhD from the University of Birmingham, he has held academic positions at the University of Vienna, the University of Exeter, and the University of Birmingham. His research lies at the intersection of translation studies, with a particular focus on translation cognition, cognitive architectures, and the theoretical foundations of bilingual processing, as well as generative AI as an epistemic technology.
GÍSLADÓTTIR, Guðrún: General Secretary of ECSPM, co-chair of EARights, fine arts photographer and translator, she studied Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics. A polyglot, she is author of “Languages as ways of being: The linguistic biography of a Nordic nomad”, in The Dominant Language Constellations Approach in Education and Language Acquisition (Springer 2022).
Machine translation as educational technology
Consumer-oriented machine translation (MT) software and large language models (LLMs) are transforming human communication. Consequently, prohibiting MT and LLMs in post-secondary foreign language and humanities education is unsustainable. Educators and administrators must move beyond skepticism and strategically integrate these tools by recalibrating educational objectives. We will show how this shift prioritizes developing learners’ ability to perform tasks that initially rely on human-machine collaboration before achieving independent mastery. We conclude by outlining strategic priorities for curriculum, instruction, and the EdTech sector that support meaningful AI integration in post-secondary language and humanities programs.
URLAUB, Per: Director of Global Languages at MIT, where he researches technology’s impact on language, literacy, culture, and education and teaches German and European Studies. Formerly at Middlebury College and the University of Texas at Austin in various academic and administrative roles, he holds a PhD from Stanford.
DESSEIN, Eva: (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is a Senior Lecturer in French at MIT. Her research examines language learning and identity development, critical language pedagogies, and the use of AI in language learning. She has published in the L2 Journal, Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, and The French Review.
SLAVKOV, Nikolay: Professor and Research Chair in Language Policy at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) of the University of Ottawa. He is interested in bilingualism and multilingualism from various perspectives, including social, pedagogical, linguistic, and psychological. His current research spans language pedagogy and innovation, family language policy, and ideology.
Literacy in diversity settings: Integrating international approaches in research and teaching at the University of Hamburg
This presentation introduces the research centre Literacy in Diversity Settings (LiDS) located within the University of Hamburg’s Faculty of Education. As a pooling of cross-faculty expertise, LiDS investigates the overarching question: How can sustainable language education be achieved in the context of diversity? Following an overview of LiDS and its internationalisation efforts in HE research and teaching, we spotlight two key areas of activity: 1) research on international students in Germany, and the role of language for their sense of belonging; 2) the introduction of service learning and social action in teacher-education programmes to connect university, communities and language education across the curriculum.
BOHNDICK, Carla: Professor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Hamburg, Germany. Her research focuses on various aspects of study success with a special focus on the fit between student and university. She teaches in the Master’s program on Higher Education.
BOHNDICK, Carla: Professor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Hamburg, Germany. Her research focuses on various aspects of study success with a special focus on the fit between student and university. She teaches in the Master’s program on Higher Education.
McMONAGLE, Sarah: With a PhD from Ulster University, she manages the faculty research centre Literacy in Diversity Settings and the Alexander-von-Humboldt research project Language Diversity and Social Participation Across the Lifespan at the University of Hamburg’s Faculty of Education.
MARY, Latisha: Professor of language education at the Faculty of Education, University of Strasbourg, member of the Language(s) and Society unit of the LiLPa (UR1339) research group. Her research interests include teacher knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about language(s), home-school partnerships, teacher education for plurilingual language acquisition and teacher plurilingual wellbeing.
The ACTIN project (ACT and connect for INtegration: language learning and cultural awareness)
Marinis and Young will present the ACTIN project which aims to support and reinforce the integration and inclusion of migrant children and adolescents in education and by extension in European society as a whole. They will explain how the project brings together expertise from seven European countries and consolidates connections between Universities and NGOs involved in migration and education. They will also discuss how ACTIN approaches migrant education holistically by employing language learning and cultural awareness activities in formal educational settings and extracurricular activities in informal educational settings, and how teacher training enables teachers to familiarise themselves with the activities and try them out in the classroom. Finally, they will present an online open-source site that makes all material across different languages accessible to everyone.
Justine Holtzweiler, Karina Al-Katauneh and Saskia Braun will present outcomes of actions performed by the University of Strasbourg and the University of Konstanz.
MARINIS, Theodoros: Professor at the University of Konstanz, Germany and the University of Reading, UK, Chair in Multilingualism, Director of the Centre for Multilingualism and the MA in Multilingualism at the University of Konstanz. He is leading the EU funded Innovative Training Network ‘The Multilingual Mind’ www.multilingualmind.eu that provides multi-disciplinary training in multilingualism to early-stage researchers across Europe.
YOUNG, Andrea: Professor of English and Language Education at the Faculty of Education and Lifelong Learning (INSPÉ) and member of the Language(s) and Society unit of the LiLPa research group at the University of Strasbourg. Her research/teaching interests include teacher education for the support of second language acquisition, home-school educational partnerships, teacher language awareness and plurilingual and intercultural education.
HOLTZWEILER, Justine:Team member of the ACTIN project, PhD student in Educational Sciences at the University of Strasbourg, affiliated with the LiLPa (Linguistique, Langues, Parole) research laboratory, her research interests focus on plurilingual children in classrooms, the inclusion of emerging bilingual students in the education system, co-teaching and pedagogical translanguaging.
AL-KATAUNEH, Karina: Team member of the ACTIN project, she is a PhD student in Educational Sciences at the University of Strasbourg, affiliated with the LiLPa (Linguistique, Langues, Parole) research laboratory. Her research interests include game-based language learning, innovations in language didactics, plurilingualism, sociolinguistics, and pedagogical translanguaging.
BRAUN, Saskia: Team member of the ACTIN project, PhD student in Linguistics at the University of Konstanz, affiliated with the Center for Multilingualism, with experience in teaching German as a second/foreign language, and in teacher education. Her research focuses on pedagogical translanguaging and language teaching didactics, particularly in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms.
ZERVA, Maria: Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Strasbourg. Member of the ANIME (Inclusiveness, Multilingualism and Excellence) Academic Network, initiated by the University of Strasbourg, her research interests are Language Teaching and Learning, Sociolinguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis.