Language is (super)vital

Kick-off for international project on multilingualism in crisis areas

11 to 14 December 2024

From 11 to 14 December 2024, the research workshop "Multilingualism in Spaces of Crisis: The Impact of Human and Non-Human Agency" took place at the Institute of Translation Studies. Under the direction of Prof. Şebnem Bahadır-Berzig and Dr Raquel Pacheco Aguilar, an interdisciplinary consortium consisting of six European partner universities and experts from the field came together to develop common goals for a project proposal.

The involvement of Prof Federico Federici (University College London), who is one of the leading experts in the field of crisis communication, and the partnership with the Turkish network for emergency and disaster interpreters ARÇ are particularly pleasing. This cooperation enables a practice-orientated perspective on the topics of multilingualism and crisis communication.

The two-day kick-off event focussed on key questions such as:

How can multilingual communication needs be better integrated into international crisis support systems (e.g. INSARAG, WHO) and how can translation services be used for more effective crisis prevention and risk minimisation?

How can global best practice examples be adapted locally to create sustainable solutions for multilingual and multicultural needs?

How can an international, inter- and transdisciplinary training and accreditation programme for crisis interpreters be developed?

The workshop, funded by ARQUS, the GeWi focus area "Multilingualism, Migration and Cultural Transformation" and ITAT, provided an important impetus for the further development of new research approaches to multilingualism in crisis situations and promoted exchange between the Arqus network partners from Minho, Granada, Maynooth and Graz.