Call for papers - AELFE-TAPP Conference, 8-10 July 2020, Barcelona

 

This joint AELFE-TAPP Conference brings together the 19th annual conference of AELFE (Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos/European Association of Languages for Specific Purposes) and the 2nd Conference of the Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Project (TAPP), a growing virtual exchange network that has developed transnational collaborative projects on specialised communication, translation and user experience. The combination of both conferences will allow participants to link the fields of languages for specific purposes (LSP) and telecollaboration/virtual exchange.

The annual AELFE Conference is a meeting point for scholars interested in academic and professional communication from a multidisciplinary perspective.

The first TAPP conference was held in Fargo (ND, USA) in 2016, under the theme “Converging fields”. This second edition, “Expanding networks”, will explore virtual exchange from the perspective of its consolidation and will provide a forum for researchers and practitioners from different networks to share their experience and insights.

In a networked era, we are faced with the challenges of faster and more complex communication involving a variety of languages, participants and modes.  Academic and professional communication also poses challenges related to disciplinary literacies and interdisciplinary collaboration. As higher education is undergoing a process of increased internationalization, especially through English-medium instruction (EMI) and internationalization at home and abroad, we ask: What is the role of LSP teaching and research? How can academics expand their international and multidisciplinary networks? How can educators best prepare future graduates for complex multilingual and multicultural work and study environments?

With an emphasis on the demands of international academic and professional language use as well as on the opportunities afforded by technology for collaboration and intercultural communication, the AELFE-TAPP 2020 Conference will provide scholars with the opportunity to discuss advances in academic and professional communication as well as in virtual exchange.

The International AELFE-TAPP 2020 Conference welcomes proposals related to either languages for specific purposes or virtual exchange (or which combine both). Submissions are accepted for paper and poster presentations, workshops, colloquia, and roundtables. AELFE is multilingual in nature, so participants can send their contributions in languages other than English (Spanish, Catalan, French, German, and Italian).

AELFE

Participants are invited to send their proposals in relation (though not restricted) to the following AELFE thematic panels:

In particular, participants are encouraged to connect the topics in the thematic panels to broader issues, such as the interplay between EMI and ESP, EMI/ESP training or the role of ESP in the context of increasingly internationalized university settings.

TAPP

Proposals focusing on virtual exchange/telecollaboration will be featured in a distinct strand, the TAPP conference, which will be held concurrently with the AELFE conference sessions. This strand is open to both experienced participants and academics willing to learn more about (or perhaps engage in) virtual exchange. A variety of proposals are welcome for papers, workshops, colloquia, and roundtables on any area of virtual exchange. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

Thematic symposia

In addition to regular AELFE and TAPP panels, the conference will also feature the following thematic symposia. Please follow the links below for specific instructions on submissions: 

Technical and Professional Communication for Users in Intercultural and Multilingual Contexts

Symposium Chairs: Bruce Maylath (North Dakota State University) and Kirk St.Amant (Louisiana Tech)

This half-day symposium on Technical and Professional Communication will highlight current thinking and developments in technical and professional communication, as they relate to intercultural and/or multilingual contexts. 

Multilingualism in EU Institutions and EU Law

Symposium Chairs: Karin Luttermann (Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany) and Jan Engberg (Aarhus University, Denmark)

This symposium seeks to bring together researchers from law, linguistics and affiliated disciplines like translation, socio-linguistics and language policy in order to encourage interdisciplinary research.

Forum for young researchers

As it is usual in AELFE Conferences, there will be a forum for young researchers, which will provide PhD students and junior scholars with the opportunity to present their research and receive feedback from experienced scholars.  

Important dates

Call for proposals: from 10th July 2019 to 31st October 2019  15th November (new deadline)
Notification of acceptance: 30th November 2019
Early bird registration: 31st March 2020
Deadline for registration: 31st May 2020

Instructions for submission: https://aelfetapp.upc.edu/en/call-for-papers/instructions-for-submissions