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"Farsi Conference Interpreter (Simultaneous)
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION SOLUTIONS™
UK
£32k - £42k per year
Contract
Part time
REMOTE
Apply for this job
Position: Farsi Conference Interpreter (Simultaneous)
Location: Remote and Various live conference venues
Contract Type: Freelance / Per Assignment
Certified Translation Solutions is seeking to expand its roster of exceptional Farsi simultaneous interpreters. We partner with government departments, multinational corporations and leading event organisers to deliver seamless, real‑time interpretation at conferences of all sizes.
As a Farsi simultaneous interpreter, you will:
Provide live English⇄Farsi interpretation at conferences, seminars and panel discussions
Liaise with the technical team to ensure optimal audio quality and equipment setup
Compile terminology glossaries and briefing notes in conjunction with clients and fellow interpreters
Uphold the highest professional standards and confidentiality at all times
What We Require:
Extensive experience in simultaneous interpreting at large‑scale or high‑profile events
Native‑level Farsi and an excellent command of English, including sector‑specific vocabulary
Proficiency with interpretation booths, headsets and remote‑simultaneous platforms
The ability to perform under pressure and maintain concentration for prolonged periods
Two professional references from recognised language service providers or television networks for which simultaneous interpretation services were provided
Desirable Extras:
Specialisation in sectors such as diplomacy, sociocultural affairs, human rights, politics, finance, technology and healthcare
Experience in remote simultaneous interpretation
Membership of professional bodies (e.g. AIIC)
How to Apply:
Please visit Certified Translation Solutions' website and complete the online application form.
Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. Successful candidates will be invited by Certified Translation Solutions to undertake a brief assessment assignment..."
https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5339699793
#metaglossia_mundus
"Trois dilemmes orthographiques de la langue française : féminisation, prononciation et participe passé
Le choix des mots, et même de leur simple graphie, prend parfois une importance insoupçonnée. Muriel Gilbert, correctrice au « Monde », retrace trois cas où l’orthographe doit s’adapter et évoluer pour être en phase avec son temps.
Par Muriel Gilbert
La langue française peut être un véritable casse-tête, lorsqu’elle ne déchaîne pas les passions, sur la question de la féminisation des noms de métier par exemple. Ainsi, malgré des dizaines d’heures consacrées, notamment lors de la scolarité, aux règles de grammaire, l’accord du participe reste la bête noire des Français. Internet est venu corser la donne : à l’heure des contenus multimédias, il faut désormais s’accorder sur la prononciation, en particulier des noms propres. Passage en revue de ces trois cas de figure.
La douloureuse féminisation des noms de fonction
LE secrétaire perpétuel de l’Académie française Hélène Carrère d’Encausse est mortE en août 2023. Première femme à occuper cette position prestigieuse, l’historienne tenait pourtant au masculin, et avait insisté sur ce point dès sa nomination, en 1999. « Elle a souligné que cette élection était “importante pour les femmes”, écrivait alors Le Monde, mais a décidé qu’elle se ferait appeler “madame le secrétaire perpétuel”. »
« La secrétaire », au féminin, renvoyait-elle dans son esprit, comme dans celui de nombre de ses contemporains, à une fonction subalterne… et typiquement féminine ? Dans la plupart des entreprises du XXIe siècle, d’ailleurs, les secrétaires ont disparu au profit d’assistantes qui remplissent peu ou prou les mêmes fonctions, sous une appellation différente, débarrassée de son parfum péjoratif.
Une langue vivante est une langue qui évolue, c’est même ce qui la caractérise. Les Françaises ont pris, depuis la seconde guerre mondiale, une place croissante dans la vie économique. La féminisation, en particulier celle des noms de métier et de fonction, est le chantier – encore en cours – qui a le plus profondément bouleversé le français ces dernières décennies. Mêlant langage, politique et société, cette féminisation allume des passions. Faut-il dire : « J’aime cet auteur », « cette auteure » ou « cette autrice » ? « Nous accueillons madame le ministre » ou « madame la ministre » ?…"
Lire la suite ici👇🏿
https://www.lemonde.fr/les-envies-du-monde/article/2025/08/08/feminisation-prononciation-et-participe-passe-trois-dilemmes-orthographiques-de-la-langue-francaise_6627355_6024727.html
#metaglossia_mundus
Large language models speak over 100 languages fluently unless you're one of Africa's 1.2 billion people. Are so-called “universal” AI systems excluding an entire continent’s linguistic heritage from the digital future?
"AI is finally trying to speak African languages. Will this end a historic neglect?
Large language models speak over 100 languages fluently unless you're one of Africa's 1.2 billion people. Are so-called “universal” AI systems excluding an entire continent’s linguistic heritage from the digital future?
By Edibe Betul Yucer
Nine years ago, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai first pledged that artificial intelligence would make information “universally accessible” to everyone, regardless of language.
He has continued to repeat that promise ever since, fuelling expectations around the world that technology would finally bridge linguistic divides and provide equal access to knowledge for all.
Yet for those who speak any of Africa’s more than 2,000 languages, that promise remains distant.
Millions across the continent still find that the advanced AI tools transforming agriculture, education, and daily life cannot understand or communicate in their own languages.
According to research, ChatGPT – which has 800 million weekly active users worldwide— recognises only 10 to 20 per cent of sentences written in Hausa, which is spoken by over 94 million Nigerians.
The same goes for other widely spoken African languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, Swahili, and Somali, all of which remain severely underrepresented in mainstream AI models despite having tens of millions of speakers.
But why have so many African languages been overlooked by today’s most powerful AI tools and what does this reveal about who gets to shape the digital future?
‘Low resource’ languages
One of the foremost and utmost reasons for African languages’ exclusion from AI is what researchers call the “low-resource” problem.
In this context, “low-resource” refers to the scarcity of online materials such as websites, books, and transcripts available in those languages.
Since most large language models (LLMs) rely on huge volumes of such digital data to learn and generate text, the vast majority of this data is in English (high-resource) or a handful of other widely spoken global languages in the West.
“Our measure for progress and research agenda is based on what works for Western languages,” says Hellina Hailu Nigatu, an AI researcher focused on LLMs at the University of California, Berkeley.
The lack of training data leaves AI models like ChatGPT or Gemini struggling to recognise, generate or even meaningfully “see” African languages, no matter how many people speak them.
“African languages are categorised as ‘low-resource’ and are usually excluded, or even when they are included, systems perform poorly on them,” she tells TRT World.
This classification system that divides the world's languages into "high-resource" and "low-resource" categories has become the industry's preferred framework for discussing this disparity.
Commercial incentives, systemic bias and cost issue
Another reason for underrepresentation is the priorities of global AI research and development.
Research shows that large language model (LLM) outputs lean towards “Western stereotypes”.
The standards are set mostly by Western tech companies and academic institutions, which focus on languages with the largest online footprints and most funding directed towards a small group of “high-resource” languages.
As a result, African languages are rarely prioritised for investment or innovation.
Commercial incentives also play a major role. Since the immediate economic returns from African language markets are limited, companies have little motivation to dedicate time and resources to improving AI support for these languages.
This structural bias is reinforced by the datasets used to train AI models.
Even when African languages are included, the systems often adopt Western cultural assumptions, sometimes misrepresenting local contexts or perpetuating stereotypes.
The findings align with broader research on algorithmic bias.
“What we see in research is that adopting LLMs to multiple languages without careful consideration risks importing biases from English to these multilingual contexts, or misses contextual notions of bias that do not exist in English,” Nigatu says."
https://trt.global/afrika-english/article/359e1362af39
#metaglossia_mundus
"Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer in Spanish (Global and Area Studies)
Employer
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Location
Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Competitive salary
Closing date
25 Aug 2025
Ref.: 532677
Work type: Full-time
Department: School of Modern Languages and Cultures (05100)
Categories: Teaching Staff
Applications are invited for appointment as Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer in Spanish (Global and Area Studies) in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (Ref.: 532677), to commence on September 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter, on a fixed-term basis, with the possibility of renewal subject to performance and availability of funding.
For appointment as Lecturer (three-year fixed-term): Applicants should possess a relevant Master’s degree with proven expertise in the teaching of Spanish to non-native speakers, plus at least 5 years’ experience in teaching courses at the tertiary level. Applicants with a relevant Ph.D. or nearing completion of a Ph.D. and the ability to teach research-based courses on subjects related to Hispanophone cultures and Spanish pedagogy will receive preferential consideration.
For appointment as Assistant Lecturer (two-year fixed-term): Applicants should possess a relevant Master’s degree with proven expertise in the teaching of Spanish to non-native speakers, plus at least 3 years of teaching experience in tertiary education.
Applicants should be native or near native speakers of Spanish and possess excellent communication skills in English. They should also be conversant with current trends in Spanish language teaching and assessment, as well as with the use of AI tools for teaching and learning. The appointee is expected to teach a variety of courses at different levels, develop new courses, and design assessment materials. This is an academic-related post with teaching and administration as the principal duties, but research activities will also be encouraged. For further enquiries about Spanish at the University of Hong Kong, please e-mail Ms. Rocio Blasco Garcia (roblasco@hku.hk).
A highly competitive salary, commensurate with qualifications and experience, will be offered, together with contract-end gratuity and a University contribution to a retirement benefits scheme at 15% of the basic salary for Lecturers and 10% of the basic salary for Assistant Lecturers. Other benefits include annual leave and professional leave, medical benefits, and free access to on-campus gyms and libraries.
... Applicants should apply online at the University’s careers site (https://jobs.hku.hk) and upload an up-to-date C.V., proof of all relevant qualifications, and a cover letter in Spanish and English. Applicants should also have three reference letters sent directly by the referees to smlcsena@hku.hk. Closes August 25, 2025.
The University is committed to diversity and inclusivity. The Faculty of Arts expressly encourages qualified persons from all genders to apply."
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs/listing/397162/lecturer-assistant-lecturer-in-spanish-global-and-area-studies-/
#metaglossia_mundus
42 Western radio stations are considered vulnerable because over 30% of their annual funding comes from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting
"As public media is threatened after cuts from Trump administration, Indigenous radio also face threats to how they preserve and grow language
Samantha Honani Molina, general manager of KUYI-Hopi Radio, was about 20 when KUYI-Hopi Radio first came on air. She was attending college, hours and miles from her home village, and every time she tuned in, she felt connected, hearing her community’s songs and language.
...
Tiffany Lee, a Native American studies professor at the University of New Mexico, researches language reclamation and identity for Native youth. She promotes the benefits of immersive bilingual education for Indigenous students and adults, noting that having access to learning one’s language is key to revitalizing it.
“The number-one issue for language revitalization today is making sure our youth, our families, all have access to learning in some way and in multiple ways,” said Lee. “Just one isn’t going to work and isn’t always the best method for learning, so you need a diverse array of accessing the language and learning it.”
If pulling public media funding is done, it would destabilize not only the progress made but also jeopardizes the essential safety and cultural services we provide daily.
Indigenous language use on the airwaves bolsters the other places where Native languages are spoken, including schools and other immersion language programs. Examples in the Southwest include organizations like Saad K’idilyé — of which Lee is a board member — and Hopitutuqaiki, which teach Navajo and Hopi respectively in culturally relevant ways.
For Lee, learning one’s language is not just about being able to communicate within the community...
"You’re learning your community and your culture’s worldview; you’re learning how language is tied to cultural practice, how it is cultural practice.”
No one understands the impact of sending Indigenous languages out onto the airwaves more than Navajo radio broadcaster L.A. Williams.
Williams, who’s been a radio broadcaster for 32 years, is widely known for reporting Phoenix Suns games in Diné Bizaad, providing play-by-play commentary, making the sport more accessible for people who speak only that language. Williams said the language continues to thrive largely because of its continued use.
“We’re not losing our language,” she said. “Our language is what puts us further in life as it makes us live longer into life by knowing the Navajo language.”
...
Meanwhile, Molina and Lee remain hopeful that current U.S. policy, including proposed funding cuts to Indigenous public media, won’t derail the conviction and resilience of people who are determined to preserve and reclaim their traditional ways of life."
CHAD BRADLEY
AUGUST 8, 2025 8:01 AM
https://azmirror.com/2025/08/08/native-languages-need-radio-which-is-at-risk-of-being-lost/
#metaglossia_mundus
"Australia’s points-based immigration system allows applicants to gain additional points through the Credentialed Community Language (CCL) test, conducted by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). However, growing demand has also led to misleading claims and false promises of guaranteed success. In this episode, NAATI’s Community Testing Officer sets the record straight—offering practical advice on how to prepare, where to find trusted resources, and why translation and interpreting services are vital in Australia’s multicultural society.
Published 7 August 2025 2:58pm
By Vrishali Jain
Source: SBS"
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/hindi/en/podcast-episode/avoiding-pitfalls-what-you-need-to-know-about-naatis-ccl-test-and-translation-careers-in-australia/dj516v3w5
#metaglossia_mundus
"For nearly 40 years, the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC) has been integral in documenting Australian English, which plays a crucial role in shaping national identity. Despite its cultural significance, the Australian National University has decided to close the ANDC to reduce operating costs, jeopardizing this vital linguistic heritage.
In a shocking move, the Australian National University (ANU) is set to close the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC), a crucial institution in documenting and preserving the unique lexicon of Australian English.
Despite its role in shaping Australia's cultural and linguistic identity, ANU cites the need to reduce operational costs as the reason behind this drastic decision.
The ANDC's closure represents a significant loss of Australia's linguistic heritage and insights into the nation's evolving cultural narrative."
Melbourne | Updated: 08-08-2025 13:35 IST | Created: 08-08-2025 13:35 IST
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/entertainment/3534194-the-end-of-an-era-the-demise-of-the-australian-national-dictionary-centre
#metaglossia_mundus
"Meta is testing a new functionality that automatically translates the language of reels according to users' locations.
Almost by chance, the M4C team (those who are not on vacation) was “hunting” for interesting news on the web and came across this reel:
If you viewed the reel within this article, you have probably heard it in English and noticed the “original language” indication at the top right. However, if you copy the link or access Mosseri’s official account from your mobile device to view this content, you will hear the CEO of Instagram speaking in the language you have set as your preference on Instagram.
For example, if I put Spanish as my preferred languafe, I will hear Mosseri talking in a perfect Spanish with a Mexican-English accent. And, for those who may not know this, Mosseri is actually more New Yorker than Friends TV Show.
You may be interested: Who is Adam Mosseri: CEO of Instagram and Threads
What is happening is that Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, has started to implement what it announced a few months ago: the arrival of simultaneous translations with Meta AI, its artificial intelligence. As is usual, the feature was first launched in the United States. However, in some countries as Spain, users had not been able to experience it until now.
In fact, during the Meta Connect 2024 event, live demonstrations were presented to illustrate this new development.
What is Instagram’s simultaneous translation?
If you have your Instagram configured in Spanish, every time you watch a video of someone speaking in another language (and who has chosen to allow their content to be translated with AI), the audio will automatically be translated into your default language. This applies to both the audio and the subtitles (if they are present in the video).
That is to say, whenever the option is available, the AI will use the creator’s tone of voice as a base and then…work its magic.
But, beyond the fact that this is already remarkable, there is an additional detail: if you pay attention to how the speaker’s lips move—in this case, Mosseri—you will notice that he is mouthing in Spanish (albeit awkwardly, but he is doing it).
How to listen to Instagram reels in other languages
If you would like Instagram to translate reels for you into Spanish, you have two options:
Go to Settings and select the “Language and Translations” option. A drop-down menu will appear, allowing you to set content to be translated by default into several languages, including Spanish. In addition, you should ensure that the “Translate voice” option remains active. You can also choose to have audio transcriptions appear in the default language you select.
The other option is to select the translation directly on the reel. To do so, once you are watching the video, tap the three dots located at the top right corner of the video, click, and select the “Translate post” option and the language you wish to set as default.
If you do not like this option, you may deactivate it. You simply need to go to your settings, find “language and translations,” and choose to deactivate it.
And if you have not yet encountered this feature, rest assured: this new functionality will gradually appear in all of our accounts, just as has occurred with prior updates.
For the moment, we have tried to listen to Mosseri in Hindi, Japanese, and Italian but…it has not worked. Most likely, since this is a very new update and possibly still in a testing phase, there are some languages that are not yet available.
This has not been the only new feature launched by Instagram; in the same video, Mosseri announces other updates, which we describe for you in this article.
CAROLINA MUÑIZ
August 7, 2025
https://marketing4ecommerce.net/en/choose-audio-language-for-instagram-reels/
#metaglossia_mundus
The translation sector is shifting from broad large language models to smaller, specialised AI models that offer greater accuracy and efficiency in localisation.
"Translation sector shifts to specialist AI models for accuracy
Thu, 7th Aug 2025
By Melvin Hipolito, Editor
The translation industry is seeing a transition from general-purpose large language models to smaller, specialised models focused on greater accuracy and efficiency.
Over the past five years, neural machine translation (NMT) has shifted from a cautious experiment to mainstream adoption, with large language models (LLMs) playing a major role in driving new approaches to content localisation for global businesses. However, the future of the industry appears to be moving towards small language models (SLMs) designed for specific industries and language pairs.
Grant Straker, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Straker, has outlined his perspective on the changing landscape: "In just five years, the translation industry has undergone a radical transformation. What began as cautious experimentation with neural machine translation (NMT) has evolved into widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs), reshaping how global businesses approach content localisation.
But the next leap forward, I believe, won't come from models that are bigger, broader, and more complex. It will come from something much more focused and far more effective.
According to Straker, small language models offer tangible benefits over their larger predecessors. He explained that Straker has observed consistent outperformance by SLMs in their intended roles: "At Straker, we've seen first-hand how Small Language Models (SLMs) - purpose-built for specific industries and language pairs - consistently outperform their larger, general-purpose counterparts. In our experience, SLMs represent the future of translation: more accurate, more efficient, and more commercially viable."
The generalist limitation
LLMs are undoubtedly powerful, with advanced capabilities to generate human-like text and address diverse tasks. However, Straker noted that this versatility can result in problems in specialised translation, especially in highly regulated industries. He highlighted the example of domain-specific jargon, explaining, "There's no question that LLMs are powerful. Their versatility and capacity to generate human-like text have unlocked incredible new possibilities. But when it comes to translation - especially in regulated sectors - their generalist design becomes a weakness."
To illustrate, he pointed to the word "equity," which carries different meanings in real estate and finance. "Without domain-specific training, LLMs can easily misinterpret such terms risking confusion or, worse, critical errors in legal, financial, or medical communications."
Operational concerns were also addressed, with Straker stating, "The problem isn't just accuracy. LLMs are resource-hungry, slow to deliver, and often require heavy human editing to meet professional standards. For businesses managing hundreds of content streams across multiple languages, this quickly becomes unsustainable both financially and operationally."
The case for smaller models
To address these challenges, Straker described the development of Tiri, a suite of SLMs created for translation and localisation tasks. He stated, "To solve this, we developed Tiri - a suite of Small Language Models trained specifically for translation and localisation. These aren't all-purpose bots trying to do everything. Instead, they operate more like expert linguists deeply specialised, highly contextual, and tuned for specific tasks."
He shared an example of improved quality and contextual accuracy in financial translation tasks when using a Tiri model: "When we trained a Tiri model to handle Japanese-to-English investor relations material, the gains in quality and contextual accuracy were significant outperforming general-purpose LLMs that lacked financial nuance. That's the power of specialisation."
Three business benefits
Straker laid out three core reasons why SLMs may better serve the needs of business translation. The first centres on domain accuracy: "Tiri models are trained on high-quality, domain-specific data including translation memories and industry glossaries. They don't just translate words; they understand the context behind them. Whether it's legal contracts, pharmaceutical documentation, or technical manuals, the result is consistent, first-pass accuracy."
The second reason relates to efficiency: "Smaller models require less compute power. That means lower costs, faster speeds, and seamless integration into existing workflows without the need for expensive infrastructure or long processing times."
The third advantage is continued improvement: "We've embedded Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) directly into our workflows. This means Tiri models get better over time learning from real-world edits to align more closely with client expectations and preferred tone."
Translation as a craft
In his remarks, Straker also discussed the philosophical transition in translation with the rise of AI-driven tools: "For us, this isn't just a technical shift, it's a philosophical one. Translation is a craft. It's about preserving meaning, intent, and cultural nuance across borders. AI must honour that, not flatten it."
He concluded with his belief in the role of specialised AI models in the future of translation: "That's why I believe the future of translation will be shaped by specialisation, not scale. Businesses don't need AI that knows a little about everything. They need AI that deeply understands their domain, their customers, and their voice.
Because in the end, translation isn't just about sounding fluent. It's about being understood.""
https://itbrief.com.au/story/translation-sector-shifts-to-specialist-ai-models-for-accuracy
#metaglossia_mundus
"Two new Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme index reports have just been published. Examining the situation in Asan, Republic of Korea, and Pontedera, Italy, the index reports provide a comprehensive evaluation of the cities' achievements in intercultural integration, underlining progress and offering strategic recommendations for future development. The following areas are particular highlights:
Pontedera shows solid commitment to intercultural inclusion, and uses interculturalism as a criterion when allocating funds to associations and initiatives in the cultural and social life of the city.
Pontedera is to be particularly congratulated for its communication strategy which aims to improve the visibility and image of people with migrant/minority backgrounds in the local media. The city's communication department highlights diversity as an advantage regularly and in different types of communication. The authorities also actively engage with local media when they portray negative and harmful stereotypes.
The city encourages mixing in public spaces and has a multi-sectoral strategy combining policing, social work and communication which has been developed in consultation with residents.
The city also runs an intercultural mediation service which provides a professional service of intercultural communication and conflict resolution and prevention in Pontedera.
Asan achieved a high score across many areas of the index, the following areas are worthy of particular emphasis:
As a new member of the ICC network, Asan shows strong commitment to intercultural inclusion which is backed up through an action plan that is regularly evaluated and updated. It also has specific policies to encourage neighbourhood mixing and avoid residential segregation.
Particularly notable is the umbrella organisation of local, regional and national businesses which promotes diversity and anti-discrimination in the labour market.
In the field of anti-discrimination, Asan has carried out a thorough review of all municipal regulations to identify any points which may discriminate against residents with migrant or minority backgrounds, and has a specific service of the city dedicated to supporting victims of discrimination. It also regularly runs awareness raising campaigns and supports civil society in these efforts too.
The index reports for both cities will be complemented by an Intercultural Cities (ICC) expert visits taking place in September 2025, after which an Intercultural Profile will be published."
https://www.coe.int/en/web/interculturalcities/-/new-intercultural-analyses-in-italy-and-korea-published
#metaglossia_mundus
"OM : Les supporters exigent un interprète compétent après la mauvaise traduction de De Zerbi
Rédaction
7 août 2025 | 01:22
La récente arrivée de Roberto De Zerbi à la tête de l’Olympique de Marseille a immédiatement suscité un engouement palpable chez les supporters. Son charisme et sa passion pour le club ne sont plus à démontrer, mais un point d’ombre subsiste : la fidélité de la traduction de ses propos lors des échanges avec l’équipe et les médias.
Depuis la diffusion de la série documentaire Sans jamais rien lâcher, la question de la traduction assurée par Mario Rotondale, préparateur physique et traducteur improvisé, fait débat. Nombreux sont les observateurs à estimer que la puissance émotionnelle et la précision tactique des discours de De Zerbi se diluent lors de leur restitution en français.
Le technicien italien, réputé pour son tempérament volcanique et sa capacité à motiver ses troupes, s’exprime avec une intensité rare. Cependant, la traduction en temps réel, réalisée par un membre du staff, ne semble pas toujours à la hauteur de la complexité et de la nuance de ses interventions.
Face à cette situation, une partie croissante des supporters réclame l’intervention d’un interprète professionnel. L’objectif est clair : préserver l’intégrité des messages de De Zerbi et garantir que chaque mot, chaque consigne, soit transmis avec la même force et la même clarté que dans la langue d’origine.
De Zerbi, à l’instar de certains de ses prédécesseurs comme Luis Enrique, commence à s’initier au français. Toutefois, à Marseille, où la moindre déclaration peut enflammer le Vélodrome, la précision linguistique revêt une importance capitale. Dans un environnement où la passion est omniprésente, une mauvaise traduction pourrait rompre le lien essentiel entre l’entraîneur et les supporters.
La direction du club serait donc bien inspirée de prendre en compte ces attentes. À l’OM, chaque détail compte, et la communication du coach fait partie intégrante de la dynamique collective. Les prochaines semaines pourraient être décisives quant à la mise en place d’une solution adaptée, afin que la voix de De Zerbi résonne pleinement dans le cœur marseillais."
https://www.ommercato.com/p-2068
#metaglossia_mundus
"Lire et écrire entre les langues : en bref !
Littérature, enseignement, traduction, création
* * *
Published on Thursday, August 07, 2025
ABSTRACT
Ce colloque, qui se tiendra à l’Université d’Angers les 24, 25, 26 juin 2026, poursuit la réflexion scientifique engagée à l’occasion des deux précédents colloques Lire et écrire entre les langues, à Paris (Inalco) en 2021 (Cros et Godard, 2022) et à Aix-en-Provence (Aix-Marseille Université) en 2023. Il s’inscrit dans la dynamique collective mise en œuvre au sein du réseau interuniversitaire LÉEL (Lire et écrire entre les langues) et du projet scientifique et collaboratif mis en œuvre par ses membres (https://ecriplur.hypotheses.org/696). Il propose de réunir autour de la thématique de la création littéraire plurilingue chercheur·es mais aussi enseignant·es, animateur·trices d’ateliers d’écriture, traducteur·trices, artistes et de faire vivre le dialogue entre recherche, création, enseignement et formation.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Argumentaire
Ce colloque poursuit la réflexion scientifique engagée à l’occasion des deux précédents colloques Lire et écrire entre les langues, à Paris (Inalco) les 14 et 15 juin 2021 (Cros et Godard, 2022) et à Aix-en-Provence (Aix-Marseille Université) les 14, 15 et 16 juin 2023. Il s’inscrit dans la dynamique collective mise en œuvre au sein du réseau interuniversitaire LÉEL (Lire et écrire entre les langues) et du projet scientifique et collaboratif mis en œuvre par ses membres (https://ecriplur.hypotheses.org/696).
Il propose de réunir autour de la thématique de la création littéraire plurilingue chercheur·es mais aussi enseignant·es, animateur·trices d’ateliers d’écriture, traducteur·trices, artistes et de faire vivre le dialogue entre recherche, création, enseignement et formation.
Les participant·es sont invité·es à intervenir sous forme de conférences plénières, de communications en sessions parallèles et de posters, mais aussi d’ateliers créatifs, de retours d’atelier et de performances. Des interventions présentant la recherche sous une forme alternative telles que les conférences performées ou les spectacles conférences et autres recherches-créations y sont aussi les bienvenues, afin de donner de l’espace à d’autres modalités de diffusion de la recherche. Leurs contributions s’inscriront dans l’un ou l’autre des deux axes qui structurent les problématiques du colloque :
Hétérolinguisme en littérature : situations, représentations, traductions, création (axe 1) : il s’agit ici de questionner la dimension plurilingue, hétérolingue (Grutman, 1997) ou translingue (Ausoni, 2018 ; Kellman, 2000) de la création littéraire ;
Créativité plurilingue en (didactique des) langues : démarches, objectifs, expériences (axe 2) : cet axe investigue des pratiques artistiques, pédagogiques ou thérapeutiques qui entrent en résonance avec les corpus littéraires plurilingues et ouvrent à des expériences sensibles entre les langues.
Pour ce troisième colloque LÉEL, il a été choisi de donner un coup de projecteur sur une thématique transversales à ces deux axes, auxquelles les contributeur·trices sont invité·es à s’intéresser plus spécifiquement. Il leur est ainsi proposé d’étudier la création littéraire plurilingue « au prisme du bref » et de s’interroger sur la manière dont les formes brèves sont lues et écrites entre les langues. Celles-ci sont à envisager dans toutes leur diversité : formes brèves plus traditionnelles (nouvelle, conte, contes, micro-récit, sonnet, haïkus, proverbe...) tout autant que nouvelles formes brèves (Meynard & Vernadakis, 2020 ; Anastassiadi & Vihou, 2022) dont les dimensions multimodales, numériques, transmédia ouvrent des pistes de réflexion particulièrement fructueuses pour étudier tant la création littéraire plurilingue que sa mobilisation en didactique des langues.
Comment écrire, comment donner à lire, à entendre mais aussi à dire jusque dans la classe le plurilinguisme inhérent à notre monde urbanisé mondialisé (Calvet, 1994) mais aussi celui, moins étudié, des zones rurales (Cobbinah et al., 2016) ? C’est le dialogue entre la langue normée à diffusion internationale comme le français, l’anglais, l’arabe, l’espagnol, etc. et des langues qui leur semblent aux antipodes (à l’instar des langues orientales, africaines, océaniennes enseignées à l’Inalco), mais aussi entre les multiples variétés de langues, sociales (Gadet, 2007) et topiques (Likacheva-Philippe, 2010), que nous nous proposons d’explorer dans les colloques LÉEL (Lire et écrire entre les langues) à la fois dans son expression littéraire et dans ses exploitations pédagogiques. Dialogue qui ne va évidemment pas sans heurts, la littérature portant elle aussi le témoignage des rapports de dominations exercés dans la société (Giordan, Ricard & Balibar, 1976) ou d’histoires familiales ou personnelles mouvementées, tant au sein de la francophonie (Spaëth, 2018) où le français se décline sous des formes variées, trop souvent invisibilisées, que dans d’autres sphères géolinguistiques. Que ce soit dans l’exploration des corpus littéraires ou des expériences pédagogiques de création plurilingue, c’est donc aussi ce « bruissement de la langue » (Barthes, 1984) et ce plurilinguisme interne aux langues, que les colloques LÉEL cherchent à promouvoir. Ce plurilinguisme interne concerne certes le français, ou plutôt les français (Voir le site de Suchet, https://www.enfrancaisaupluriel.fr/), puisque ce singulier masque la diversité géolinguistique des variantes régionales comme nationales, autant de manifestations de l’hétérogénéité langagière (Glissant, 1995) propre à l’espace francophone, auquel aucun locuteur n’échappe (Derrida, 1996), mais aussi toutes les autres langues dominantes.
Comme pour les colloques organisés en 2021 et 2023, les contributions au troisième colloque LÉEL qui se tiendra en 2025 à Angers questionneront écriture et lecture entre les langues, en se focalisant sur un objet spécifique : la forme brève.
Depuis sa création, en effet, le groupe LÉEL s’intéresse à la forme brève. La première édition du Concours Inalco de la nouvelle plurilingue, en 2020, a été l’une des étapes fondatrices dans la constitution de ce réseau interuniversitaire. Le concours a à ce jour donné lieu à quatre éditions, sur les thèmes : Langues en dialogues (2020), Langues en danger (2021), Langues en germe (2022), Langues animales (2023), Langues en folie, l’édition “Langues en réseaux” étant ouverte jusqu’en janvier 2026 (prix classique et prix de la création numérique). Le créathon, quant à lui, réunit tous les ans depuis 2023 des étudiants d’universités partenaires pour mener à bien la réécriture collective, plurilingue et multimodale d’un conte du patrimoine littéraire. Plus largement, les formes brèves sont privilégiées dans les pratiques d’écritures en atelier étudiées au sein du consortium de recherche.
Par ailleurs, les formes brèves sont aussi un domaine de spécialité à l’université d’Angers et au sein du laboratoire CIRPaLL, qui publient, depuis 1983, la revue scientifique anglophones Journal of the Short Story in English. Le CIRPaLL initie aussi de nombreux projets, événements, publications, consacrés aux formes brèves, dans leurs multiples dimensions, littéraires et éducatives, en mettant l’accent sur leurs dimensions transmédia et transnationales. Il a joué un rôle clé dans le projet européen Erasmus + « Partenariats stratégiques » Short Forms Beyond Borders (SFBB), qui a mobilisé, de 2020 à 2023, plusieurs partenaires européens autour d’expérimentations pédagogiques innovantes relatives aux formes brèves. Enfin, l’université d’Angers est partie prenante d’Enjeux, pôle universitaire ligérien d’études sur l’enfance-jeunesse. La Chaire « Raconter des histoires pour grandir ensemble », soutenue par enjeux, est consacrée à la littératures de jeunesse, au sein de laquelle les formes brèves (albums et contes notamment) sont particulièrement présentes (Bouygues et Houssais, 2020), et accompagne des actions telles que le concours Créafalac (concours de réécriture plurilingue d’un album jeunesse organisé par l’Afalac - Association Famille, Langues, Cultures).
Associées à la concision, densité, à l’intensité, à la fulgurance, à la fragmentation, ou à l’inachèvement, les formes brèves qu’elles soient lues et / ou écrites se caractérisent par une grande diversité. Plus récemment, ont aussi émergé de « nouvelles formes brèves » explorant les potentialités de la multimodalité tout comme les ressources du numérique. Comme le souligne Alain Montandon, « la taxinomie de ces formes brèves (dont un certain nombre a pu historiquement se constituer comme genre) est une tâche difficile tant la brièveté peut prendre des formes diverses, hétérogènes et nombreuses ». Le « bref » ne peut être réduit au « court » : en effet, celui-ci est « relatif à ce qui est plus long, il est mesurable » alors que le celui-là « concerne un rapport interne à la parole » (Montandon, 2016).La forme brève relève donc « d’une rhétorique, d’une stylistique et d’une poétique particulières » : énonciation « concise », « resserrement de l’espace » (l’œil peut quasiment l’appréhender « d’un coup » sur l’espace de la page), et du temps (ibid.). La brièveté engendre aussi « des parcours de lecture nouveaux » - et va aussi de pair avec une réception engagée et active : « plus la forme est brève, plus elle nécessiterait d’effort pour la comprendre du côté du récepteur, et donc d’accompagnement pour la rendre compréhensible du côté des critiques, ou du créateur lui-même » (Meynard et Vernadakis, 2020, § 49).
Ainsi, l’organisation du troisième colloque sera l’occasion d’interroger lecture et écriture entre les langues au prisme du bref – ces dimensions plurilingues des écritures brèves constituant un angle d’approche spécifique encore à explorer et riche de potentialités, tant créatives que pédagogiques.
Les axes selon lesquels cette thématique/notion sera abordés restent identiques aux colloques précédents, à savoir :
Axe 1 : L’hétérolinguisme en littérature : situations, représentations, traductions, création
Ce premier axe porte principalement sur le corpus, texte et œuvre,hétérolingue. La dimension plurilingue, hétérolingue (Grutman, 1997) ou translingue (Kellman, 2000) de la création littéraire francophone fait l’objet d’études de plus en plus nourries. On la retrouve du côté de la littérature comparée (Porra, 2011), des études d’orientation discursive (Suchet, 2014), traductologiques (Ferraro et Grutman, 2016) ou encore de la génétique textuelle (Anokhina et Sciarrino, 2018). Ces études littéraires du champ contemporain en France (Ausoni, 2018 ; Marchand et Roux, 2019), en Europe (De Balsi, 2019) ou dans l’espace postcolonial (Moura, 1999) font écho ‒ de la glottocritique (Bernabé, 1982) à la sociolinguistique critique (Heller, 2002 ; Boutet, 2017 ; Prudent, 2003 ; Faye, 2010) en passant par l’analyse du discours (Maingueneau, 2006) ‒ à celles et ceux qui ont cherché et cherchent encore à dévoiler (voire subvertir) la question du pouvoir propre au langage.
Les écrivains, qu’ils aient grandi dans un environnement plurilingue et diglossique, qu’ils aient changé de langue par choix ou de manière subie, dans « l’exil ou l’errance » (Bonnet, 1997), peuvent adopter des postures diverses, écrire en une seule langue, normée ou non, dans leur langue maternelle ou en choisissant l’exophonie, ils peuvent « penser entre les langues » (Wismann, 2012) ou en « plus d’une langue » (Derrida, 1996 ; Cassin, 2012) ou encore créer une langue étrangéisée (Pejoska, 1995). L’espace numérique dessine pour la « littérature numérique » (Bouchardon, 2014) un autre territoire, plurisémiotique et multimodal, où le plurilinguisme est susceptible d’occuper une place de choix (Kuznierz, 2018 ; Bigot et Maillard De La Corte-Gomez, 2020). Pour donner la place qu’elles méritent aux voix singulières de robinsons (Ausoni, 2018) et aux langues minorées, en décentrant le regard vers d’autres aires géolinguistiques, les contributions portant sur des aires géolinguistiques autres que la francophonie seront les bienvenues. Ces textes plurilingues et créations numériques (Leleu-Merveil, 2005 ; Bouchardon, 2014) font résonner et tissent la pluralité des langues de façon diverse (Gauvin, 1999), en fonction de projets esthétiques, poétiques, linguistiques, culturels, politiques, qui sont à contextualiser. Ils témoignent de parcours qui peuvent être exemplaires et formateurs (Godard et Suchet, 2015) tant pour les apprenant·e.s que pour les enseignant·e.s de langue ou encore les participant·e.s à un atelier plurilingue thérapeutique (Greaves & Stefano, 2018).
Découvrir ces auteurs·rices et leurs œuvres, éclairer leurs pratiques de création avec/dans/entre/autour de la/des langue/s, donner des outils d’analyse, de compréhension et de réflexion, mais aussi penser la multiplication des recherches sur un phénomène qui pourtant n’est pas nouveau (Denti, 2017), tels sont les objectifs de ce premier axe.
Voilà quelques questions, non exhaustives, auxquelles les contributeurs et contributrices sont invité·es à répondre :
Comment se manifeste l’hétérolinguisme des formes brèves littéraires dans les différentes aires géolinguistiques ? dans l’espace numérique ? Quels enjeux esthétiques leur sont associés ? Dans quelle mesure l’écrivain·e exprime-t-il par cet hétérolinguisme des frictions ou tensions entre les langues individuelles ou sociales ? Quelles sont les spécificités de la mise en « écriture » de l’hétérolinguisme dans les (différentes) formes brèves, en lien notamment avec les dimensions multimodales et / ou numériques ? Comment les iconotextes pour la jeunesse intègrent-ils cette dimension hétérolingue ? Quelles sont les modalités et les enjeux de la traduction de formes brèves plurilingues, et quel rôle joue potentiellement la traduction dans leur création ?
Axe 2 : Créativité plurilingue en (didactique des) langues : démarches, objectifs, expériences
Ce deuxième axe s’oriente essentiellement vers les pratiques artistiques, pédagogiques ou thérapeutiques. L’expérience plurilingue, considérée comme un ferment de créativité dans le domaine littéraire et artistique (Anokhina, 2012) se trouve, en didactique des langues et du plurilinguisme (Candelier, 2008), nourrir de nombreux projets qui visent à développer les compétences langagières à travers un usage sensible et créatif des langues (Aden, 2012). À distance des approches fonctionnelles et communicatives qui envisageaient la langue comme système ou comme outil, ou de manière complémentaire avec elles, les ateliers créatifs qui puisent dans les ressources linguistiques et plurilingues des apprenants se multiplient (écriture créative, improvisation, théâtre, poésie, slam, kamishibaï, albums jeunesse, vidéo ou chanson…). Ils s’appuient sur une didactique qui privilégie les dimensions esthétique, expérientielle, émotionnelle, du langage (Eschenauer, 2014) ou qui vise une épistémologie de la relation à travers l’expérience vécue (Castellotti, 2017). De même la recherche-création (ou en anglais art-based approaches, practice as research, etc.) ouvre la recherche sur d’autres pratiques (Paquin et Noury, 2018), notamment dans le cadre de la littérature numérique (Saemmer, 2015), dont la pédagogie de la créativité pourrait utilement se nourrir.
Ces démarches entrent en résonance avec les corpus littéraires plurilingues, soit parce qu’elles s’en inspirent directement, dans un mouvement de lecture-écriture, soit qu’elles en rejoignent les présupposés, les enjeux ou les effets. Selon les cas, il s’agira de développer une relation sensible à une langue nouvelle ou de jouer avec les contraintes linguistiques et les passages de langue, articulant conscience linguistique et expérience langagière (Aboab, Allaneau-Rajaud, Godard & Woerly, 2020). Ou bien encore il s’agira d’insérer les ateliers d’écriture plurilingue dans les démarches biographiques (Molinié, 2011 ; Mathis, 2016 ; Dompmartin-Normand, 2016), pour inaugurer une forme de réflexivité sur le parcours langagier ou migratoire, et redonner dans le système éducatif toute sa place à l’identité de l’apprenant (Cummins et al., 2005). Ce deuxième axe consacré à la créativité plurilingue en didactique des langues en explorer le fonctionnement à travers des analyses de dispositifs et de productions aussi bien que des restitutions de projets ou la participation à des ateliers. Un format « performance » est aussi proposé, pour se saisir de la réflexion scientifique du colloque à des fins créatives, comme cela a été fait lors des deux précédents colloques Lire et écrire entre les langues.
Voilà quelques questions, non exhaustives, auxquelles les contributeurs et contributrices sont invité·es à répondre :
Selon quelles modalités mettre en œuvre des pratiques créatives qui mobilisent formes brèves et expériences plurilingues ? à quelles fins (artistiques, pédagogiques ou thérapeutiques) ? Quelle place y donner aux dimensions multimodales, plurisémiotiques, numériques ? Quel rôle y attribuer aux pratiques traductives ? Quels en sont les enjeux selon les publics et les contextes (école, université, cadre associatif, hôpital...) – notamment en lien avec l’enseignement / apprentissage des langues ? À partir de quel(s) cadre(s) épistémologique(s) les aborder ? Quel positionnement pour l’enseignant·e ou animateur·rice ? Quelles formations leur proposer pour qu’ils ou elles se saisissent de ces œuvres ? Comment faire émerger par ces pratiques une œuvre artistique, individuelle ou collaborative, notamment en littérature numérique ? Comment s’emparer de ces questions en lien avec les dimensions hétéro ou plurilingues des formes brèves dans une dynamique propre à la recherche-création (Gosselin et Le Coguiec, 2006), la recherche alimentant la création, et vice-versa ?
Modalités de soumission
Remarque : bien que le colloque puisse être suivi en ligne, les interventions devront se faire uniquement en présentiel.
Communication orale ou conférence performée (20 minutes + 10 minutes d’échanges) : exposition des résultats d’une recherche
Retour d’atelier (20 minutes + 10 minutes d’échanges) : présentation d’un dispositif d’atelier d’écriture ou de création/traduction hétérolingue
Poster : présentation en format affiche d’une recherche
Atelier (1h30 ou 3h) : animation d’un atelier d’écriture ou de création/traduction hétérolingue
Performance artistique (durée à voir en fonction de la proposition) : “carte blanche” à partir des thématiques du colloque. Bien préciser les conditions de réalisation de la performance.
Les propositions de d’intervention seront rédigées en français ou en anglais et comprendront environ 500 mots (hors titre et bibliographie). Elles mentionneront clairement l’axe choisi, la thématique principale abordée et le type de format choisi (communication orale, poster, atelier, retour d’atelier, performance) ainsi que 5 mots-clés.
Elles sont à déposer sur Sciences Conf pour une évaluation en double aveugle,
avant le 17 novembre 2025 au plus tard.
Calendrier détaillé
Date limite de soumission des propositions : le 17 novembre 2025
Retour des expert·es : 7 janvier 2026
Clôture des inscriptions : 15 juin 2026
Colloque : 24-25-26 juin 2026
Comité d’organisation
Anselmo Marielle (PLIDAM, Inalco)
Audras Isabelle (CREN, Université du Mans)
Bruley Pauline (CIRPAL, Université d’Angers)
Cros Isabelle (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Dupouy Myriam (CREN, Université du Mans)
Feussi Valentin (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Leconte Amélie (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Maillard-De la Corte Gomez Nadja (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Mathis Noëlle (LERMA, Aix-Marseille Université)
Ryan Michelle (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Venaille Caroline (CREN, Université d’Angers)
Vihou Marina (Université nationale capodistrienne d’Athènes)
Comité scientifique
Anastasiadi Marie-Christine (Université nationale capodistrienne d’Athènes)
Anselmo Marielle, Plidam, (INALCO, Paris)
Audras Isabelle (CREN, Université du Mans)
Ausoni Alain, UNIL (UNIL,, Lausanne)
Baroni Raphaël (UNIL, Lausanne)
Bemporad Chiara (HEP, Lausanne)
Bigot Violaine (Lidilem, Université Grenoble Alpes)
Bouvier Béatrice (CIRPaLL, Université catholique d’Angers)
Codina Solà Núria (KU Leuven, Belgique)
Combe Christelle (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Cros Isabelle (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
David Catherine (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Dompmartin Chantal (CLLE-ERSS, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès)
Dugan Anne E. (Wayne State University, Etats-Unis)
Dupouy Myriam (CREN, Université du Mans)
Eschenauer Sandrine (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Feussi Valentin (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
François Cyrille (UNIL, Lausanne)
Gobbé-Mevellec Euriell(LLA-Creatis, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès).
Godard Anne (DILTEC, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Gosselin-Lavoie Catherine (CIPCD, Université de Montréal)
Gouaich Karima (ADEF, Aix-Marseille Université)
Greaves Sara (LERMA, Aix-Marseille Université)
Guest Bertrand (3LAM, Université d’Angers)
Leconte Amélie (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Lory Marie-Paule (CREFO, Université d’Ontario)
Maillard-De la Corte Gomez Nadja (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Mathis Noëlle (LERMA, AMU, Université Aix-Marseille)
Marchand Aline (THALIM, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Menouti Kanella (Université nationale capodistrienne d’Athènes)
Molinié Muriel (DILTEC, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Prince Nathalie (3LAM, Le Mans Université)
Quaranta Jean-Marc (CIELAM, Aix-Marseille Université)
Roubaud Marie-Noëlle Roubaud (LPL, AMU)
Roux Pascale (Litt&Arts,Université de Grenoble)
Ryan Michelle (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Thamin Nathalie (CRIT, Université de Franche Comté)
Venaille Caroline (CREN, Université d’Angers)
Vihou Marina (Université nationale capodistrienne d’Athènes)
Woerly Donatienne (DILTEC, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Comité scientifique LEEL 2025
Anselmo Marielle, Plidam, (INALCO, Paris)
Ausoni Alain, UNIL (UNIL,, Lausanne)
Barbier Marie-Laure (PsyClé, Aix-Marseille)
Baroni Raphaël (UNIL, Lausanne)
Cayet Anne-Sophie SUFLE (SUFLE, Aix-Marseille Université)
Combe Christelle (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Cros Isabelle (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
David Catherine (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Dufeu Pierre-Yves (SUL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Eschenauer Sandrine (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Feussi Valentin (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Godard Anne (DILTEC, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Gouaich Karima (ADEF, Aix-Marseille Université)
Greaves Sara (LERMA, Aix-Marseille Université)
Leconte Amélie (LPL, Aix-Marseille Université)
Maillard-De la Corte Gomez Nadja (CIRPALL, Université d’Angers)
Marchand Aline (THALIM, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Molinié Muriel (DILTEC, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Murphy Amanda (PRISMES, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
Quaranta Jean-Marc (CIELAM, Aix-Marseille Université)
Roux Pascale (Litt&Arts,Université de Grenoble)
Woerly Donatienne (DILTEC, Université Sorbonne nouvelle)
SUBJECTS
Language (Main category)
Mind and language > Language > Linguistics
Periods > Prehistory and Antiquity
Mind and language > Language > Literature
Periods > Middle Ages
Periods > Early modern
Mind and language > Education
PLACES
Maison de la Recherche Germaine Tillion - 5 bis boulevard Lavoisier, 49100 Angers
Angers, France (49)"
https://calenda.org/1283484
#metaglossia_mundus
The Blue Oval is hiring a nomenclature strategist to report to its head of nomenclature. Yes, this is a real thing.
"Mustang, Bronco, Raptor, Explorer, Maverick. Ford has some great names in its portfolio, but it’s looking for more. If you’re good with names, inquire within. Ford is now hiring a “Nomenclature Strategist” who reports to the company’s Director of Global Nomenclature. Yes, this is a real thing.
Per the job posting, Ford is looking for someone "who can merge linguistic creativity with business strategy, delivering names that are not only memorable and meaningful, but aligned with our broader brand architecture and legally viable."
It sounds like a tricky job, to be honest, and fascinating all the same. You can’t just pick a name out of a hat, stick it on the back of a car, and call it job done. Everyone at the company has to like the name, and it has to be available, too.
In the days of the Bronco and Mustang, one imagines Ford executives sitting around a boardroom table and spitballing until they ended up with something they liked. For the Edsel, Ford hired Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Marianne Moore to come up with names for the coming model. Moore pitched names like Faberge and Utopian Turtletop, but Ford execs decided to name the car after Henry Ford’s son. And we all know how that went.
Ford now has a global “Center of Excellence for naming and taxonomy,” and it handles more than just naming cars. As the job listing notes, the Center manages everything within Ford that needs a name. That could be things like Ford’s commercial-vehicle service, Ford Pro, or internal things that we outsiders never hear about.
This position is considered Leader Level 6 (LL6), which, according to a Ford new-hire document, means a salary between $112,000 and $212,000. But you need experience ot get the gig—specifically, Ford is looking for 6 or more years of working in nomenclature, so amateur namers need not apply."
Are You Good at Naming Things? Ford Is Hiring
The Blue Oval is hiring a 'nomenclature strategist.' No, really.
By: Chris Perkins
Aug 6, at 11:00am ET
https://www.motor1.com/news/768191/ford-nomenclature-strategist-job/
#metaglossia_mundus
"This study employs a hermeneutic approach to examine the ideologies of Muslim and Orientalist translators in Quranic translation. While there is extensive research on Quranic translation, little attention has been given to the translator’s ideological stance, particularly in terms of translation techniques. The study investigates how translators’ backgrounds and practices influence their translation ideologies. To analyze the data, Molina and Albir, Van Leuven-Zwart, and Nord’s translation theories were employed. The findings indicate that Quranic translation is a subjective and reader-driven process influenced by the translator’s cultural and religious background. The Muslim representative translated the text with a moderate Islamic perspective, while the Orientalist translator incorporated a global Islamic ideology. These translations reveal the translators’ idéologies..."
A Hermeneutic Approach to the Study of Quranic Translation Ideology: Lessons from Muslims and Orientalists
August 2025
Sophia
DOI: 10.1007/s11841-025-01076-8
Ali Mohammed Saleh Al-Hamzi
Djatmika
Ida Kusuma Dewie
Donie Fadjar Kurniawan,...
Abstract
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/394292514_A_Hermeneutic_Approach_to_the_Study_of_Quranic_Translation_Ideology_Lessons_from_Muslims_and_Orientalists
#metaglossia_mundus
Even with the rise of AI translation tools, companies continue to trust certified human translators for accuracy, context, and credibility.
"Why Global Businesses Still Rely on Certified Human Translators (Despite AI)
Even with the rise of AI translation tools, companies continue to trust certified human translators for accuracy, context, and credibility.
By
DocsBase Canada
Published about 22 hours ago • 4 min read
AI and Human translation by DocsBase Canad
In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries, the translation sector has seen a dramatic shift. Tools like machine translation and generative AI can now instantly translate massive volumes of content across dozens of languages. However, despite the speed and convenience of AI-based solutions, global businesses still choose to work with certified human translators. Why? The answer lies in the nuances of language, the complexity of global communication, and the value of human expertise that machines cannot replicate.
Language Is More Than Words
Language is not a code that can be simply decrypted. It is a living, evolving system filled with idioms, tone, cultural references, and subtle cues that are deeply rooted in specific communities. A sentence can carry entirely different meanings depending on context, tone, or even the speaker’s intention.
AI translation tools may deliver grammatically correct results, but they often miss these subtle aspects of communication. Human translators, especially those who are certified and experienced, bring a level of cultural fluency and contextual understanding that is vital for accurate and meaningful translation.
For global businesses, this distinction is critical. Marketing messages, legal documents, technical manuals, and contracts are not just about words — they are about trust, clarity, and compliance. A misinterpreted clause or an awkward translation of a slogan can have significant financial or reputational consequences.
Certified Translation Ensures Accountability
Certified human translators offer an additional layer of assurance that AI cannot match: accountability. When a business requests certified translation services, they receive a document that has been reviewed, verified, and formally attested for its accuracy. This is especially important for legal, financial, and regulatory documents, where errors can lead to legal challenges or regulatory issues.
By working with certified professionals, companies gain confidence that the translated materials are complete, accurate, and accepted by institutions or government bodies. This level of responsibility and verification cannot be outsourced to machines, no matter how advanced they are.
Cultural Sensitivity Matters in Global Markets
Global business is not just about crossing borders — it is about entering cultures. For a company launching a product in a new country, success depends on its ability to resonate with local audiences. This requires more than literal translation; it requires localization — the adaptation of content to suit cultural norms, expectations, and values.
Certified human translators are trained not only in language but also in the art of cultural adaptation. They understand what tone is appropriate, what references may be offensive, and what wording will connect with a target audience. AI tools lack the emotional intelligence and cultural context needed to perform this kind of localization effectively.
For example, an advertising campaign that works well in North America may need to be completely rewritten to appeal to consumers in East Asia or the Middle East. A human translator can recognize these subtleties and guide a company through the process, ensuring that its message is both effective and respectful.
Industry-Specific Expertise
Another reason businesses continue to rely on certified human translators is the need for industry-specific knowledge. Legal, medical, technical, and scientific documents often contain specialized vocabulary that requires deep understanding of the subject matter. In many cases, the accuracy of the translation depends not only on linguistic skill but also on familiarity with the relevant industry.
Certified translators often have backgrounds in specific sectors, allowing them to provide precise and contextually correct translations. They know the terminology, they understand the stakes, and they ensure that nothing is lost in translation.
In contrast, AI translation tools are trained on large general datasets. While they can handle everyday language reasonably well, they struggle with highly specialized content. Even minor errors in translating technical or legal terminology can lead to confusion or even litigation.
Trust Is a Competitive Advantage
In business, trust is currency. When companies present themselves to international clients, partners, or regulators, they must do so with clarity and professionalism. Poor translations can signal carelessness or lack of commitment, eroding trust and credibility.
Certified translation services show that a company values precision and respects the linguistic and cultural expectations of its global stakeholders. This commitment to quality strengthens relationships and builds long-term loyalty — something that automated tools cannot guarantee.
Confidentiality and Data Security
AI translation tools, particularly those that operate in the cloud or are publicly accessible, raise serious concerns about confidentiality and data security. When sensitive business documents are uploaded to an online platform, there is a risk that the information could be stored, leaked, or used for training future models without consent.
Certified human translators, on the other hand, operate under strict confidentiality agreements and ethical standards. Professional translation firms like DocsBase Canada have robust protocols to protect client information, ensuring that sensitive content remains private and secure.
For multinational corporations handling proprietary data, legal cases, or government communications, this level of security is not optional — it is essential.
AI Has a Role — But Not a Final Say
This is not to say that AI has no place in the future of translation. On the contrary, many certified translators use AI as a tool to increase productivity, handle large volumes of content, or generate first drafts. However, the final product still requires the attention and judgment of a trained human expert.
AI can accelerate workflows, but it cannot replace the quality control, cultural awareness, or accountability that certified human translators bring to the table. As AI continues to improve, the collaboration between humans and machines will likely become more refined — but the human element will remain at the heart of professional translation.
Conclusion
Despite the rise of AI, certified human translators remain essential partners for global businesses. They offer more than just words — they provide context, clarity, security, and trust. For companies looking to thrive in international markets, investing in certified human translation is not a cost to be minimized — it is a strategic asset that ensures their voice is heard, understood, and respected across cultures.
At DocsBase Canada, we believe in the power of human expertise. Our certified translators work with precision and professionalism to help businesses succeed in every language and every market. As the world becomes more connected, the need for quality human translation will only grow stronger."
By
DocsBase Canada
Published about 22 hours ago • 4 min read
AI and Human translation by DocsBase Canada
https://vocal.media/humans/why-global-businesses-still-rely-on-certified-human-translators-despite-ai
#metaglossia_mundus
"Despite AI’s promise of inclusion, search and LLMs still sideline minority languages. Here’s why it matters – and what must change.
Despite thousands of languages spoken worldwide, only a small fraction are meaningfully represented online.
Most of what we see in search results, AI outputs, and digital platforms is filtered through just a handful of dominant languages – shaping not only what we find, but whose knowledge counts.
The multilingual promise, the monolingual reality
We live in an era where technology promises frictionless communication:
Seamless translation.
Real-time AI interpretation.
Instant access to the collective knowledge of humanity.
In theory, language should no longer be a barrier.
But look more closely – at search results, AI-generated answers, digital discourse – and the cracks start to show.
The web might be global, but it still speaks mostly English, Russian, Spanish, and a handful of other dominant tongues.
For those of us working at the intersection of language, search, and AI, this isn’t just a missed opportunity.
It’s a structural flaw – one with far-reaching implications for discoverability, inclusion, and even the shape of truth online.
I’ve seen this firsthand.
My browser and search settings are configured for Belarusian, a language I read, speak, and deliberately engage with.
And yet, whether I search in English or Belarusian, Google often serves me Russian-language results – Russian perspectives from Russian sources.
This isn’t a quirky algorithmic hiccup or a localization bug. It’s a pattern – a form of bias rooted in how search engines interpret, weigh, and prioritize language.
And it’s not just Belarusian.
Globally, users who search in non-dominant languages or come from minority linguistic contexts are quietly, systematically funneled toward dominant language zones.
That funneling doesn’t just affect what we read. It shapes what we believe, what we share, and ultimately, which voices define our reality.
...
There are more than 7,100 living languages spoken around the world. Roughly 4,000 have writing systems.
But in practice, only 150 or so are meaningfully represented online, and fewer than 10 dominate over 90% of the web’s content.
English alone accounts for more than half of all indexed webpages.
Add Russian, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Chinese, and you cover the lion’s share of searchable content.
The rest? Fragmented, under-indexed, or invisible.
That imbalance has serious consequences.
Search engines, AI systems, and social platforms don’t just surface facts – they shape the informational universe we inhabit.
When those systems overwhelmingly prioritize English or other dominant languages, they don’t just filter out voices – they flatten nuance and erase local context.
They let a handful of dominant languages tell everyone else’s story.
This is especially true in politically sensitive, culturally complex, or rapidly evolving contexts.
Consider Russia, a nation with well over 100 languages, of which 37 are officially recognized, yet whose international digital presence is nearly monolingual.
Where are the Tatar-language blogs? The Sakha cultural archives? The Chechen oral histories?
They exist, but they don’t make it into the global conversation, because search doesn’t bring them forward.
And the same is true across Africa, Asia, South America, and indigenous communities in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere.
We don’t lack content. We lack systems that recognize, rank, and translate that content appropriately."
August 6, 2025 at 8:00 am
Olya Ianovskaia
https://searchengineland.com/web-multilingual-search-few-languages-460026
#metaglossia_mundus
"Comme chaque année, le CTL travaille de concert avec le festival du Livre sur les quais pour vous offrir un programme qui fait briller la traduction littéraire. Cette année, la traduction sera au premier plan dès l'ouverture du festival, puisque le soir du jeudi 4 septembre, Alexandre Pateau régalera avec une expérience lecture-bouffe-cabaret burlesque tirée de sa traduction de La Panne de Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Ce court texte raconte un procès fictif qui se joue pendant un festin pantagruélique. Le traducteur lit et interprète le texte en partageant un repas avec le public. Une soirée gastronomique et festive pour une performance cruelle et déjantée, accueillie par l’hôtel du Mont-Blanc.
Au cours du festival, de nombreuses traductrices et traducteurs feront découvrir leur univers:
L’incontournable Martin Suter qui publie Allmen et le dernier des Weynfeldt (Phébus) dialoguera avec son traducteur Olivier Mannoni, lui-même auteur d’un formidable essai sur le langage réactionnaire. Une autre rencontre réunira les traductrices et autrices Corinne Atlan (Haïkus de Kyoto, Arléa) et Marina Skalova (Le corps cille, Héros Limite) pour un dialogue sur la langue comme rapport sensoriel au monde. L’œuvre du philosophe et écrivain Georg Christoph Lichtenberg sera remise au goût du jour par son traducteur Étienne Barilier et Hans-Georg von Arburg, professeur à l’UNIL et spécialiste de l’auteur. Enfin, l’écrivaine française Laure Limongi, dont le dernier livre L’invention de la mer (Le Tripode) met en scène un mythe futuriste où une chimère poulpe commente et traduit de « l’obso-humain » les récits d’autres chimères maritimes. Avec Aline Pénitot, elle propose une performance littéraire et musicale suivie d’un entretien.
Le métier de traducteur – mais pas seulement – sera à découvrir lors d’un voyage littéraire intitulé « Écrire, traduire, performer » à bord du train historique le vendredi 5 septembre après-midi. Alexandre Pateau et Valentin Decoppet, passeurs essentiels de la littérature et poésie allemandes en français, parleront de leur métier mais aussi des performances qu’ils créent en parallèle.
Le programme complet du Livre sur les quais sera à découvrir sur le site internet du festival dès le 8 août !
Par
Réka Gaal"
La traduction sur les quais
Notre programme au Livre sur les quais de Morges
Publié le 06 août 2025
Date
Du 4 au 7 septembre 2025
Horaires
De 07:00 à 19:00
Public
Activités tous publics
Lieu
Morges, Divers lieux
Format
Présentiel
https://www.unil.ch/events/1754457339512
#metaglossia_mundus
"Les romans de l'écrivaine Han Kang, lauréate du prix Nobel de littérature 2024, sont présentés dans un espace qui leur est dédié, dans une librairie Kyobo du centre de Séoul, le mercredi 16 octobre 2024. A 9h du matin ce mercredi, les ventes réalisées par les romans de Han depuis qu'elle a remporté la prestigieuse récompense avaient atteint 1,03 million d'exemplaires. Les ventes des versions numériques de ses livres auraient également dépassé le seuil des 70.000 exemplaires. (Photo d'archives Yonhap)
SEOUL, 06 août (Yonhap) -- Les ventes à l'étranger d'œuvres littéraires coréennes traduites ont fortement bondi l'année dernière, illustrant l'intérêt croissant du lectorat étranger pour la littérature coréenne après l'obtention du prix Nobel de littérature 2024 par la romancière Han Kang, a fait savoir ce mercredi l'Institut coréen de la traduction littéraire (LTI Korea).
Environ 1,2 million d'exemplaires d'ouvrages de littérature coréenne traduits et publiés avec le soutien du LTI Korea se sont vendus à l'étranger l'an dernier, soit un bond de 130% par rapport à l'année précédente. Les ventes moyennes pour chaque traduction ont ainsi atteint le niveau record de 1.271 unités. Parmi ces ouvrages, 45 se sont vendus à plus de 5.000 unités, dont 24 ont même dépassé les 10.000 exemplaires.
LTI Korea a attribué ce bond au succès des œuvres de la lauréate du prix Nobel de littérature 2024, Han Kang. Ses écrits ont été traduits en 28 langues avec le soutien de l'institut pour un total de 77 ouvrages. Pris ensemble, leurs ventes ont dépassé les 310.000 exemplaires rien que l'année passée. En regardant les ventes des 19 traductions publiées avant 2023, celles-ci ont vu leurs ventes quintupler en passant d'environ 30.000 unités en 2023 à 150.000 en 2024.
Des romans d'autres auteurs ont également obtenu de bons résultats à l'étranger, comme «S'aimer dans la grande ville» de Park Sang-young, «Kim Jiyoung, née en 1982» de Cho Nam-joo et «Lapin maudit» de Chung Bora, qui a été retenu parmi les finalistes pour le prix international Booker 2022 et le National Book Award for Translated Literature 2023.
LTI Korea a noté que l'élargissement du lectorat en Amérique du Nord et Europe encourageait les maisons d'édition étrangères à «présenter plus activement des livres coréens», tout en ajoutant que «les réseaux de distribution de ces maisons d'édition et leur puissance marketing ont considérablement amélioré l'accès à la littérature coréenne à l'étranger».
lsr@yna.co.kr"
Ventes record des traductions de romans coréens à l'étranger après le Nobel de Han Kang
06.08.2025 à 14h16
https://m-fr.yna.co.kr/view/AFR20250806001400884
#metaglossia_mundus
Confrontée à une diversité linguistique inédite, la justice ne parvient plus à faire face. Procès reportés faute d’interprètes, explosion des dépenses… Dans les tribunaux, la barrière de la langue devient un casse-tête quotidien.
"«On a de plus en plus souvent besoin d’interprètes» : la justice sous pression face à l’explosion des frais de traduction
Confrontée à une diversité linguistique inédite, la justice ne parvient plus à faire face. Procès reportés faute d’interprètes, explosion des dépenses… Dans les tribunaux, la barrière de la langue devient un casse-tête quotidien.
Audrey Senecal
06/08/2025 à 05:32
En 2024, les frais de traduction ont atteint 85,92 millions d’euros...
La sonnerie, le froissement des robes noires, le cliquetis des touches sous les doigts du greffier. Les habitués auront reconnu la partition discrète de la justice. Cette trame familière qui rythme les audiences et accompagne au quotidien magistrats et avocats. Mais derrière les colonnes des palais, entre les plaidoiries et les silences pesants, se glissent de plus en plus de langues venues d’ailleurs. À mesure que les flux migratoires s’intensifient, l’harmonie des prétoires vacille. Procès renvoyés faute d’interprète, recours à des outils de traduction, explosion des frais de justice… Pour rappel, les étrangers (7,4 % de la population) sont impliqués dans près de 20 % des actes de délinquance sur l’ensemble du territoire.
« C’est laborieux, regrette Rachel Beck, secrétaire nationale de l’Union syndicale des magistrats. On a de plus en plus souvent besoin d’interprètes, mais une vraie difficulté à en trouver. Et surtout à ce qu’ils soient disponibles au moment où on en a besoin. Même si, quand on commence à avoir pas mal de faits qui impliquent certaines nationalités, on finit par se constituer un réseau », confie-t-elle au JDD. Les 8 500 professionnels inscrits sur les listes des cours d’appel et de la Cour de cassation sont considérés par l’État comme des collaborateurs occasionnels du service public. Ils ne travaillent pas tous à plein temps et ne sont, dans les faits, pas tenus de répondre aux sollicitations de la justice..."
https://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/on-a-de-plus-en-plus-souvent-besoin-dinterpretes-la-justice-sous-pression-face-a-lexplosion-des-frais-de-traduction-160805
#metaglossia_mundus
"Vermont Studio Center and the American Literary Translators Association have named Mira Rosenthal and Suneela Mubayi as recipients of the 2026 ALTA Fellowships at VSC. The award — a fully funded two-week residency at the Johnson-based VSC, is given annually to one BIPOC and one midcareer translator of literary works who holds membership in the ALTA.
Rosenthal is an American poet and translator of Polish-language writers such as Tomasz Różycki, Małgorzata Lebda and Krystyna Dąbrowska. Her work has been nominated twice for the Griffin Poetry Prize as well as for the Derek Walcott Prize, the National Translation Award and the Oxford Weidenfeld Translation Prize.
Mubayi is a mixed-race, genderqueer translator based in New York and Oslo, Norway. She holds a PhD in Arabic literature from New York University and has translated approximately 100 essays, poems and fiction pieces for publications such as Banipal, Words Without Borders, Modern Poetry in Translation, Jadaliyya and New England Review.
"Opportunities like this help translators advance their own work and the art of literary translation,” said Katrine Øgaard Jensen, executive director of ALTA. “We are thrilled to partner with VSC and provide well-deserved recognition and support to two valued ALTA members.”
Contact VermontBiz
VermontBiz
365 Dorset Street
South Burlington, Vermont 05403
Phone: 802.863.8038
Fax: 802.863.8069
https://vermontbiz.com/people/august/two-literary-translators-awarded-residencies-vermont-studio-center
#metaglossia_mundus
Sur TikTok, entre deux danses virales et un tutoriel de maquillage, surgissent des voix inattendues.
...
"Le wolof n’est pas une langue mineure, malgré ce que des décennies de scolarisation francophone ont pu laisser croire. C’est une langue d’éloquence, de diplomatie, de joutes oratoires. Une langue qui pense, qui rit, qui console. Mais à force de mélanges sans conscience, de glissements paresseux, elle se fragmente. Elle perd ses images. Elle perd ses racines. Et c’est nous, collectivement, qui perdons un miroir de nous-mêmes.
Ce que fait @baabakar_wolof et d’autres créateurs, ce n’est pas de la résistance passéiste. C’est un acte de réappropriation. Ils montrent qu’on peut être jeune, connecté, urbain et s’exprimer dans un wolof profond sans perdre en modernité. Ils rappellent que l’évolution d’une langue n’est pas synonyme de dilution. Qu’il est possible d’inventer, d’accueillir, de transformer sans se renier.
Car oui, les langues vivent, mutent, s’enrichissent de contacts. Mais encore faut-il les connaître intimement pour qu’elles ne deviennent pas des coquilles creuses, des mélanges sans musique, des souvenirs sans voix.
Redonner au wolof sa densité, c’est une manière de redonner à ceux qui le parlent une fierté intime. C’est refuser que l’on devienne étrangers à notre propre langue. C’est se doter d’un socle pour affronter le monde, en sachant précisément d’où l’on vient, pour mieux choisir où aller.
Auteur: AICHA FALL"
https://www.seneweb.com/fr/news/Culture/langue-wolof-le-souffle-dune-memoire-a-rebatir_n_464282.html
#metaglossia_mundus
Beyond Rhetoric: Metaphors are not just stylistic devices but stable linguistic and cognitive structures. • Mapping Meaning: Two key metaphorical processes link concrete and abstract concepts in a structured network.
Beyond Words: The Cognitive Force of Metaphor
Jana Gregor Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
A new study provides insights into the structural and cognitive dimensions of metaphors, revealing how they shape our thinking and language – far beyond their role as rhetorical devices. The article was recently published in PLOS Complex Systems.
To the point:
• Beyond Rhetoric: Metaphors are not just stylistic devices but stable linguistic and cognitive structures.
• Mapping Meaning: Two key metaphorical processes link concrete and abstract concepts in a structured network.
• Broad Impact: Findings have implications for linguistics, philosophy, AI, and the mathematics of cognition.
Metaphors are a fundamental aspect of human language and cognition, allowing us to understand complex concepts and relationships by mapping them onto more familiar and concrete domains. However, the nature of metaphors and how they work is still not well understood. In a new recent paper, published in PLOS Complex Systems, Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences researchers Marie Teich and Wilmer Leal together with director Jürgen Jost have developed a formal framework and large-scale empirical methodology to analyze metaphors and their role in conceptual metaphor theory.
Key Findings
The study confirms the fundamental assumption in conceptual metaphor theory that metaphors are enduring linguistic and cognitive structures, not merely rhetorical figures. Using complex systems tools, the researchers identified a metaphor network with distinctions between abstract and concrete categories, and two significant metaphorical processes: mappings from concrete to abstract topics and the emergence of new mappings between concrete domains. The study also found that metaphors concentrate on two small sets of everyday topics, with one within the concrete group serving as both strong source and target domains, and the other in the abstract group primarily acting as targets. These findings indicate that metaphor is a creative process driven by contrast and tension between topics which allow re-conceptualizations and the emergence of new similarities.
Implications and Future Research Directions
The study's findings have significant implications for researchers in cognitive linguistics and the philosophy of language, particularly those focused on conceptual metaphor theory, figurative language, and semantic structure. The large-scale empirical methodology proposed by the authors can be used to do fundamental research in Conceptual Metaphor Theory providing new insights into the nature of metaphor and figurative thinking.
Beyond the humanities, this work opens interesting research questions for machine learning and artificial intelligence, particularly in areas concerned with analogy and representation learning. The methods also hold promise for the mathematics of cognition and formal epistemology, offering tools to study how abstract meaning arises from structure-preserving mappings across conceptual domains.
Contact for scientific information:
Dr. Marie Teich, The American University Kyiv marie.teich@auk.edu.ua
Dr. Wilmer Leal, University of Florida wleal@ufl.edu
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Jost,
Max -Planck-Institut für Mathematik in den Naturwissenschaften, Leipzig jjost@mis.mpg.de
Original publication:
Teich, Marie; Leal, Wilmer; and Jost, Jürgen (2025) Diachronic data analysis supports and refines conceptual metaphor theory, PLOS Complex Systems, 2 (8): e0000058
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcsy.0000058";
08/06/2025 16:13
https://idw-online.de/en/news856470#
#metaglossia_mundus
"INDIA IN TRANSLATION
2025 NIF Translation Fellowships to translate texts from 10 Indian languages open for applications
Winning fellows will receive grants of Rs 6 lakh each.
The third edition of the New India Foundation’s Translation Fellowships is accepting applications till December 31, 2025. The fellowships will be awarded across ten languages for translating non-fiction texts published from 1850 onwards. Each fellow will receive a grant of Rs 6 lakhs over a period of six months.
The languages in consideration for this year’s fellowship are Assamese, Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, and Urdu. The jury for these fellowships this year includes the NIF Trustees: political scientist Niraja Jayal Gopal, historian Srinath Raghavan, partner trilegal Rahul Matthan, and entrepreneur Manish Sabharwal, alongside the Language Expert Committee in all ten languages, comprising scholars, professors, academics and literary translators. Fellows are expected to publish the translated works, which will be an extension of their winning proposals.
The New India Foundation’s focus on translating historical texts from Indian languages into English hopes to create an expansive cultural reach for works which have thus far been confined to one language. The Fellowship has no constraints regarding the genre or style of the original text, the translator’s nationality, or the material’s ideology.
Interested translators can apply here.
The previous edition’s winners are:
Tamil: Vilasini Ramani, to translate Swaraj to Whom? by Malayapuram Singaravelar
Gujarati: Hemang Ashwinkumar, to translate The Dawn of Life by Prabhudas Gandhi
Urdu: Matthew Reeck, to translate A Portrait of the West by Qazi Abdul Ghaffar
Hindi: Achyut Chetan, for translating Sanskriti Ke Chaar Adhyaya by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in."
https://scroll.in/article/1085242/2025-nif-translation-fellowships-to-translate-texts-from-10-indian-languages-open-for-applications
#metaglossia_mundus
"...In an era of unprecedented global challenges – from climate change to migration to educational inequalities – cultural diversity must be treated not as a side issue, but as a central component of sustainable development.
This is especially true in sectors such as higher education, where international student mobility, micro-cultural dynamics, and the rights of native communities intersect in powerful ways.
Culture: The invisible infrastructure of development
Culture is more than music, food, or language. It shapes our values, institutions, and relationships. Yet too often, development frameworks ignore culture, applying one-size-fits-all models that undermine local knowledge and erase identities.
By contrast, integrating cultural dimensions into policies – especially in education, environmental planning, and urban design – can lead to more inclusive and effective outcomes.
When development is grounded in the cultural contexts of communities, it not only gains legitimacy but also empowers people to shape their own futures.
The role of international students in cultural dialogue
Every year, millions of students travel abroad to pursue higher education. These international students serve as cultural ambassadors, promoting mutual understanding across borders.
But their contribution goes beyond diversity statistics – they challenge assumptions, stimulate dialogue, and enrich both host and home societies.
Universities benefit immensely from this exchange. Classrooms become arenas of global thinking. Research incorporates cross-cultural perspectives. Communities become more open to differences.
However, for this potential to be fully realised, institutions must do more than offer token celebrations. They must protect students’ rights, provide intercultural support, and recognise students as full participants in academic and civic life.
Micro-cultures matter
Amid global diversity, micro-cultures – those based on region, religion, language, or lived experience – add further layers of richness. A university might host students from 50 countries, but within each group are varied identities, histories, and ways of knowing.
Acknowledging micro-cultural differences promotes genuine inclusivity. It avoids stereotyping and supports mental well-being, belonging, and academic success.
This awareness is also critical in policymaking: local development programmes must not lump diverse communities into singular categories but instead involve them in meaningful dialogue.
Indigenous voices: From the margins to the centre
Perhaps nowhere is the connection between culture and sustainability clearer than in indigenous communities.
The native people of the land possess generations of ecological knowledge, stewardship practices, and communal values essential for sustainability.
Yet, these communities remain underrepresented in national planning and educational narratives. Development projects often proceed without their free, prior, and informed consent. Cultural heritage is commodified, and languages face extinction.
It’s time for a shift – from viewing indigenous cultures as relics to honouring them as partners in development. Universities can lead the way by including indigenous knowledge in curricula, supporting native-led research, and offering platforms for these voices to be heard.
Human rights and cultural freedom: A delicate balance
True cultural dialogue must be rooted in human rights and fundamental freedoms. Promoting cultural diversity is not about endorsing every tradition uncritically.
Where practices clash with universal human rights – particularly regarding gender equality, bodily autonomy, or freedom of expression – dialogue must be guided by ethics and justice.
Conversely, promoting human rights must not erase cultural identity. The goal is not assimilation but intercultural respect. This balance is delicate but essential if we are to build peaceful, pluralistic societies.
A call to action
As we mark World Day for Cultural Diversity, let’s move beyond celebration and toward commitment. Cultural diversity must not be an afterthought – it must be a strategy. It must guide how we teach, govern, and grow. To make this vision a reality, there are a few recommendations that can be realised: Policymakers should embed culture into all levels of development planning.
Universities must treat international students not as outsiders but as agents of change. Micro-cultures should be recognised and included in dialogues around identity and equity.
Indigenous communities must be protected, respected, and actively involved in sustainability efforts.
And above all, the rights of all people to express and preserve their culture must be upheld.
A sustainable future depends on our ability to live together in diversity – not despite our differences, but because of them.
-- BERNAMA
Assoc Prof Dr Siti Noor Fazelah Mohd Noor is a researcher in intercultural communication and language and linguistics, specialising in discourse. She is based at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of BERNAMA)"
https://www.bernama.com/en/thoughts/news.php?id=2452922
#metaglossia_mundus
"Jeremy is Adjunct Professor of AI and Design Thinking at Stanford University. He is also a General Partner at Freespin Capital, a venture capital firm. With his Stanford colleague, Perry Klebahn, he co-authored Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters (2022). For over 12 years, he served as the Director of Executive Education at Stanford’s renowned Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (“the d.school”), where nearly one million students of innovation worldwide took his courses. He’s the host of the Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation podcast, and co-host of the Beyond the Prompt podcast. His current research focuses on helping individuals and organizations accelerate their comfort and confidence in using generative AI (Gen AI).
Understanding creativity:
Which aspects of creativity do you think are most misunderstood?
The biggest myth about creativity is that it’s a rare gift, possessed by only a select few. Creativity is an inherent human quality, which everyone shares. But some people practice using their creative faculties, while others do not. It’s just like any other skill or muscle. It can be developed, strengthened, and refined through practice.
Creativity is an inherent human quality, which everyone shares.
Can AI nurture creativity?
Absolutely. AI can be a coach for almost anything. Need help with your golf swing? It can be a golf-swing coach. Self-esteem? It can help there, too. Creativity? Of course, it can be a creative coach. The key is realizing that, if you give an AI model a specific persona – a creativity expert, say – and then ask it to evaluate an idea, it can provide meaningful feedback that pushes your thinking, as well as generate alternative suggestions.
That’s not fundamentally different from what we might expect from, say, a negotiation coach or a design strategist. It’s a tool with vast capabilities – if you ask the right questions.
How would you define creativity in this AI-augmented world?
One of my favorite definitions of creativity came from a seventh-grader in Ohio. Her teacher asked: “What is creativity?” and the girl wrote on a sticky note: “Creativity is doing more than the first thing you think of.” That’s brilliant. From a cognitive science standpoint, it’s incredibly accurate.
There’s a well-documented human tendency called the “first idea bias,” or what some refer to as “functional fixedness” or “cognitive closure.” It means that, once we come up with some sort of solution, we often stop thinking. But there’s no reason to believe the first solution is the best one. In fact, research shows that, if you think of 10 different solutions, the first is very unlikely to be the best.
This is where AI shines. If creativity is doing more than the first thing you think of, then it can push you to explore further. You can ask it, “Give me 10 other ideas,” and it will keep going. Unlike humans, for whom ideation consumes energy, AI can generate alternatives effortlessly and quickly using analogy, lateral thinking, or combinatorial association. That’s creative by definition.
Research shows that, if you think of 10 different solutions, the first is very unlikely to be the best.
Working with AI:
Is it better to treat AI as a tool or a teammate?
Teammate, without a doubt. It’s about mindset. The way you treat a tool is fundamentally different from the way you treat a teammate. People sometimes ask me, “Should I say please and thank you to AI?” My answer is: What does it cost your humanity if you don’t?
Saying please and thank you might cost a few more tokens or a few extra cents for OpenAI. But far more important is how it affects you. The way you approach the model reflects your humanity. And because the quality of your input directly influences the model’s output, your tone and presence matter.
Bring your full self, your curiosity, your respect. That’s the teammate approach. And it gets better results.
In one of your presentations, you touched on whether AI might increase or diminish creativity. Could you elaborate on that?
AI has enormous potential to enhance human creativity. But our empirical research suggests that this potential is largely unrealized, mostly due to human cognitive biases.
We talked earlier about the tendency to fixate on first ideas. AI often helps people get to “good enough” ideas very quickly. But that’s more about efficiency than creativity. Unless the human consciously pushes the model for more, they won’t unlock true creativity.
AI often helps people get to “good enough” ideas very quickly. But that’s more about efficiency than creativity. Unless the human consciously pushes the model for more, they won’t unlock true creativity.
So, would you say that AI is like a mirror of the user’s ability?
That’s a perfect analogy. The AI model reflects what you bring to it. If you’re an HR expert, and you approach the model with expert-level thinking, you’ll get an expert response. If I come to the same model knowing nothing about HR, I’ll get far less valuable output.
AI reveals things to you it won’t reveal to someone else. That’s why I say the model’s power is in its ability to match and extend the user’s thinking. It doesn’t replace your creativity, it amplifies it.
The AI model reflects what you bring to it.
Let’s begin with what you said about valuing quantity over quality during idea generation. How should someone structure their workflow when using AI to maximize creative output?
Workflow will always vary, depending on the job to be done. One of the most important things is to pose more than one question. Seek more than one answer. Try more than one thing. That’s one of the easiest ways to crystallize the core of innovation.
Often, people are seeking to address the wrong problem. If you ask only one question, and it’s the wrong one, you’re stuck. But if you ask more than one, you minimize that risk. That’s where the breadth of ideas emerges. And then try more than one thing, because it keeps you from evaluating too early.
That mindset – of asking lots of questions and getting a range of answers – is fundamental. AI allows us to explore widely, without huge capital or time investment.
Getting started with AI
How can people integrate AI into their daily working lives?
One of the exercises I recommend is going to ChatGPT (or any large language model [LLM]) and saying something like:
“Hi, ChatGPT. I’d like you to play the role of a ChatGPT adviser. I’m looking for ways to use ChatGPT in my work. Would you, as a ChatGPT adviser, please interview me about my workflows, responsibilities, and KPIs until you have enough information to make two obvious and two non-obvious recommendations. Go ahead and begin the interview now.”
That simple prompt unlocks a whole experience. The model will start interviewing you about your role. And what’s interesting is, it’s role-independent. It works whether you’re an intern, a manager, or an executive.
The AI adapts. It will understand your tasks and generate suggestions based on context. Few people think to make this kind of prompt. But, once they do, they often go, “Wait, can it also teach me this?” And yes, it can.
Unlike tools such as Excel or PowerPoint, which can’t teach you how to use them, AI can teach you how to use AI. That paradigm shifts how you think about learning. You’re not just using it to complete tasks. You’re also discovering how to partner with it.
I like to call it a “double delivery” exercise. It delivers on your current objective, and it opens the door to deeper exploration.
Unlike tools such as Excel or PowerPoint, which can’t teach you how to use them, AI can teach you how to use AI.
Are there common mistakes people make when using AI for creative purposes?
Yes. The biggest one? People don’t give enough context.
I would recommend never prompting a model without at least 400 words of context. Most people say, “My average prompt is five words.” Well, that’s a Google search. You should go to Google for that.
If you want to work with an LLM, treat it like you would treat a new team member. Imagine if we were starting a job together and I turned to you and said, “Make social media strategy now.” That’s five words. And it’s absurd, right? We would never treat a human colleague that way. But we do that with AI all the time. Then it gives us a poor response, and we conclude that it’s not useful. But the truth is, we give more context to interns than we do to AI. That’s the mistake.
You need to spend some time establishing context. What’s our brand voice? What’s our objective? What’s the tone? Which market are we in?
If you want to work with an LLM, treat it like you would treat a new team member. Imagine if we were starting a job together and I turned to you and said, “Make social media strategy now.” That’s five words. And it’s absurd, right? We would never treat a human colleague that way. But we do that with AI all the time.
Has the way in which your students approach creativity changed over the time you’ve been teaching?
No. Humans are humans.
There may be new tools, new interfaces, but, fundamentally, the creative impulse is the same. What changes is how people express and channel that creativity, and how technology amplifies or limits it.
One major change is the uncertainty about the future. When I started teaching, around 15 years ago, students may not have known which specific job they would land in, but they had a pretty good idea of the range of jobs available.
Now, that’s gone. Students say things like, “I don’t even know what jobs are going to be there.” That fundamental uncertainty is new. So, when students ask, “How can I plan for an unstable future?” it’s a completely justified question. The challenge now isn’t just career planning. It’s creative planning under uncertainty.
But in terms of their approach to creativity? No, I don’t think it’s fundamentally different.
Looking forward:
What does the future of ideation look like?
I cannot imagine a world where AI is not an equal partner in the ideation process. It’s going to sit at the table as a member of creative teams. Teams will come to see it as a creative partner, a trusted colleague who always has new ideas, who pushes your thinking, who helps you see blind spots.
I cannot imagine a world where AI is not an equal partner in the ideation process.
If you could leave today’s leaders with one mindset shift to thrive in this AI-powered world, what would it be?
The shift is this: You are not done learning AI. You’ve just begun.
There’s a human tendency to want to check off the box. “I’ve learned that.” But when it comes to AI, that doesn’t work. A portion of your attention, for the rest of your life, needs to be devoted to becoming a better collaborator with AI.
It’s like health. You don’t stay fit because you ran a marathon five years ago. You stay fit because of what you ate last week, how you slept last night, how much you moved today.
It’s the same with AI. You can’t say, “I took an AI course in 2023.” The real question is: Have you experimented with AI in the past two weeks? Are you learning, adapting, exploring?
That’s how I think about it. To stay effective, you need continuous experimentation. If you’re not on a pathway of exploration, you’re going to become obsolete.
A portion of your attention, for the rest of your life, needs to be devoted to becoming a better collaborator with AI.
Jeremy Utley
Professor of AI and Design Thinking, Stanford University"
https://www.capgemini.com/insights/research-library/a-conversation-with-jeremy-utley/
#metaglossia_mundus
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