Critical Link 8: Critical LinkS – a new generation
Future-proofing interpreting and translating
29 June – 1 July 2016
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland
Call For Papers
The Organising Committee has now opened the Call for Papers for the Critical Link 8 conference. This Call includes submissions for papers, posters, panels, round tables, and workshops. Innovative ideas for sessions in other formats will be welcomed. Proposals may also be submitted for pre-conference workshops and demonstrations.
The conference will bring together all community/public service interpreting and translation stakeholders: community and public sector representatives, employers, developers of tools and technologies, policy makers, practitioners, professional bodies, researchers, service users, trainers and educators, TICS (translation, interpreting & communication support) service providers, and other interested parties to build on progress made to date in order to move forward.
The overarching theme of the conference is Critical LinkS – a new generation. The aim is to explore future-proofing community/public service Interpreting and translating: to investigate working together across professional, geographic, user-group and language communities, through technology, and coping with current and emerging constraints (e.g. economic, environmental, geographic, legal, linguistic, social…). The conference will be particularly interested in “the interpreter/translator of tomorrow”; TICS stakeholders exploring solutions together; the economic impact of interpreting and translation and of investment in interpreting and translation; and in new and emerging issues and innovations. Abstracts of papers relating to the following key strands of researchand practice will be prioritised for inclusion in the programme, as will empirically-based research and examples of interdisciplinary working.
1. Policy – in the widest sense, not solely at the legislative or public sector levels, and from the perspective of all stakeholders. This may include frameworks or procedures both within professions or communities of practice or user groups and between these groups. It may include reflection on ethical issues, quality control, working conditions, or service provision and procurement.
2. Practice – exploring the landscape of the community/public service interpreting and translation world, the evolving nature of the needs and solutions, and possible environmental changes e.g. use of technology. This may include focus on the links between the various players, but also between the activities and roles within the process. Focus on specific fields (e.g. forensic, legal defence, domestic violence, medical, social, welfare, etc.) or user groups (e.g. children, people with mental illness, etc.) will be of interest.
3. Pedagogy – exploring education and training provision, practice and resources and focusing, in particular, on working with service users and other professional communities in training/education and resource-building, on planning for the future and changing needs, and on innovative practices and methods of delivery.
4. Price – exploring quality, challenges, and costs and benefits in the widest sense (i.e. human and social, as well as monetary) and taking old arguments forward into the future e.g. managing constraints whilst managing/increasing quality. Consequences and “costs” of failures, benefits of investment.
5. Plus – other topics which are particularly current or innovative e.g. hybrid practices and communication modes, etc.
Abstracts should be approximately 300 words long and written in English. During Critical Link 8, it will normally be possible to present in English, British Sign Language and International Sign.* Abstracts should be headed with the following information: format, the language of presentation, and the main strand(s) your topic aligns with (1-5). Papers will be 20 minutes long. Panels, roundtables and workshops may last 60 minutes or 90 minutes (please specify). There will be a dedicated area and times for the presentation and discussion of posters.
Proposals for pre-conference workshops and demonstrations from researchers, practitioners, technology developers, or others should be labelled accordingly. Any such proposals may be discussed in advance by contacting Christine Wilson, C.W.L.Wilson@hw.ac.uk.
Key dates
Submission of abstracts for papers, posters and other proposals opens: 1 July 2015
Deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals to Critical Link 8: 30 September 2015
Notification of acceptance: 1 December 2016
Deadline for presenters to confirm participation by registering: 12 February 2016
Draft programme available: 11 March 2016
Registration will normally open: Summer 2016
For more information, please go to the Critical Link 8 website
or contact Christine Wilson at: C.W.L.Wilson@hw.ac.uk
* Some sessions may be held in Arabic, Chinese, French, German or Spanish, and interpretation may be provided by student interpreters from these languages into English, or in the other direction, if requested and feasible, but this cannot be guaranteed at this stage.