Skip to main content Skip to navigation

School of Modern Languages and Cultures

APTIS 2024 Call For Proposals

APTIS 2024 Unconference

Call for Proposals

You can engage in different ways. Submit your proposal for a poster or a rapid-fire presentation, suggest a Hot Topic roundtable or volunteer yourself as a facilitator for an unconference session! If you have any other ideas, send us an email.

  • Deadline for submissions: 14 June 2024
  • Notifications of acceptance: July 2024

Themes

  • Adapting to Change: This theme revolves around discussing and reflecting on the rapidly changing landscape of translator and interpreter training and education in the UK and Ireland, considering events such as Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, fluctuating student numbers, and the challenges of decolonisation, equality and diversity.
  • Future of the Language Industries: Discussions under this theme would focus on the implications of advancements in generative AI and boosted claims of the replacement of humans in interlinguistic and intercultural stages. The theme may explore strategies for translation and interpreting programmes to respond effectively to these changes.
  • Sharing Good Practices: This theme emphasises the sharing of successful teaching and learning practices among translation and interpreter trainers, academics and researchers. It involves reflecting on experiences, learning from each other, and collaboratively co-creating solutions to challenges in the field.
  • Identifying Challenges: We will engage in discussions to identify and understand the pressing challenges faced by translator and interpreter training and education in the UK and Ireland. This theme involves reflecting on obstacles and barriers within the sector and exploring potential strategies to address them.
  • Seizing Opportunities: Discussions under this theme will focus on recognising and capitalising on emerging opportunities within the translation and interpreting sector. We will explore ways to critically and efficiently implement new trends, technologies, and initiatives for the benefit of the sector and future graduates.

Types of proposals

Stimuli proposals

Rapid-fire Presentations

10-minute talks that will set the ground for a discussion with the audience. The conversation will allow the speakers and the audience to reflect on multiple experiences and contribute their own.

Posters

A dedicated Poster Mosaic session will allow you to share your current teaching-and-learning relevant project. Speakers will give elevator-pitch introductions to their posters and invite other participants to visit their posters and have a one-to-one conversation.

Hot Off the Press

Have you recently published a monograph or a special issue on any topic related to translation or interpreting training? Join us for a showcase of recent publications and get a chance to introduce your book to the attendees!

This session will feature a series of elevator pitch presentations to promote your work and fuel the conversations.

Hot Topics Roundtable

What are those big questions you have regarding your teaching? These are facilitated group discussions about an important question. Propose a discussion topic relevant to APTIS and plan a 1-hour unconference session. Explain the topic, let up to 3 preselected panellists offer opening statements and allow the attendees to share their views and invite potential solutions… or set the tone for the Response discussions!

This Toolbox could give you some initial ideas.

Unconference facilitator proposals

Facilitators will be essential for the success of the Unconference. Unconference facilitators will be appointed to guide the conversations, steer discussions and keep track of ideas for solutions and potential collaboration. We will ensure all facilitators are equipped to steer and spark the conversation.

Topics identified in the pre-conference survey and Stimulus sessions will be put to a vote. The most voted topics will be selected for the Response Unconference sessions. These will be similar to group discussions or brainstorming sessions. Unconference sessions can take different specific forms: Zooming in, Show and Tell, Troubleshooting, Speed networking, etc. Depending on the topic, in each session, participants decide how to manage the conversation.

Would you like to be a facilitator?

Nominate yourself!

Just tell us why you are interested in helping out and how you will encourage interaction and engagement in the unconference session.
We will run a collaborative training session before the conference to agree on the principles and strategies for these sessions.

Other proposals

If you have ideas for another type of session that could work with the overall Unconference but doesn’t fit the above formats, drop us an email!

Equally, if you are concerned about the format or the possibility that your participation will not be eligible for funding at your institution, please let us know. We will provide the required participation certificates for any of the sessions above.