The Study Group on Language and the United Nations invites you to contribute to a Symposium on Multilingualism in International Organizations and International Co-operation on 10-11May 2018
at the Church Center, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, First Avenue at 44th Street.

Multilingualism in international co-operation entails both costs and benefits: costs because it requires mechanisms such as the selection of multilingual staff and the mediation of language professionals; benefits because, if properly managed, it includes all parties to decision-making, promotes consensus, supports programme delivery, and aids dissemination of results. Thus it favours social justice and inclusion. Increasingly, multilingualism is seen as a positive force, though it is not always recognized as such by all stakeholders.

Within the United Nations, for example, owing in particular to the scarcity of available data, advocates of multilingual language policies often face ideological, financial and administrative resistance, despite a growing recognition that multilingualism, as a core value of the UN, is a potential source of strength.

This symposium seeks to focus on, and generate interest in, these issues. We invite contributions addressing the challenges of supporting multilingualism in organizations or in sites of international co-operation across different sectors (e.g. business, diplomacy, economics) or communities. Theoretical and methodological studies are welcome, as well as those addressing specific practical challenges – especially papers that focus directly on the work of the UN system or other international bodies, or research having obvious implications for their work.

Suggested themes:
·         evolving perceptions of multilingualism in international settings
·         linguistic inclusiveness in multilingual settings
·         interpretation and translation in international organizations
·         speed of decision-making vs. information loss in monolingual contexts
·         language in international peace-keeping
·         language and human/minority rights
·         the economics of language regimes
·         linguistic equity in organizations
·         inclusive communication in local and international development
·         language policy in international organizations
·         language and sustainability
·         multilingualism and NGOs

The organizers welcome proposals for brief 20-minute papers on topics linked to the symposium themes. Please send proposals (200 words or less) to Dr Lisa McEntee-Atalianis (l.atalianis@bbk.ac.uk), by February 16th, 2018.  The committee expects to make final decisions on the programme by 5 Mar 2018.

The International Summer School “Language Policy and Language Planning: education, languages and migrations” aims at providing theoretical and practical competences in the domain of multilingualism, with a sociolinguistics and ethnolinguistic approach.

Specifically, the topics under discussion will be the following:

- Analysis and evaluation of language policies and language planning;
- educational policies regarding bilingualism and cultural diversity;
- literacy acquisition in migration context;
- superdiversity and linguistic landscape;
- language and economy.

The Summer School will also provide information on research methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative in the domain of linguistics, sociolinguistics and ethnographic research. 

Invited speakers:
- prof. Joseph Lo Bianco, University of Melbourne;
- prof. Michele Gazzola, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin;
- prof. Massimiliano Spotti, Tilburg University;
- professors from the University for Foreigners in Siena.

Languages: Italian and English

Who is invited to participate?

- Ph.D. students, Ph.D. fellows and researchers interested in the topics of the Summer School
- Italian teachers, school headmasters, delegates for immigrant minority students in Italian schools, stakeholders in migration policies

When and where?
The Summer School will be held from 23th to 27th July 2018 at the University for Foreigners in Siena.

The MIME team at KU Leuven organises a workshop on Linguistic diversity and democratic politics on 19 Dec 2017.

For information about venue and programme please refer to the workshop website.

MIME scholar Michele Gazzola from Humbold University Berlin has just published an article in The Times Higher Education entitled "Why teaching in English may not be such a good idea".

His research suggests that students learn better in their native tongue, and English fails to prepare international students for a job after graduation.

MIME researcher Federico Gobbo has a new position as Visiting Professor at the University of Torino where he will teach a course entitled "Multilingualism, Mobility and Inclusion in Europe" from April to June 2018.

The programme of this course is available here.

Prof. Dr. Peter A. Kraus, MIME-Forscher von der Universität Augsburg, äussert sich im Nachrichtenmagazin "Der Spiegel" zu den Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen in seinem Geburtsland Katalonien.