The team behind the Language-on-the-Move Podcast (Image credit: Language on the Move)

Final piece of good news for the year before we head into a publishing break over January: we’ve just heard that the Language-on-the-Move Podcast has won the 2025 Talkley Award

The Talkley Award is issued by the Australian Linguistic Society (ALS) and “celebrates the best piece or collection of linguistics communication produced in the previous year by current ALS members. The Award acknowledges that the discipline of linguistics needs champions to promote linguistics in the public sphere and explain how linguistic evidence can be used to solve real-life language problems.”

This is a wonderful end-of-year present for our team in recognition of the work and care we’re putting into creating the podcast. Special thanks and congratulations also to our podcast publishing partner, the New Books Network.

After the 2012 Talkley Award went to Ingrid Piller for the Language on the Move website, this is the second time the award goes to our team – an amazing recognition of the long-term impact Language on the Move has had on public communications about linguistic diversity and social justice.

Thank you to all our supporters who nominated us for the award! Special thanks to Dr Yixi (Isabella) Qiu and her students in the Guohao College Future Technology Program at Tongji University. After using the Language-on-the-Move Podcast as a learning resource, they have been among our biggest fans

To celebrate with us, listen to an episode today! You an find your list of choice below.

As always, please support us by subscribing to the Language on the Move Podcast on your podcast app of choice, leaving a 5-star review, and recommending the Language on the Move Podcast and our partner the New Books Network to your students, colleagues, and friends.

Students of the Guohao College Future Technology Program at Tongji University in Shanghai are among the fans of the Language-on-the-Move Podcast (Image credit: Dr Yixi (Isabella) Qiu)

List of episodes to date

1. Episode 64: Your Languages are your superpower! Agnes Bodis in conversation with Cindy Valdez (17/11/2025)
2. Episode 63: Australia’s National Indigenous Languages Survey: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Zoe Avery (28/10/2025)
3. Episode 62: Migration is about every human challenge you can have: Brynn Quick in conversation with Shaun Tan (17/09/2025)
4. Episode 61: Cold Rush: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Sari Pietikainen (09/09/2025)
5. Episode 60: Sexual predation and English language teaching: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Vaughan Rapatahana (02/09/2025)
6. Episode 59: Intercultural Communication – Now in the 3^rd edition: Loy Lising in conversation with Ingrid Piller (26/08/2025)
7. Episode 58: Erased voices and unspoken heritage: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Zozan Balci (20/08/2025)
8. Episode 57: The Social Impact of Automating Translation: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Ester Monzó-Nebot (03/08/2025)
9. Episode 56: Multilingual practices and monolingual mindsets: Brynn Quick in conversation with Jinhyun Cho (18/07/2025)
10. Episode 55: Improving quality of care for patients with limited English: Brynn Quick in conversation with Leah Karliner (26/06/2025)
11. Episode 54: Chinese in Qatar: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Sara Hillman (19/06/2025)
12. Episode 53: Accents, complex identities, and politics: Brynn Quick in conversation with Nicole Holliday (12/06/2025)
13. Episode 52: Is beach safety signage fit for purpose? Agnes Bodis in conversation with Masaki Shibata (05/06/2025)
14. Episode 51: The case for ASL instruction for hearing heritage signers: Emily Pacheco in conversation with Su Kyong Isakson (28/04/2025)
15. Episode 50: Researching language and digital communication: Brynn Quick in conversation with Christian Ilbury (22/04/2025)
16. Episode 49: Gestures and emblems: Brynn Quick in conversation with Lauren Gawne (14/04/2025)
17. Episode 48: Lingua Napoletana and language oppression: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Massimiliano Canzanella (07/04/2025)
18. Episode 47: Teaching international students: Brynn Quick in conversation with Agnes Bodis and Jing Fan (31/03/2025)
19. Episode 46: Intercultural competence in the digital age: Brynn Quick in conversation with Amy McHugh (12/03/2025)
20. Episode 45: How does multilingual law-making work: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Karen McAuliffe (05/03/2025)
21. Episode 44: Educational inequality in Fijian higher education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Prashneel Goundar (25/02/2025)
22. Episode 43: Multilingual crisis communication: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Li Jia (22/01/2025)
23. Episode 42: Politics of language oppression in Tibet: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Gerald Roche (14/01/2025)
24. Episode 41: Why teachers turn to AI: Brynn Quick in conversation with Sue Ollerhead (09/01/2025)
25. Episode 40: Language Rights in a Changing China: Brynn Quick in conversation with Alexandra Grey (01/01/2025)
26. Episode 39: Whiteness, Accents, and Children’s Media: Brynn Quick in conversation with Laura Smith-Khan (24/12/2024)
27. Episode 38: Creaky Voice in Australian English: Brynn Quick in conversation with Hannah White (18/12/2024)
28. Episode 37: Supporting multilingual families to engage with schools: Agi Bodis in conversation with Margaret Kettle (20/11/2024)
29. Episode 36: Linguistic diversity as a bureaucratic challenge: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Clara Holzinger (17/11/2024)
30. Episode 35: Judging refugees: Laura Smith-Khan in conversation with Anthea Vogl (02/11/2024)
31. Episode 34: How did Arabic get on that sign? Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Rizwan Ahmad (30/10/2024)
32. Episode 33: Migration, constraints and suffering: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Marco Santello (14/10/2024)
33. Episode 32: Living together across borders: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Lynnette Arnold (07/10/2024)
34. Episode 31: Police first responders interacting with domestic violence victims: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Kate Steel (29/09/2024)
35. Episode 30: Remembering Barbara Horvath: Livia Gerber in conversation with Barbara Horvath (10/09/2024)
36. Episode 29: English Language Ideologies in Korea: Brynn Quick in conversation with Jinhyun Cho (08/09/2024)
37. Episode 28: Sign Language Brokering: Emily Pacheco in conversation with Jemina Napier (30/07/2024)
38. Episode 27: Muslim Literacies in China: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Ibrar Bhatt (24/07/2024)
39. Episode 26: Life in a New Language, Pt 6 – Citizenship: Brynn Quick in conversation with Emily Farrell (17/07/2024)
40. Episode 25: Life in a New Language, Pt 5 – Monolingual Mindset: Brynn Quick in conversation with Loy Lising (11/07/2024)
41. Episode 24: Language policy at an abortion clinic: Brynn Quick in conversation with Ella van Hest (05/07/2024)
42. Episode 23: Life in a New Language, Pt 4 – Parenting: Brynn Quick in conversation with Shiva Motaghi-Tabari (03/07/2024)
43. Episode 22: Life in a New Language, Pt 3 – African migrants: Brynn Quick in conversation with Vera Williams Tetteh (27/06/2024)
44. Episode 21: Life in a New Language, Pt 2 –Work: Brynn Quick in conversation with Ingrid Piller (19/06/2024)
45. Episode 20: Life in a New Language, Pt 1 – Identities: Brynn Quick in conversation with Donna Butorac (12/06/2024)
46. Episode 19: Because Internet: Brynn Quick in conversation with Gretchen McCulloch (03/06/2024)
47. Episode 18: Between Deaf and hearing cultures: Emily Pacheco in conversation with Jessica Kirkness (01/06/2024)
48. Episode 17: The Rise of English: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Rosemary Salomone (21/05/2024)
49. Episode 16: Community Languages Schools Transforming Education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Joe Lo Bianco (07/05/2024)
50. Episode 15: Shanghai Multilingualism Alliance: Yixi (Isabella) Qiu in conversation with Yongyan Zheng (02/05/2024)
51. Episode 14: Multilingual Commanding Urgency from Garbage to COVID-19: Brynn Quick in conversation with Michael Chestnut (27/04/2024)
52. Episode 13: Making sense of “Bad English:” Brynn Quick in conversation with Elizabeth Peterson (13/04/2024)
53. Episode 12: History of Modern Linguistics: Ingrid Piller in conversation with James McElvenny (10/04/2024)
54. Episode 11: 40 Years of Croatian Studies at Macquarie University: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Jasna Novak Milić (08/04/2024
55. Episode 10: Reducing Barriers to Language Assistance in Hospital: Brynn Quick in conversation with Erin Mulpur, Houston Methodist Hospital (26/03/2024)
56. Episode 9: Interpreting service provision is good value for money. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Jim Hlavac (19/03/2024)
57. Episode 8: What does it mean to govern a multilingual society well? Hanna Torsh in conversation with Alexandra Grey (22/02/2024)
58. Episode 7: What can Australian Message Sticks teach us about literacy? Ingrid Piller in conversation with Piers Kelly (21/02/2024; originally published 2020)
59. Episode 6: How to teach TESOL ethically in an English-dominant world. Carla Chamberlin and Mak Khan in conversation with Ingrid Piller (20/02/2024; originally published 2020)
60. Episode 5: Can we ever unthink linguistic nationalism? Ingrid Piller in conversation with Aneta Pavlenko (19/02/2024; originally published 2021)
61. Episode 4: Language makes the place. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Adam Jaworski (18/02/2024; originally published 2022)
62. Episode 3: Linguistic diversity in education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Ingrid Gogolin (17/02/2024; originally published 2023)
63. Episode 2: Translanguaging: Loy Lising in conversation with Ofelia García (16/02/2024; originally published 2023)
64. Episode 1: Lies we tell ourselves about multilingualism. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Aneta Pavlenko (15/02/2024)

2025 has been incredibly busy for us. Apart from everything we do in the real world, we’ve published 64 blog posts in 2025 – that’s more than one post per week. Twenty-four of these were podcast episodes – that’s one podcast episode per fortnight.

A lot of hard work goes into running Language on the Move at this level, and I am so grateful to the team who keep this indie publication project going: the contributors, the readers, the behind-the-scenes support from our webmaster, and the financial and administrative support from the Humboldt Foundation, the University of Hamburg, and Macquarie University.

At a time when the wider world seems to get darker and darker, having so much to be thankful for is an amazing gift; and the best way to express gratitude is to pay it forward, as I reflected in May when I accepted an Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship Award:

Language on the Move 2025 in numbers

As every year, we share a list of all our Language on the Move publications below. We start with the highlights followed by the full list.

This is what Spotify tells us about the Language-on-the-Move Podcast

Top 10 most read blog posts

1. Alexander-von-Humboldt-Professorship Awards 2025
2. New Year’s Visit
3. Hiring a dream team in linguistic diversity and social participation
4. Alexandra Grey, Making linguistic diversity visible in Parliament
5. Gerald Roche, Language access rights are vital
6. Laura Smith-Khan, What’s new in Language and Law in Education and Training
7. Allegra Holmes à Court, How judges think about language
8. Rosemary Salomone, English in the crossfire of US immigration
9. Nashid Nigar and Alex Kostogriz, Immigrant Teachers are reshaping English education
10. Laura Smith-Khan, Learning to speak like a lawyer

Top 10 most downloaded podcast episodes

1. Podcast Episode 42: Politics of language oppression in Tibet: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Gerald Roche (14/01/2025)
2. Podcast Episode 57: The Social Impact of Automating Translation: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Ester Monzó-Nebot (03/08/2025)
3. Podcast Episode 58: Erased voices and unspoken heritage: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Zozan Balci (20/08/2025)
4. Podcast Episode 61: Cold Rush: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Sari Pietikainen (09/09/2025)
5. Podcast Episode 63: Australia’s National Indigenous Languages Survey: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Zoe Avery (28/10/2025)
6. Podcast Episode 53: Accents, complex identities, and politics: Brynn Quick in conversation with Nicole Holliday (12/06/2025)
7. Podcast Episode 41: Why teachers turn to AI: Brynn Quick in conversation with Sue Ollerhead (09/01/2025)
8. Podcast Episode 56: Multilingual practices and monolingual mindsets: Brynn Quick in conversation with Jinhyun Cho (18/07/2025)
9. Podcast Episode 54: Chinese in Qatar: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Sara Hillman (19/06/2025)
10. Podcast Episode 59: Intercultural Communication – Now in the 3^rd edition: Loy Lising in conversation with Ingrid Piller (26/08/2025)

This is what Spotify tells us about the Language-on-the-Move Podcast

Please make sure to subscribe!

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You can also follow us on BlueSky, connect with individual member of the Language-on-the-Move team on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the Language on the Move Podcast in the podcast app of your choice.

December

1. Language on the Move Podcast wins Talkley Award 2025 [added on Dec 30, 2025]
2. Jemima Rillera Kempster, Centering people in technology-mediated communication – a report about a fantastic symposium dedicated to new technologies in intercultural communication, which we hosted at Macquarie University on December 8.
3. Language on the Move Reading Challenge 2026 – now in its ninth year! Make sure to join us in this reading challenge!
4. Sophie Munte, ALAA 2025 at Charles Darwin University

Highlight
Brynn Quick had her first academic article published. This is part of Brynn’s PhD research, which investigates how medical receptionists deal with patients who have little or no English. This first publication is a policy analysis but the findings from the ethnographic study are bound to be even more exciting – watch this space!
First publication is always so sweet. Congratulations, Brynn!
Quick, B., Piller, I., & Lising, L. (2025). The (un)imagined work of determining patients’ English language proficiency. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2025.2594462

This is what Spotify tells us about the Language-on-the-Move Podcast

November

4. Sara Hillman, Aishwaryaa Kannan, and Tim Tizon, From “Howdy” to “Hayakom”: A shifting university linguascape
5. Larissa Cosyns, Shared Reading Day 2025
6. Podcast Episode 64: Your Languages are your superpower! Agnes Bodis in conversation with Cindy Valdez (17/11/2025)
7. A major task of 2025 was to assemble the Humboldt Professorship team of three doctoral and three postdoctoral researchers: meet them here.
8. Andrea Pešková, Native listening and learning new sounds

October

9. Podcast Episode 63: Australia’s National Indigenous Languages Survey: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Zoe Avery (28/10/2025)
10. In this post, we introduced the newly established World Education Research Association (WERA) International Research Network (IRN) “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” – please consider joining if you are conducting research in this area.
11. We are still looking for Sydney-based teachers to participate in a research survey about “Language brokering in schools.”
12. Event: New technologies in Intercultural Communication – pre-event program and abstract; the post-event report is here.

Highlight
Ana Sofia Bruzon finished her PhD this year. Graduation will be in April next year when you will hear more about her work on “Technology and Transnational Bilingual Parenting: A Double-Edged Sword.” For now, congratulations, Dr Bruzon!

September

13. Ana Sofia Bruzon, Why “critical” use of AI in education might mean refusal
14. Podcast Episode 62: Migration is about every human challenge you can have: Brynn Quick in conversation with Shaun Tan (17/09/2025)
15. Podcast Episode 61: Cold Rush: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Sari Pietikainen (09/09/2025)
16. Podcast Episode 60: Sexual predation and English language teaching: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Vaughan Rapatahana (02/09/2025)

Brynn Quick published her first academic article this year (Image credit: Language on the Move)

August

17. Podcast Episode 59: Intercultural Communication – Now in the 3^rd edition: Loy Lising in conversation with Ingrid Piller (26/08/2025)
18. Podcast Episode 58: Erased voices and unspoken heritage: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Zozan Balci (20/08/2025)
19. Brynn Quick, How to manage your supervisor
20. Podcast Episode 57: The Social Impact of Automating Translation: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Ester Monzó-Nebot (03/08/2025)

Highlight
Our team is making a growing contribution to multilingual healthcare, including these two new publications:
Marinaro, N. (2025). Operationalising linguistic unease for the evaluation of language policies in healthcare. Revista de Llengua i Dret(84), 73-93. https://doi.org/10.58992/rld.i84.2025.4492
Li, J., Luo, M., Cho, J., & Zhang, J. (2025). The double-edged sword of language: empowerment and precarity for interpreters in a Chinese border hospital. Multilingua. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/multi-2025-0168

July

21. Alexandra Grey, Who’s new in Law and Language?
22. Kristen Martin, LLIRN 6th Anniversary Workshop – our partner, the “Law and Linguistics Interdisciplinary Research Network” turned 6 this year. We celebrate with them the power of networking!
23. Podcast Episode 56: Multilingual practices and monolingual mindsets: Brynn Quick in conversation with Jinhyun Cho (18/07/2025)
24. Larissa Cosyns, Dr Loy Lising spreads a multilingual mindset
25. Humanities’ cuts pose existential threat to Australia’s capabilities
26. 

    Nicole Marinaro sharing news of her latest publication (Image credit: Language on the Move)

    Shanghai Magnolia Pujiang Talent Program Success

27. Alexandra Grey, Making linguistic diversity visible in Parliament

Highlight
The recruitment process for the fellows on the Humboldt Professorship team “Linguistic Diversity and Social Participation Across the Lifespan” took up much of 2025.
The interviews with 20 shortlisted candidates were one of the highlights of the year. We wish we could have hired all these talented young researchers. It was such a privilege to get to know them and we wish to acknowledge them, too, and wish them well!

June

28. Podcast Episode 55: Improving quality of care for patients with limited English: Brynn Quick in conversation with Leah Karliner (26/06/2025)
29. Podcast Episode 54: Chinese in Qatar: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Sara Hillman (19/06/2025)
30. Emily Pacheco, Children of Migrant Deaf Adults
31. Podcast Episode 53: Accents, complex identities, and politics: Brynn Quick in conversation with Nicole Holliday (12/06/2025)
32. Podcast Episode 52: Is beach safety signage fit for purpose? Agnes Bodis in conversation with Masaki Shibata (05/06/2025)

May

33. Alexandra Grey, Legal Corpus Linguistics
34. Tazin Abdullah, Research participants needed to evaluate online multilingual communications
35. Allegra Holmes à Court, How judges think about language
36. Hiring a dream team in linguistic diversity and social participation
37. Alexander-von-Humboldt-Professorship Awards 2025
38. 

    Ana was awarded her doctorate this year and is now Dr Bruzon. An occasion to celebrate with her supervision team (Image credit: Language on the Move)

    Laura Smith-Khan, What’s new in Language and Law in Education and Training

Highlight
In May we had much to celebrate: The Humboldt-Professorship Award Ceremony in Berlin was complemented with an inspiring “Welcome Symposium” hosted the Literacy in Diversity Settings (LiDS) Research Center.

April

39. Podcast Episode 51: The case for ASL instruction for hearing heritage signers: Emily Pacheco in conversation with Su Kyong Isakson (28/04/2025)
40. Podcast Episode 50: Researching language and digital communication: Brynn Quick in conversation with Christian Ilbury (22/04/2025)
41. Podcast Episode 49: Gestures and emblems: Brynn Quick in conversation with Lauren Gawne (14/04/2025)
42. Podcast Episode 48: Lingua Napoletana and language oppression: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Massimiliano Canzanella (07/04/2025)
43. 

    The bulletin board of the Literacy in Diversity Settings (LiDS) Research Center was filled with announcements for guest lectures throughout the year (Image credit: Language on the Move)

    Laura Smith-Khan, Learning to speak like a lawyer

Highlight
Throughout the year, we welcomed an amazing group of visitors to the University of Hamburg, as part of two lecture series: the Lunch Lectures of the Literacy in Diversity Settings (LiDS) Research Center and as part of the public lecture series “Everyday Multilingualism.”

March

44. Podcast Episode 47: Teaching international students: Brynn Quick in conversation with Agnes Bodis and Jing Fan (31/03/2025)
45. Gerald Roche, Language access rights are vital
46. Rosemary Salomone, English in the crossfire of US immigration
47. Nashid Nigar and Alex Kostogriz, Immigrant Teachers are reshaping English education
48. Podcast Episode 46: Intercultural competence in the digital age: Brynn Quick in conversation with Amy McHugh (12/03/2025)
49. Podcast Episode 45: How does multilingual law-making work: Alexandra Grey in conversation with Karen McAuliffe (05/03/2025)

Emily Pacheco graduated from her MRes with a thesis about the language brokering experiences of the hearing children of migrant Deaf adults (Image credit: Language on the Move)

February

50. Alexandra Grey, Making Zhuang language visible
51. Podcast Episode 44: Educational inequality in Fijian higher education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Prashneel Goundar (25/02/2025)
52. Tazin Abdullah, Lifelong learning from academic mentorship
53. Brynn Quick and Tazin Abdullah, Seven reasons why we love hosting podcasts
54. Kristen Martin: Closing the Gap Languages Target: An update
55. Emma Genovese, Language and inclusion in law
56. Sunjoo Kim, More than meets the eye
57. Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Automating silence?

Highlight
The 3rd edition of Ingrid Piller’s textbook Intercultural Communication (Edinburgh University Press, 1st ed. 2011) was published this year. The 3rd edition includes a new chapter in intercultural crisis communication based on our team’s research on multilingual communications during the Covid-19 pandemic.

January

58. 

    “Intercultural Communication” is now out in the 3rd edition – with a new chapter on crisis communication in a linguistically and culturally diverse world

    Ingrid Piller, New Year’s Visit

59. Rami Luisto, Local culture mirrored in dog signs
60. Podcast Episode 43: Multilingual crisis communication: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Li Jia (22/01/2025)
61. Anna Dillon and Sarah Hopkyns, Visit to Abrahamic Family House
62. Podcast Episode 42: Politics of language oppression in Tibet: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Gerald Roche (14/01/2025)
63. Podcast Episode 41: Why teachers turn to AI: Brynn Quick in conversation with Sue Ollerhead (09/01/2025)
64. Podcast Episode 40: Language Rights in a Changing China: Brynn Quick in conversation with Alexandra Grey (01/01/2025)

Language-on-the-Move Podcast episodes 1-39

A full list of pre-2025 Language-on-the-Move podcast episodes is available here.

Previous annual reports

1. Language on the Move 2024
2. Language on the Move 2023
3. Language on the Move 2022
4. Language on the Move 2021
5. Language on the Move 2020
6. Language on the Move 2019
7. Language on the Move 2018
8. Language on the Move 2017
9. Language on the Move 2016
10. Language on the Move 2015
11. Language on the Move 2014
12. Language on the Move 2013
13. Language on the Move 2012
14. Language on the Move 2011
15. Language on the Move 2010
16. Language on the Move 2009

Group photo, New Technologies in Intercultural Communication Symposium (Image credit: Language on the Move)

On a crack-of-dawn flight early Monday morning last week, I flew to Sydney for the day to attend “New Technologies in Intercultural Communication“, a symposium hosted by the Language on the Move Team at Macquarie University.

The presentations explored intercultural communication ranging from the use of digital technologies by elderly migrants and their families (Dr Earvin Charles B. Cabalquinto), GenAI as digital shadow care support by international students (Dr Julia Kantek and Dr Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi), language learning tools by transnational parents for heritage language maintenance (Dr Ana Sofia Bruzon), learning technologies in primary science classrooms in Australia and Korea (Dr Hye-Eun Chu), and social media in language learning (Dr Yeong-Ju Lee). And to think the new technology promising proficiency and fluency “back in my day” (I find myself relating to a joke Professor Piller made about technological development) relied on cassette tapes at the language lab!

The symposium showcased a fascinating catalogue of digital technologies enabling intercultural communication. We heard about high school students in an Australian classroom connecting with Korean students to hypothesize why the seasons differ between their two countries. We heard of transnational parents employing creative ways to encourage their children to connect to their heritage languages, especially to communicate with family members. It was also intriguing to hear how social media platforms such as Tiktok offer features such as “duet”, creating opportunities for speakers of different languages to collaborate and co-construct meaning.

While we heard of these novel and exciting ways technology can be used to enhance intercultural communication, each presenter emphasized the human element in communication. I could not help but think about how language learning tends to be marketed as fun, brain-boosting, or career-enhancing. And yet, language in human relationships is messy, and missteps happen! Even so, whether you already speak the language or are learning an additional one, I believe empathy and deeper understanding are borne out of the struggle to communicate and truly connect with each other.

The most striking point for me was that some uses of technology actually stem from institutional failures or social exclusion, leaving the vulnerable members of our society even more marginalized. Earvin reminded us that although much of the discussion seems to be on the importance of digital literacy skills, many still lack basic access to technological infrastructure that we often take for granted in urban Australia. Julia and Thilakshi’s presentation highlighted the isolation that international students experience, turning to GenAI for immediate advice on legal matters, polishing their resumes, or easing homesickness. Ana pointed to multilingual parents’ struggles of heritage language maintenance in the face of pervasive monolingual mindset across Australian schooling and public discourse.

As I flew back to Brisbane that evening, reflecting on the presentations, discussion questions, and conversations I had with fellow attendees strengthened my resolve to keep pushing for equity in language learning and digital access.

We need to keep asking: How do we use technology for intercultural communication? Who gets left out? And how can we keep working towards digital and social inclusion?

I want to thank UQ School of Education for making it possible for me to attend the symposium, and to Distinguished Professor Ingrid Piller, Dr Loy Lising, Dr Ana Sofia Bruzon and the Language on the Move team for bringing together a rich program and creating the opportunity to hear from and exchange ideas with other scholars.

The president of University of Hamburg, Prof Dr Hauke Heekeren, welcomes the new members of Ingrid Piller’s Humboldt Professorship Team

Attentive readers will remember that in May this year we advertised six doctoral and postdoctoral positions to conduct research related to “Linguistic Diversity and Social Participation across the Lifespan” in the Literacy in Diversity Settings (LiDS) Research Center at University of Hamburg, as part of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship awarded to Ingrid Piller.

In response, we received 270 applications. While it was exciting to see that there is so much interest in our work, it was also heart-breaking to have to make so many tough decisions from an amazing pool of highly qualified candidates.

After conducting Zoom and on-campus interviews in July and August, I am now pleased to report that the Dream Team has started their work at the beginning of November. We have six extremely talented and accomplished early career researchers joining the Language-on-the-Move community, and in this post, they are introducing themselves in their own words.

Jenia Yudytska

I’m Jenia Yudytska, a Ukrainian-Austrian postdoc. I did my PhD in computational sociolinguistics at the University of Hamburg, investigating the influence of technological affordances on language in online communication. My current research interest focuses on how migrants use language technologies, particularly machine translation, as a resource in their everyday life. Since 2022, I have also been heavily involved in the organisation of grassroots mutual aid online communities for Ukrainian forced migrants in Austria.

I’m particularly excited for this chance to jump into applied linguistics, and the chance to combine both my love for research and my desire to make a social impact!

Juan Sánchez

¡Hola!

I’m Juan Felipe Sánchez Guzmán, a Colombian student and researcher based in Hamburg. In my home country, I conducted research on gender diversity and language teaching, as well as on the implementation of the Colombian Ministry of Education’s bilingualism programs involving foreign tutors in public institutions within a predominantly monolingual context. Building on my passion for languages, my own migration experience, and those of fellow immigrants, my Master’s research explored the integration of Latinx nurses into the German healthcare system.

I look forward to showcasing through research the values and strengths that multilingual communities bring to education, healthcare, and society as a whole.

Mara Kyrou

My name is Mara Kyrou and I hold an MA degree in Linguistics and Communication from the University of Amsterdam. My Masters research explored language policies, practices and ideologies as perceived by teaching professionals in multilingual non-formal education settings in Greece and the Netherlands. My research interests also include professional and intercultural communication in transnational work contexts, gender theory and theater education. I have also contributed to the design and implementation of language learning programs for students with a (post-)migrant background with international NGOs.

In this research group we are working with (auto-)ethnographies and focusing on globally emerging topics hence we don’t just study things as they are but as we humans are.

Martin Derince

Roj baş!

I am Martin Serif Derince. I carried out my PhD research on Kurdish heritage language education in Germany at the University of Potsdam. I have conducted research and have publications on bilingualism and multilingualism in education, language policy, heritage language education, statelessness, and family multilingualism. After long years of professional work in municipality, non-governmental organizations and community associations dedicated to promoting multilingualism in various contexts, I am excited to explore new terrains in academia, grow together intellectually, and contribute to efforts for social transformation and justice.

Nicole Marinaro

My name is Nicole Marinaro, and I did my PhD at Belfast’s Ulster University’s School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, focusing on addressing communication difficulties between patients and healthcare professionals. My research interests include language policy, sociolinguistics and linguistic justice, with a focus on the inclusion of linguistically diverse speakers. I am also passionate about language teaching and dissemination of academic knowledge.

I am particularly excited to become part of a diverse and interdisciplinary team, to learn from each other over the next years and to make a real contribution to a more linguistically just society.

Olga Vlasova

My name is Olga Vlasova. My research journey started in Prague at the Charles University where I obtained my BA degree in sociology. Later, I completed my Master’s degree in social policy at the University of Bremen and University of Amsterdam. During these years I have been contributing to research in the fields of migration and labour studies, with a particular focus on solidarity practices with migrant workers in the European labour markets. Apart from that, I’m a passionate volunteer and help newcomers with their integration into Hamburg society.

One thing my life journey has taught me is: “Be brave and follow your ideas and passions!”

What’s next?

Over the next 4 years, our work will be in the following five areas:

• We will conduct a set of interlinked ethnographies to better understand linguistic diversity and social participation across the lifespan
• We will make a novel methodological and epistemological contribution related to qualitative multilingual data sharing
• We will build capacity in international networked education research (see also WERA IRN Literacy in Multilingual Contexts)
• We will work with community stakeholders to help improve language policies and practices and make institutional communication more accessible
• We will share knowledge and contribute to a greater valorization of linguistic diversity

Along the way, we will keep you all posted, of course. Watch this space!

Early next year, we will also advertise another researcher position on our team so that’s another reason to follow our work

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Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship Awards 2025

The international research network “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” builds on the “Next Generation Literacies” network

The World Education Research Association (WERA) recently announced the launch of seven new International Research Networks (IRNs) and we are pleased to share that “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” is one of them.

What is a WERA IRN?

The WERA IRN initiative brings together global teams of researchers through virtual communication and other channels to collaborate in specific areas of international importance. “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” joins a growing list of IRNs, contributing to the vision of WERA. The purpose of IRNs is to synthesize knowledge, examine the state of research, and stimulate collaborations or otherwise identify promising directions in research areas of worldwide significance. IRNs are expected to produce substantive reports that integrate the state of the knowledge worldwide and set forth promising research directions.

What does the IRN “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” do?

The IRN “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” aims to initiate and extend international collaborative research on literacy in the context of language diversity and migration. The joint focus is on literacy development and practice in multiple languages. Drawing on varied and complementary expertise from Europe, Australasia, Africa and North America, the objectives are:

1. to enhance knowledge on literacy and student diversity
2. to trace tendencies that go beyond one national, regional or local context
3. to examine literacy development across the life-course
4. to critically discuss the implications of research findings for policy and practice

Literacy is a foundation for participation in complex societies. The proposed research therefore also contributes to pathways to equity. The network’s activities will reach fundamental theoretical insights, which may be transferred to concepts of teaching/learning in educational institutions. This intervention research will attempt to generalise characteristics of successful multilingual literacy development to be adapted to specific contexts. The proposed IRN comprises senior, experienced and early career scholars (incl. PhD students), aimed towards international and intergenerational knowledge generation.

Literacy as a resource

At the heart of our network is the idea that multilingual literacy is a resource to be celebrated. Literacies across languages and scripts empower learners to create knowledge, to navigate education systems, and to participate fully in social and cultural life.

Members of the network bring expertise from early childhood to higher education, from family and community contexts to digital and AI-mediated literacies. Our shared vision is to develop research that responds to the multilingual realities of migration, mobility, and global diversity.

Building on the “Next Generation Literacies” network

The “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” network has grown out of the Next Generation Literacies initiative, an international network of researchers working at the intersection of social participation and linguistic diversity.

Based on the trilateral partnership of Fudan University (China), Hamburg University (Germany) and Macquarie University (Australia), Next Generation Literacies brought together an interdisciplinary group of established and emerging researchers to build a truly global network.

After funding for the Next Generation Literacies network ended in 2024, the IRN “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” keeps that spirit of collaboration alive, while also widening the circle: we are now connected with colleagues from the Network on Language and Education (LeD) in the European Educational Research Association (EERA) and with other WERA initiatives. Under this new umbrella, we will scale up our efforts and make a stronger impact together.

Network Conveners

The network is convened by

• Irina Usanova (University of Hamburg; Lead Convenor)
• Francis M. Hult (UMBC)
• Ingrid Piller (University of Hamburg & Macquarie University)
• Yongyan Zheng (Fudan University)
• Harkaitz Zubiri-Esnaola (University of the Basque Country)

Together with network members, we bring expertise spanning literacy research across continents and research traditions.

Kick-off meeting

On September 24, 2025, we came together on Zoom across many different time zones and continents to virtually celebrate the official launch of the Literacy in Multilingual Contexts IRN.

The kick-off meeting felt like both a reunion and a new beginning: familiar faces from the Next Generation Literacies network reconnecting, and new colleagues from around the world joining the conversation. Together, we are building a vibrant global community of researchers committed to understanding how literacy develops and thrives in multilingual settings. For all of us, it was a reminder of how much we can achieve when we put our multilingual realities at the center of literacy research.

What’s next?

Over the next three years (2025–2028), we will:

• review the state of research on multilingual literacies
• analyze existing datasets across different contexts
• share our work in joint events and publications
• build a sustainable international community dedicated to literacy in diversity

To make this vision concrete, members are invited to join thematic working groups. Topics include multilingual literacy in early childhood, in higher education, in Indigenous contexts, CLIL, multilingual writing and AI, and multilingual policy. Sounds interesting?

An open invitation

The energy of our first meeting showed just how much can be achieved when we bring our different perspectives together. The IRN “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” is open to any researcher working in these areas. If you are interested in joining, please send your inquiry to Dr Irina Usanova.

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• Legacies of the Next Generation Literacies Network
• Becoming a world-ready researcher at Macquarie University
• A water perspective on language research
• Publishing is an insiders’ game

If you answered ‘yes’ to the above, you are invited to fill in a short survey for a PhD research project on child language brokering (the use of children as interpreters) in schools.

The online survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Its aim is to gather insights on how teachers communicate with parents who are not proficient in English. The questions focus on occasions when teachers have had a student translate for their parents in school.

To participate simply click this link or scan the QR code.

Participation is voluntary and anonymous. There is no compensation offered. You can withdraw at any time during the online survey. Data will be saved on servers provided by University of Hamburg (Germany). The survey will ask about your experiences and opinions.

This research has been approved by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics HREC Humanities & Social Sciences Committee.

Your contribution is important as the study hopes to contribute to improving parent-school communication across language barriers and thus support equal access to information for all parents and teachers.

Many thanks for considering this invitation and for your time and support!

For questions and concerns contact the PhD student, Sophie Munte.

Description: Digital technologies are in the process of fundamentally reshaping communication. There are significant opportunities: chatbots can personalize language teaching in a way unimaginable until recently and machine translation promises to widen participation for ever more people, regardless of their language proficiency. Yet these opportunities come with the harms caused by screen addiction, surveillance, and environmental destruction.

In this one-day research symposium we move beyond both the hype and the fearmongering to examine the real-life use of digital technologies in multilingual and intercultural communication. How can digital technologies help to bridge language barriers to social participation? What new barriers do they create? And what research agenda do we need to harness technological transformation for social inclusion in our linguistically and culturally diverse society?

Attendance is free but places are limited. To secure your place, sign up for the event at https://events.humanitix.com/new-technologies-in-intercultural-communication or scan the QR code.

Date and venue

Monday, Dec 08, 2025
Macquarie University, Wallumattagul Campus, Ryde

Program [updated Nov 21, 2025]

09:30-10:00      Arrival, Meet & Greet
10:00-10:30      Welcome
10:30-11:15      Earvin Cabalquinto (Monash U), The myth of digital inclusion: Locating non-digital influences in the migrant’s home
11:15-12:00      Julia Kantek and Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi (WSU), Sustaining livelihoods in ‘the shadows’: International students’ use of GenAI as digital shadow care support
12:00-13:00      Lunch break
13:00-13:45     Ana Sofia Bruzon (MQ), Using tech in bilingual transnational parenting
13:45-14:30      Hye Eun Chu (MQ), Bridging Language and Inquiry in Diverse Science Classrooms
14:30-15:15      Yeong-Ju Lee (MQ), Social Media and Language Learning
15:15-15:45      Coffee break
15:45-16:30      Laura Smith-Khan (UNE), “Connectivity is the central thing”: Developing legal literacy post-migration
16:30-17:00      Closing panel: Gerard Goggin (UWS) and Ingrid Piller (UHH&MQ), moderated by Sarah McMonagle (UHH)
17:00-18:30      Reception & networking

Abstracts and bio blurbs

Earvin Cabalquinto (Monash U), The myth of digital inclusion: Locating non-digital influences in the migrant’s home

Abstract: The home is a vital space for shaping an individual’s personal, familial and social relations and growth. In an increasingly digital and global economy, such domestic terrain has been reconfigured into a highly mediated and transnational space. For migrants and their networks who constantly navigate their marginalised position in contemporary societies, a home at a distance embodies the paradox of cross-border and virtual mobility. Homing necessitates digital media use, a tactic for coping with the pains of physical separation. Yet, everyday connections, impacted by intersecting social, economic and political factors, become a source of frustrations and discomfort. In this provocation, I offer a critical reflection of the principles, dynamics, and contradictions of digital inclusion by unlocking the migrants’ mediated home. I draw key insights from more than ten years of multi-sited interviews and visual ethnography among the Filipino diaspora in Australia and their local and transnational networks. Significantly, I attempt to locate and centre the asymmetrical non-digital factors – personal, cultural, economic, and political – that deeply impacts the enactment, embodiment and negotiations of the home among migrants and their distant networks. In sum, the presentation provides a critical vantage point to further rethink digital inclusion by disrupting one-size-fits-all and geographically-bounded solutions and foreground situated, relational, and transnational approaches for understanding and redressing intertwined social and digital inequalities.

Bio: Dr Earvin Charles B. Cabalquinto is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University, Australia. He has held Visiting fellowships in Lancaster University, United Kingdom (2019), University of Jyväskylä, Finland (2021), Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Migration and Integration, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada (2024), and Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (2025). He is the author of (Im)mobile Homes: Family Life at a Distance in the Age of Mobile Media” (Oxford University Press). He is the co-author of Philippine Digital Cultures: Brokerage Dynamics on YouTube (Amsterdam University Press). He sits in the editorial board of top journals, including the International Journal of Cultural Studies, Convergence:  The international journal of research into new media technologies, and Journal of Global Ageing. His research on the impacts of digitalisation on migration has been widely published in top-tier journal outlets and specialised edited collections.  His research agenda is driven by critically exploring the dynamics and impacts of digital inclusion and exclusion among migrants and their networks who navigate an increasingly digital and global society. To know more about his projects and outputs, visit www.ecabalquinto.com.

Julia Kantek & Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi, Sustaining livelihoods in ‘the shadows’: International students’ use of GenAI as digital shadow care support

Abstract: International students are navigating a multitude of structural challenges, including rising living costs, shifting visa conditions, and an intensifying housing affordability crisis. These pressures unfold within a broader post-welfare context, marked by reduced government support for temporary migrants and limited investment in student services. This paper explores how international students use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to navigate these challenges. Drawing on focus groups (N=3) and interviews (N=21), we reveal how ChatGPT (and similar GenAI tools) function as digital shadow care infrastructures, helping students ‘get by’ and navigate everyday precarity (legal, financial, and emotional). By situating GenAI within students’ broader care assemblages, this study contributes to digital migration scholarship, highlighting how GenAI tools ‘fill the cracks’ left open by inadequate formal supports, as well as identifying the factors that shape GenAI use within these contexts. Overall, we argue for policies that not only recognise these shadowed practices, but educate and empower migrants to use AI tools safely and effectively.

Western Sydney University Research team: Dr Julia Kantek, Dr Donna James, Dr Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi & Distinguished Professor Gerard Goggin

Bio: Dr Julia Kantek is a Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Western Sydney University. Julia has developed research expertise at the intersection of youth sociology, migration studies, and diaspora engagement. Her work explores the ways various transitions (such as those induced by migration, education, and work) shape belonging, identity formation, and wellbeing. Julia is currently co-leading two funded projects through the Young & Resilient Research Centre and the Institute for Culture & Society at Western Sydney University. One explores how digital technologies function as infrastructures of care for migrants, while the other investigates how young people from Western Sydney navigate work-related aspirations and transitions.

Bio: Dr Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi is a researcher, educator, and activist with a passion for justice, working to nurture caring, connected communities through collective action. Her interdisciplinary background spans digital media studies, media literacy, migration, feminism, higher education, and climate activism. She completed her PhD at Western Sydney University in March 2025, investigating how cultural institutions, such as public libraries, can co-design equity-centred social media literacy education interventions with women from refugee backgrounds.

Ana Sofia Bruzon, Using tech in bilingual transnational parenting

Abstract: Against the background of the digitisation of all spheres of life, including childhood, this project asks how transnational parents use new technologies to support their children’s heritage language learning and use. Guided by a conceptual framework based in language policy and a sociolinguistic ethnographic approach, interview, questionnaire and observational data were collected from 17 Spanish-speaking families in Australia to examine digital technology use in the family, particularly in relation to heritage language maintenance.

Findings show that each of three focal technologies – TV and film, digital communication platforms, and learning apps – has a primary purpose which is not related to heritage language maintenance but results in specific affordances and constraints for heritage language learning and use. The primary purpose of TV and film is to provide entertainment. This allows for beneficial linguistic input in Spanish but is also constrained by child language proficiency and resistance against particular shows and language choices. Similarly, digital communication platforms serve the primary purpose of connecting with geographically dispersed kin. This provides valuable interactional opportunities in Spanish for children but is limited by the inability of distant kin to engage in child-centred communication strategies and is also subject to practical constraints such as time differences. Finally, learning apps are largely brought into the home by school requirements and serve the primary purpose of learning. Learning apps offer precious explicit and implicit Spanish language learning opportunities but parents worry that they expose children to harms such as excessive screen time.

Overall, the project constitutes a novel contribution to the fields of family language policy and heritage language maintenance by concluding that digital technologies constitute a double-edged sword: their value in supporting multilingual practices in a monolingual society is significant but countervailed by limitations inherent in these technologies, particularly as they relate to broader developmental harms.

Bio: Ana Sofia Bruzon is a PhD candidate in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney, and a member of the Language on the Move research team. Her research interests include education policy and practice, digital technology in education, and the intersection of language, education and law.

Her PhD focuses on heritage language maintenance, language and education policy, and the digital practices of transnational families. The thesis examines how transnational parents use new technologies to support their children’s language learning and education. Her MRes research, published as Piller, Bruzon, and Torsh (2023), focused on language and education policy and practice, investigating the online linguistic practices of multilingual schools. Ana has a background in law and is a member of the State Bar of California in the U.S., where she practised as an immigration, real estate, and family lawyer. Ana is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian.

Hye-Eun Chu, Bridging Language and Inquiry in Diverse Science Classrooms

Abstract: Science classrooms are becoming increasingly multilingual and digital, raising urgent questions about how to integrate inquiry-based learning with language support. This presentation synthesises four studies that examine these challenges across Korean and Australian contexts. A survey of 144 Korean teachers revealed strong self-efficacy in inquiry teaching but low confidence in supporting the language needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Classroom observations in Korea showed that CLD students, despite linguistic difficulties, contributed creative and reflective ideas during model co-construction, enriching group learning. An intervention with Korean elementary students developed a Digital Science Text Reading Literacy (DSTRL) program, which significantly improved their abilities to search, read, and evaluate multimodal science texts. Finally, interviews with Australian and Korean physics teachers highlighted both enthusiasm and concerns about Language-Focused Teaching (LFT), balancing benefits for engagement and conceptual learning against practical constraints. Together, these findings call for teacher professional development that embeds language as integral to inquiry and leverages digital tools for inclusive participation.

Bio: Dr Chu is a Senior Lecturer in Macquarie’s School of Education. Her research has focused on several key areas, including monitoring students’ understanding of science concepts, implementing formative assessment in science classrooms, interdisciplinary approaches to teaching science, affective factors affecting science learning, and the integration of the arts into the teaching of science and related subjects (STEAM). Additionally, she has conducted research in conceptual development in science learning, tracking students’ concept development through text (language) analysis, interdisciplinary teaching of environmental literacy with science, and the influence of student beliefs on science learning. Recently, her work has expanded to include studies on the application of AI in education.

Yeong-Ju Lee, Social Media and Language Learning

Abstract: This presentation draws on my new book ‘Social Media and Language Learning: Using TikTok and Instagram’ (Lee, 2025), which investigates how visual and multimodal technologies transform informal language learning and intercultural exchange. The book analyses two studies: a comparative analysis of online data from Instagram and TikTok posts, and a multiple case study based on ethnographic data of narratives from international students in Australia. These studies show how learners use multimodal features such as sound, captioning, and visual composition to create and share meaning across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Based on these findings, in this presentation I will discuss how social media platforms have become everyday spaces where linguistic agency, creativity, and belonging are negotiated in transnational contexts. I will also consider how AI-driven features in social media such as automatic captioning, real-time translation, and personalised content feeds are creating new opportunities while posing pedagogical challenges for multilingual learning.

Reference

Lee, Y.-J. (2025). Social media and language learning: using TikTok and Instagram. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003543541

Bio: Yeong-Ju Lee obtained her PhD from the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University in Australia. She teaches courses in Applied Linguistics, TESOL, and Literacy. Her research interests include digital language learning and teaching, especially on social media and AI. She is a Chief Investigator of the Data Horizon Research Centre-funded project on a customised AI chatbot for language learning at Macquarie University, and the Teaching Development Grant-funded project on AI and literacy at Australian Catholic University.

Laura Smith-Khan, “Connectivity is the central thing”: Developing legal literacy post-migration

Abstract: Developing a sound understanding of the law is essential for social participation and access to justice, and in the context of migration, can form a crucial part of integrating and flourishing in a new country. Yet there can be a range of challenges for new arrivals when it comes to developing legal literacy, and for service providers seeking to assist them. This presentation will share emerging findings from pilot research on Australian government and non-government service providers’ efforts to help educate the public about Australia law, legal processes and legal services. Drawing on an examination of research interviews, survey responses and public texts, the preliminary findings indicate that while online resources and technology are one element of such efforts, human connectivity and care remain crucial.

Bio: Dr Laura Smith-Khan is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of New England, Australia and an external affiliated member of the Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees (CESSMIR), Gent University, Belgium. Her research is interested in the participation of minoritized groups in legal settings, especially migration processes. She was the 2022 recipient of the Max Crawford Medal, Australia’s most prestigious award for achievement and promise in the humanities. She is co-founder and co-convener of the Law and Linguistics Interdisciplinary Research Network, a member of Language on the Move and Next Generation Literacies and serves on the editorial boards of Multilingua and the Australian Journal of Human Rights.

Dr Smith-Khan has written extensively on language and credibility in Australia’s asylum procedures. Beyond her continuing work in this area, she has undertaken research on the education and communicative practices of migration practitioners, on media representations of migration, and on disability rights in forced migration. Aiming for impact, her research has been cited and adopted by the EU Agency for Asylum, the Australian Human Rights Commission, UNHCR and UNESCO, and is used in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. She has tertiary qualifications in both law and linguistics and has been admitted to practice as a lawyer.

In-person LLIRN attendees (Image credit: Kristen Martin)

The Law and Linguistics Interdisciplinary Research Network (LLIRN) facilitates interdisciplinary scholars, language professionals and legal professionals around the world to connect and share their work.

Since its establishment, the network has grown significantly, with over 260 members currently, from or based in approximately 43 countries.

To celebrate the 6th anniversary of the network’s establishment, Dr Alexandra Grey (UTS) and Dr Laura Smith-Khan (UNE) organised an Anniversary Workshop on 14 April 2025. It brought LLIRN colleagues together in person and online in a celebration of the network and planning the network’s next collaborations.

Outline

The LLIRN 6th Anniversary Workshop began with a Law Reform Workshop on “The origins and causes of transcript injustice: How legal misconceptions about written and spoken language threaten the right to a fair trial”, led by Prof Helen Fraser, the founding director of the Research Hub for Language and Forensic Evidence at the University of Melbourne.

This was followed by a Next Steps for Collaboration Workshop, led by Dr Laura Smith-Khan (UNE) and Dr Alexandra Grey (UTS), and then an in-person lunch, providing a rare chance for LLIRN members to catch up informally.

Alexandra Grey began the event with an introduction, thanking those who travelled and those online for being a part of the workshop. I was then invited up to deliver an Acknowledgement of Country, where through acknowledging the Gadigal people, I used my own knowledge of Dhurga (a Yuin dialect) and discussed my purpose for this in connection to how language and power are strongly interconnected; coinciding with the lectures presented on the day.

Alex then followed up with her own Acknowledgement and used Gadi words as taught by Prof Jaky Troy, author of The Sydney Language, and broadened my point about language and power in connection to the origins of the LLIRN and the motivations behind ours and our colleagues’ work. After explaining the agenda for the day, Alex and Laura welcomed everyone to the event.

The origins and causes of transcript injustice: How legal misconceptions about written and spoken language threaten the right to a fair trial

After a sweet celebration and congratulations for the LLIRN’s 6th Anniversary, Helen Fraser then narrowed in on the discussion point of transcript injustice in relation to two criminal cases in Australia, including a prominent case involving Stephen Jamieson. From these cases, Fraser highlighted two misconceptions of transcripts in court:

• Misconceptions about what is involved in producing a verbatim transcript
• Misconception that judges themselves can determine post hoc if a transcript is reliable

Fraser highlighted the issue of transcript injustice in relation to both how transcripts are produced and how they are presented in court. Fraser discussed, through the example of Jamieson’s case, the misconceptions surrounding transcript production including the nature of speech being faster than typing and the possibility of police interference and improper investigation tactics in gaining a confession (i.e. ‘verballing’).

Through the second case, Fraser discussed evidence of transcripts used alongside indistinct audio and how they impact a jury’s unbiased opinion. Fraser exemplified such by having us all read a short text and listen to an audio recording to see if we agreed with what was written. To our surprise, we were deceived, as the audio did not match the writing but sounded like it did. In this playful deceit, Fraser made her point about the priming effect transcripts have in audio-based evidence in courts.

From both cases, Fraser acknowledged the work done so far to prevent such inconsistencies which led to injustice in the two cases, as well as pointing out the long way to go to properly prevent these injustices altogether.

After the presentation, the group reflected on ways forward, including the possibility of forming an interest group from which to develop a working group for reform. Some of the ideas suggested as potential responses included reforms to court practice notes about forensic audio evidence, and the need to build more momentum for the awareness of transcript injustice.

Next Steps for Collaboration

After a small break, it was then Alex and Laura’s turn! This workshop featured a lot of in-group discussions and opportunities for LLIRN members to speak on what they would like from the network.

The first point of discussion was joint proposals for conference panels, relating to both national and international Law, Linguistics and other interdisciplinary societies. Various members watching online gave valuable insights about conferences held internationally. We also had the opportunity to hear about conferences that any of the LLIRN members would be attending this year or are eager to attend in the future.

In-person LLIRN attendees in the UTS Law foyer (Image credit: Kristen Martin)

In particular, we’re looking forward to reports from LLIRN members attending the International Association of Forensic & Legal Linguistics conference at University of the Western Cape, Sth Africa, 30 June – 4 July 2025.

Additionally, there are these upcoming conferences as potentially apt for LLIRN collaborations:

• UNSW Law & Justice Legal Education Research Conference, 24 and 25 November 2025, UNSW Law & Justice (Sydney), “The Crowded Curriculum”: submit papers/panels by COB 7 July
• LSAANZ, Uni of Canterbury (NZ), 3-5 December 2025, “Rights, Relationality, Resilience, Reciprocity
• Australian Linguistic Society, Griffith Uni, Gold Coast (Queensland), 2-5 December 2025

Then, the discussion turned to books and the possibility of LLIRN members collaborating on a book. Discussion surrounded a possible book relating to the research of members of the network itself and new opportunities in the Law and Linguistics interdisciplinary area. This collaboration idea will continue to develop over the next year.

Afterwards, there was one final point to discuss in the form of a surprise…

The new LLIRN website!

We ended by launching our new LLLIRN Website ‘Law and Language.’ Laura introduced the website to the network and talked about some of its exciting features!

The Law and Linguistics website offers a place for members to display their new work as well as read work from their colleagues – an overall nice space for colleagues to connect and uplift each other’s work.

From this announcement, the discussions continued about what members would like from the website, including any features that the members would find beneficial. A key point that was acknowledged was the continued upkeep of the website to keep the website relevant, as well as the possibility of students being involved on the website.

The site is still a work in progress, but it already includes a public-facing overview about the network, its scope, publications and activities; pages sharing information about network members’ projects; and a growing set of republished blog posts.

Following the end of Alex and Laura’s workshop, the group shared excitement for the future of the LLIRN and the new opportunities that may arise. The opportunity for members to come together and share new ideas ended the day in a great mood. Such mood then carried into the LLIRN lunch where members laughed and caught up with each other about their academic endeavours. After the success of the workshops, the LLIRN could celebrate its 6th anniversary and remember it as a great day.

We are reproducing the AAH statement here in full because these cuts – along with those at other Australian universities – pose an existential threat to Australia’s national intellectual and cultural capabilities.

***

Australian Academy of the Humanities raises alarm over ANU cuts: a national capability at risk

Now is not the time to reduce our national humanities capabilities. Global unrest, the impact of AI on society, wealth inequality, climate change, distrust in democratic institutions – all call for independent and informed Australian thinking. The humanities help us to understand ourselves and our neighbours, and the changes our times require.

Or shall we let others do our thinking for us?

The proposed closure of vital parts of our national infrastructure at the ANU, including the Humanities Research Centre, the European Studies Centre, the Australian National Dictionary Centre, significant cuts to the School of Music and Australian Dictionary of Biography, and the loss of roles across many areas in the ANU’s College of Arts and Social Sciences represents a loss of significant national capability.  The Humanities Research Centre, which celebrated its 50^th anniversary last year, has brought together scholars from around the country and across the world, being a catalyst for innovative, advanced research across the humanities.

The situation at the ANU, however, echoes cuts to the humanities at many universities around the country (in recent months Macquarie, Wollongong, UTAS and La Trobe to name a few). While individual universities have every right to determine their education and research priorities, the truth is that no one in Australia has a handle on the cumulative effects of cuts and their impact on our national skills and knowledge capabilities; a sovereign risk that neither the government nor the university sector is assessing.

We are calling on the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) to step in, and take a national coordinating role, to work with us to identify the loss of disciplinary expertise and its impact on Australia’s knowledge capability. We know that Australia’s knowledge base for understanding Indonesia, Russia and whole regions such as South Asia is already imperilled by the closure of many programs in these areas. And there are many similar instances of loss around the country, denying future generations opportunities to contribute to Australian society in areas of need. Once lost, expertise that has taken generations to build cannot easily be replaced – and the ramifications for the nation are immediate.

Universities have laid some of the blame for this situation on declining enrolments. These declines, however, have been exacerbated by the Job Ready Graduates (JRG) policy which the Government’s own Universities Accord Report has condemned. The JRG is causing many humanities students to be saddled with decades of debt for degrees that provide them with the analytical, critical and creative thinking skills needed to effectively understand and respond to the many complex issues facing our society. Worse still, the JRG policy is disproportionately impacting women, and low-SES, regional and Indigenous students who are more likely to take subjects in society and culture, as their first degrees in higher education. It is our great disappointment that the Australian Government hasn’t acted sooner to remediate this policy, despite acknowledged experts (including HECS architect Emeritus Prof Bruce Chapman) arguing it was ill conceived and has failed.

The Government has shown real commitment to advanced manufacturing and a “future made in Australia”. The Australian Academy of Humanities repeats its call on the Government to “back Australian thinking”.

Isabella’s Award Certificate (Image credit: Yixi Qiu)

Congratulations to Language-on-the-Move team member Dr Yixi Qiu (Isabella) for winning an award under the Shanghai Magnolia Pujiang Talent Program (上海白玉兰浦江人才计划) for her project “人工智能赋能双一流理工特色高校学生学术论文写作能力培养” (“AI Empowerment for Enhancing Academic Writing Skills among Students in Double First-Class STEM Universities”).

The Shanghai Magnolia Pujiang Talent Program was launched in 2005 by the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and the Science and Technology Commission. It aims to attract and support overseas-returned scholars to contribute to research, innovation, and social development in Shanghai.

For Isabella, who is now an Assistant Professor at the School of Foreign Studies, Tongji University, this is a fantastic recognition and remarkable opportunity to reestablish herself in Shanghai after her time in Sydney.

人工智能赋能双一流理工特色高校学生学术论文写作能力培养 (“AI Empowerment for Enhancing Academic Writing Skills among Students in Double First-Class STEM Universities”)

Isabella’s project focuses on integrating generative AI into academic writing pedagogy, with the goal of supporting STEM students in developing stronger writing competence. Drawing on our team’s long-term research program into the relationship of linguistic diversity and social participation, “AI Empowerment for Enhancing Academic Writing Skills among Students in Double First-Class STEM Universities” conceptualizes writing as more than a technical skill. Instead, Isabella approaches it as a means of expressing agency, negotiating identity, and participating in academic and social life. The aim is to explore the potential of AI to support multilingual students in accessing richer linguistic, social, and epistemic resources, for personal and collective growth.

For background, “Double First-Class University” refers to a university in China that has been selected for development under the Double First-Class Initiative (双一流), launched by the Chinese government in 2015. The goal is to cultivate: First-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines. These universities and their designated disciplines are given special funding and policy support to become world-leading in research, education, and global influence. Examples of such institutions include Tongji University, where Isabella is based, and Fudan University, where she did her PhD.

Next Generation Literacies and the power of global networking

Isabella’s project was partly inspired by her membership in the Next Generation Literacies network. This network connects the Fudan Multilingual Innovation Research Team under the leadership of Professor Yongyan Zheng and the broader Shanghai Multilingualism Research Alliance with the Language-on-the-Move team at Macquarie University, and the Literacy-in-Diversity-Settings (LiDS) Research Center at University of Hamburg. Next Generation Literacies is a part of the strategic trilateral relationship of these three universities but includes researchers from many other universities from around the globe.

More exciting hot-off-the-press news for the network: Next Generation Literacies has been the launch pad for a new International Research Network (IRN) devoted to “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” under the umbrella of the World Education Research Association (WERA). The “Literacy in Multilingual Contexts” IRN will be led by LiDS member Dr Irina Usanova. Watch this space to learn more about the IRN as it constitutes itself!

The magnolia and the river

The magnolia (白玉兰) is the official city flower of Shanghai symbolizing openness and elegance, while Pujiang (浦江) refers to the Huangpu River, which flows through the heart of the city. Together, the Magnolia Pujiang Talent Program reflects Shanghai’s vision of cultivating global talent rooted in local vitality.

An impressive example of our maxim to think globally and to act locally. Congratulations again, Isabella! 恭喜!

How to participate

1. Sign up for a time slot on Zoom using this link or QR code: https://signup.com/go/NmwdNdR
2. At your chosen time slot:

Step 1: do a 15-minute online search about DV information in your language (I will give instructions)
Step 2: complete a 15-minute survey about your online search

3. Receive a $10 voucher as a thank you for your valuable contribution

This research has been approved by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics HREC Humanities & Social Sciences Committee.

Participation is voluntary and anonymous. You can withdraw at any time during the online search or the survey. Participants are not required to share any personal information or experiences. The survey will only ask questions regarding your online search experience.

Your participation is important as the study hopes to contribute to improving multilingual domestic violence communications, in alignment with the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

It is with immense gratitude and excitement that I write this special news item about a recent career development: I’ve been awarded an Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship to head the Literacy in Diversity Settings (LiDS) Research Center at Hamburg University and build a new research specialization devoted to “Linguistic Diversity and Social Participation Across the Lifespan.”

Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorships are designed to bring international researchers to Germany to contribute strength to strategic areas such as multilingualism research in Hamburg.

The Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship “Linguistic Diversity and Social Participation Across the Lifespan” has five aims:

• Original research related to the lived experience of adult language learning, institutional responses to linguistic diversity, and the reduction of language barriers
• Qualitative multilingual data-sharing by building on the Life in a New Language project
• Internationalization of Education research by extending the Next Generation Literacies Network built on the strategic partnership between Fudan, Hamburg and Macquarie universities (btw, if you are wondering: I’ll continue to remain affiliated with Macquarie University, too )
• Stakeholders engagement to deliver impact and reduce language barriers
• Knowledge dissemination to contribute to the valorization of linguistic diversity

The award ceremony with its focus on academic freedom took place in Berlin this Monday evening. It was a great honor to be presented with the award by the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Cem Özdemir, and the President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Robert Schlögl, along with five other amazing scholars:

• Dana Branzei, Molecular Biology (Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan, University of Duisburg-Essen)
• Daniel Kráľ, Mathematics/Computer Science (University of Brno, Leipzig University and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences)
• Ingrid Piller, Sociolinguistics/Education (Macquarie University in Sydney, University of Hamburg)
• Eva Pils, International Public Law (King’s College London, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg).
• Sandra Wachter, Law (University of Oxford, University of Potsdam/Hasso Plattner Institute)
• Andreas Winter, Quantum Communication (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, University of Cologne)

For the first time in the history of the award, there were more female than male recipients

You can read as short report about the award ceremony here or watch the live stream here.

What’s next?

We are building a dream team of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers working on an interconnected set of sociolinguistic ethnographies to explore Linguistic Diversity and Social Participation Across the Lifespan. The job ads will come out very soon – watch this space!

Update (12/05/2025): find the job ads here.

Professors Piller and Dong

Gong Xi Fa Cai! All good wishes for the Year of the Snake!

The Chinese New Year holiday brought a lovely opportunity to receive a visit by Professor Hongjie Dong from Xi’an University and doctoral candidate Chenbai Luo from Charles University.

Hongjie DONG is a professor at Xi’an University, holding a Ph.D. from Renmin University of China, and was a visiting scholar at the University of York’s Department of Linguistics (2015–2016). His expertise lies in sociolinguistics, language policy, and international Chinese education. In recent years, he has led five research projects funded by the Ministry of Education and the National Language Committee of China. Professor Dong has published over 40 academic papers in leading journals such as the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development and the Journal of Asian Pacific Communication. He is the author of the monograph Language Variation and Identity in the Hui Community of Xi’an (in Chinese) and serves as the chief editor for the Silk Road Chinese textbook series.

Chenbai LUO is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics at Charles University Prague and a former academic staff member at Xi’an Peihua University. With teaching experience at the Confucius Institute in Minsk and Xi’an University, his research focuses on language policy, language economics, and Chinese education. He has co-authored publications such as “Blueprint and Marketing Strategies for Structuring Chinese Courses” and participated in projects on Shaanxi’s linguistic landscape and Chinese education in the Balkans.

References

Bodomo, A., Che, D., & Dong, H. (2022). Calculator communication in the markets of Guangzhou and beyond. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 43(10), 981-992. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1786575
Dong, H. (2020). Language behavior and identity change in the Fangshang Hui community of Xi’an. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 30(1-2), 255-272. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00051.hon

The author team of “Life in a New Language”

“This year was average; worse than the year before but better than next year.” I am reminded of this saying each year when I collate the annual Language on the Move Report.

In 2024, two highlights stand out: the publication of Life in a New Language and the establishment o of the Language on the Move Podcast in collaboration with the New Books Network.

Below you’ll find a month-by-month list of our podcast episodes and blog posts, so that you can re-read your favorites or discover new ones.

As always, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all team members, contributors, readers, students, and fans. You make Language on the Move worthwhile – as a research publication and an exercise in community building.

In the hope that 2025 will be better than we dare to anticipate!

Keep in touch!

Make sure to keep in touch by signing up to our updates in the ‘Newsletter subscription’ box in the footer below, by following us on BlueSky, and by subscribing to the Language on the Move Podcast in the podcast app of your choice.

December

1. Language-on-the-Move Reading Challenge 2025: Check out our monthly recommendations and join us for a year of long reads in linguistic diversity and social life!
2. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 39: Whiteness, Accents, and Children’s Media: Brynn Quick in conversation with Laura Smith-Khan
3. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 38: Creaky Voice in Australian English: Brynn Quick in conversation with Hannah White
4. Laura Smith-Khan, Trust and suspicion at the airport
   This blogpost features our latest article in the Border Security series: Smith-Khan, L., Piller, I., & Torsh, H. (2024). Trust at the border: identifying risk and assessing credibility on reality television. Journal of Law and Society, 51(4), 513-538.
   Abstract: Every day, officers working at international airports investigate potential risks to state safety and security. But how do they decide who they can trust, and also ensure that the broader public trusts themto conduct this work? This article explores these questions through an examination of the reality television show Border Security: Australia’s Front Line. Through critical discourse analysis of a collection of 108 televised airport encounters, we explore the aspects of communication, behaviour, and identity made salient in officers’ evaluations of passengers’ credibility and critically examine the assumptions underlying them. Further, we consider how power and role divisions are implicated in the construction of passenger and officer credibility, both within border encounters and in discourses about Our analysis makes a novel contribution to the literature on credibility assessments in intercultural communication, demonstrating how an institutional and social ‘culture of disbelief’ is constructed vis-à-vis certain groups through seemingly banal border work.
5. Loy Lising, Life in a New Language at ALS2024
   This blogpost reports on the annual conference of the Australian Linguistic Society and the launch of Life in a New Language

November

6. 

   The 2024 cohort of “Literacies” students in Macquarie University’s Master of Applied Linguistics and TESOL

   Pia Tenedero, Mindful about multilingualism
   This blogpost reports on events related to Buwan ng Wikaor (National) Language Month in the Philippines.

7. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 37: Supporting multilingual families to engage with schools: Agi Bodis in conversation with Margaret Kettle
8. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 36: Linguistic diversity as a bureaucratic challenge: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Clara Holzinger
9. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 35: Judging refugees: Laura Smith-Khan in conversation with Anthea Vogl

October

10. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 34: How did Arabic get on that sign? Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Rizwan Ahmad
11. Giulia Cabras, Tibetan in China’s Rapid Urbanization
12. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 33: Migration, constraints and suffering: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Marco Santello
13. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 32: Living together across borders: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Lynnette Arnold
14. Regulating Muslims: Tazin Abdullah wins 3MT competition
15. Event: How is credibility communicated in intercultural contexts?

September

16. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 31: Police first responders interacting with domestic violence victims: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Kate Steel
17. Laura Smith-Khan, Legal literacy in a linguistically diverse society
18. Laura Smith-Khan and Alex Grey, What’s new in research on multilingualism in court?
19. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 30: Remembering Barbara Horvath: Livia Gerber in conversation with Barbara Horvath
20. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 29: English Language Ideologies in Korea: Brynn Quick in conversation with Jinhyun Cho

August

21. 

    Key members of the 2024 Language-on-the-Move team at Macquarie University

    Ingrid Piller, Are language technologies counterproductive to learning?

22. Loy Lising, AILA2024 in Kuala Lumpur: Day 5 Highlights
23. Yifang Sun and Ziyang Hu, AILA2024 in Kuala Lumpur: Day 4 Highlights
24. Ingrid Piller, AILA2024 in Kuala Lumpur: Day 3 Highlights
25. Ana Sofia Bruzon, AILA2024 in Kuala Lumpur: Day 2 Highlights
26. Yixi (Isabella) Qiu, AILA2024 in Kuala Lumpur: Day 1 Highlights

July

27. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 28: Sign Language Brokering: Emily Pacheco in conversation with Jemina Napier
28. Christine Munn, Risk Communication in the Media
29. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 27: Muslim Literacies in China: Tazin Abdullah in conversation with Ibrar Bhatt
30. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 26: Life in a New Language, Pt 6 – Citizenship: Brynn Quick in conversation with Emily Farrell
    Includes a report on our book launch and a picture of our fancy cake
31. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 25: Life in a New Language, Pt 5 – Monolingual Mindset: Brynn Quick in conversation with Loy Lising
32. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 24: Language policy at an abortion clinic: Brynn Quick in conversation with Ella van Hest
33. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 23: Life in a New Language, Pt 4 – Parenting: Brynn Quick in conversation with Shiva Motaghi-Tabari
34. Alex Grey and Laura Smith-Khan, What’s new in “Language and Criminal Justice” research?
35. Life in a New Language: how migrants face the challenge, The Lighthouse
36. Being treated as a migrant in Australia, Australian Academy of the Humanities Five Minutes Friday Read
37. Ethnographic data sharing as community building, OUPBlog: Oxford University Press’s Academic Insights for the Thinking World

June

38. 

    Cutting the Life-in-New-Language cake

    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 22: Life in a New Language, Pt 3 – African migrants: Brynn Quick in conversation with Vera Williams Tetteh

39. Brynn Quick, Systematic Literature Review: Easy Guide
40. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 21: Life in a New Language, Pt 2 –Work: Brynn Quick in conversation with Ingrid Piller
41. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 20: Life in a New Language, Pt 1 – Identities: Brynn Quick in conversation with Donna Butorac
42. Irene Gotera, No justice without language rights
43. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 19: Because Internet: Brynn Quick in conversation with Gretchen McCulloch
44. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 18: Between Deaf and hearing cultures: Emily Pacheco in conversation with Jessica Kirkness

May

45. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 17: The Rise of English: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Rosemary Salomone
46. Dave Sayers, Is it okay for linguists to hate new words?
47. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 16: Community Languages Schools Transforming Education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Joe Lo Bianco
48. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 15: Shanghai Multilingualism Alliance: Yixi (Isabella) Qui in conversation with Yongyan Zheng
49. Owen Minns, Why is it so hard for English teachers to learn Japanese?

April

50. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 14: Multilingual Commanding Urgency from Garbage to COVID-19: Brynn Quick in conversation with Michael Chestnut
51. Yasser S. Khan and Rizwan Ahmad, Sacred Font, Profane Purpose
52. Gerald Roche, I’m Dying to Speak to You
53. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 13: Making sense of “Bad English:” Brynn Quick in conversation with Elizabeth Peterson
54. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 12: History of Modern Linguistics: Ingrid Piller in conversation with James McElvenny
55. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 11: 40 Years of Croatian Studies at Macquarie University: Ingrid Piller in conversation with Jasna Novak Milić
56. Alia Amir, Finding Pakistan in Global Britain

March

57. 

    Annual highlight: graduation

    Gerald Roche, Language Rights Defenders Award

58. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 10: Reducing Barriers to Language Assistance in Hospital: Brynn Quick in conversation with Erin Mulpur, Houston Methodist Hospital
59. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 9: Interpreting service provision is good value for money. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Jim Hlavac
60. Shiva Motaghi Tabari, Nowruz: Celebration of Heritage and Unity
61. Alia Amir, Happy Ramadan from London

February

62. Donna Butorac, How language and race mediate migrant inclusion
63. Language on the Move – the podcast
    We launched our podcast in February, with 6 episodes published in previous years:
    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 7: What can Australian Message Sticks teach us about literacy? Ingrid Piller in conversation with Piers Kelly (originally published 2020)
    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 6: How to teach TESOL ethically in an English-dominant world. Carla Chamberlin and Mak Khan in conversation with Ingrid Piller (originally published 2020)
    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 5: Can we ever unthink linguistic nationalism? Ingrid Piller in conversation with Aneta Pavlenko (originally published 2021)
    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 4: Language makes the place. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Adam Jaworski (originally published 2022)
    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 3: Linguistic diversity in education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Ingrid Gogolin (originally published 2023)
    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 2: Translanguaging: Loy Lising in conversation with Ofelia García (originally published 2023)
64. Ana Sofia Bruzon, Becoming a world-ready researcher at Macquarie University
65. Agnes Bodis, International students’ English language proficiency in the spotlight again

January

66. 

    Cover art by Sadami Konchi

    Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 8: What does it mean to govern a multilingual society well? Hanna Torsh in conversation with Alexandra Grey

67. Alia Amir, What if I lose my language? What if I have lost my language?
68. Pia Tenedero, A water perspective on language research
69. Mehrinigor Akhmedova and Rizwan Ahmad, Why Are Uzbek Youth Learning Arabic?
70. Ingrid Piller, Legacies of the Next Generation Literacies Network
71. Language-on-the-Move Podcast Episode 1: Lies we tell ourselves about multilingualism. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Aneta Pavlenko

Previous annual reports

For an even deeper trip down memory lane, here is the list of our full archives:

1. Language on the Move 2023
2. Language on the Move 2022
3. Language on the Move 2021
4. Language on the Move 2020
5. Language on the Move 2019
6. Language on the Move 2018
7. Language on the Move 2017
8. Language on the Move 2016
9. Language on the Move 2015
10. Language on the Move 2014
11. Language on the Move 2013
12. Language on the Move 2012
13. Language on the Move 2011
14. Language on the Move 2010
15. Language on the Move 2009

Prof Catherine Travis launches “Life in a New Language” at ALS2024

The annual conference of the Australian Linguistic Society (ALS) is a gathering of like-minded academics and presents a wonderful opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones, and to be intellectually encouraged to engage with language in all its forms and context. This year’s conference at the Australian National University was no different and offered an exciting program.

Our new book Life in a New Language featured prominently, including receiving a second launch (to learn more about the first launch, go here). At ALS, our book was launched by Professor Catherine Travis, the Chair of Modern European Languages in the School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics at the ANU.

Catherine’s reflections on the book were a thoughtful heart-warming invitation to read Life in a New Language. This is part of Catherine’s testimony:

Many of the stories told are very familiar to me, as I’m sure they will be to all of you – many of you are migrants to Australia, and may have had similar experiences yourselves, and all of you will have been made aware of these kinds of experiences from migrants in your own families, close friends and colleagues.

And the message equally rings true to me, as I hope it will to you. I will just highlight three elements here.

Migrants are too often seen through a deficit lens – what is highlighted is their lack of English that adheres to a standardised norm; their lack of appropriate qualifications; their lack of local experience. This is in contrast to what they bring, which is their multilingual repertoire, qualifications in different settings, and their international experience. We need to address this deficit narrative and recognise that migrant families are raising the multilingual communication mediators of the future; and we need to support them in that endeavour, as our future depends on it.

Life in a New Language already has a veritable fan club

The responsibility for communication is too often placed on the migrant. As the authors state, language is viewed as a “cognitive skill, the level of which can be measured through proficiency tests. But it is also a communicative tool that interactants share to collaboratively achieve common goals” (p.124). This perspective shifts the burden of responsibility onto both parties involved in the interaction, and the authors call for more attention to be given to what it means to communicate well in a linguistically diverse society, to be more aware of the importance of inclusive communication.

And, crucially, the conversation needs to be taken out of the academy. This book goes a long way to doing that, as a highly readable and rich account of migrant stories. I hope that it is read widely, that the migrant stories here are heard, and are listened to.

Life in a New Language is an ethnographic data-sharing and re-use project and so it was also appropriate that we engaged strongly with the themed session on The Wealth of Resources on Migrant Languages in Australia organised by Professor Heike Wiese (Chair of German in Multilingual Contexts in the Humboldt University in Berlin), her doctoral researcher Victoria Oliha, and Dr Jaime Hunt (University of Newcastle).

This themed session aimed to provide a centralised forum for researchers on migrant languages in Australia to connect and present their findings as well as spark a conversation around the resources created through their projects. The following central questions were discussed:

• What empirical resources on migrant languages in Australia have been created? How can we make these resources accessible to the wider research community?
• From what theoretical and conceptual perspectives have migrant languages in Australia been studied? How can such studies inform each other?
• What methods have been used to study migrant languages in Australia? What can we learn from each other methodologically? What new methods could we use to gain further insights?

It is wonderful for Life in a New Language to be part of this conversation. As one of our biggest fan says in this unboxing video: “it teaches you how people develop.”