TermCoord at the 1st International Conference
“Europe in Discourse: Identity, Diversity, Borders”
Hellenic American University, Athens, 23rd – 25th September 2016
Europe’s ‘existential’ crisis, reaching its climax with Britain’s final decision to leave the EU, is a crisis of identity that extends beyond the financial and political crises of the past years. An unprecedented refugee crisis is renegotiating the meaning of “border” and “diversity”, while the rise of right-wing populism, as well as the combination of financial challenges, political pressure, and terrorism are shaping Europe’s present and future.
What does “being European” mean? Is it time for the EU to redefine its identity?
The Head of the Terminology Coordination Unit Rodolfo Maslias, together with former Study Visitor Jessica Mariani, took active part in the 1st International Conference “Europe in Discourse: Identity, Diversity, Borders”“, held on 23, 24, 25 September 2016 at the Hellenic American University in Athens, where dozens of academics and professionals from all over the world belonging to a wide range of fields (translation industry, media, and foreign affairs) gathered in the Hellenic capital to answer these questions through the lens of discourse, text, and language, as well as discuss future challenges, constraints, and solutions concerning the survival of the EU.
The Head of Terminology Coordination Unit Rodolfo Maslias delivered a presentation entitled Our common terminology: the linguistic passport for a united Europe and showed how terminology functions in the European Parliament, as well as how it can contribute to create and reinforce our European identity, drawing on concepts such as “the official language in the EU” and “multilingualism”.
Jessica Mariani, former Study Visitor at TermCoord and PhD Candidate in Media and Translation Studies at the University of Verona, provided an overview of the effects of translation and terminology on the Migrant/Refugee crisis reported by European Media to show how a better terminological and linguistic awareness could aid the task of fostering a European perspective through the lens of the refugee crisis.
Several thematic areas have been tackled, ranging from the historical perspectives in constructing the EU to media discourses about Europe, from the refugee crisis and discourses of othering to European identity in parliamentary discourses, from linguistic diversity, citizenship, and identity reflected in national practices to geopolitical perspectives in EU identity formation.
If you would like to consult with the papers presented or find out further details concerning Plenary Speakers or participants, it is possible to download the Book of Abstracts from the Conference Website and explore the main highlights of the event from “Europe in Discourse” Twitter Page.
You may also like to visit the TermCoord page, where you can find the programme and detailed information on the conference.
Written by Jessica Mariani
PhD Candidate in Media and Translation Studies at the University of Verona
See the photogallery below:
