Developments in professional/academic communication and implications for language education and research

In the context of growing professional and academic mobility, in parallel with the trend towards the internationalization of Higher Education and emerging new channels for academic and research communication, education and research in the field of languages for professional and academic purposes have acquired new roles. This international conference aims to bring together researchers, academics, language professionals with an interest in these thematic areas, as well as academics and experts in other domains, who are interested in teaching their specialised subjects via the medium of a ‘lingua franca’. Through its focus on the inter-relatedness between effective communication and academic / professional performance, it will also be relevant for researchers of various specialisations interested in publishing internationally, as well as for participants in international projects related to the conference themes. The main thematic strands include: (1) Research in the field of languages for professional and academic purposes; (2) Language and culture learning for better professional and academic performance in a global context; (3) Innovative practices in LSP teaching and learning; (4) English / French / German as media of instruction and academic communication: challenges and opportunities of internationalization; (5) Revisiting teacher competencies and professional development; (6) The Quality dimension of language education and language planning in Higher Education / Adult Education; (7) Translation studies – interconnections between research, the relevance of academic programmes, and performance quality. The conference languages are English, French, German, Italian, Romanian and Spanish.