" Languages, translation, ICTE and distance learning"-Al-Kīmiyā- Call for papers for issue Number 21

deadline for submissions: 
October 31, 2021
full name / name of organization: 
Saint-Joseph University of Beirut
contact email: 

Al-Kīmiyā - Journal of the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FdLT)

https://journals.usj.edu.lb/al-kimiya

 

Call for Papers for Issue Number 21

 

The theme chosen for issue 21 of Al-Kīmiyā, the Journal of the Faculty of Languages ​​and Translation (FdLT – Faculté de langues et de traduction) of Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ – Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth) is " Languages, translation, ICTE and distance learning".

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the lives of everyone around the world and the repercussions on the field of education are undeniable. Indeed, teachers and learners quickly found themselves forced to switch to a mode of teaching that had until then been reserved for special cases. Distance learning (DL) has therefore become the norm. This sudden shift certainly led to an increased use of digital tools for which users were not always well-prepared. Whatever mode schools and universities chose, synchronous or asynchronous, a forced and urgent adaptation was inevitable.

We clearly distinguish between the use of ICTE, which can be done face-to-face and/or remotely, and distance learning in all its forms. Moreover, it is certain that the use of ICTE is not new in the teaching of translation and languages, but the switch to distance mode intensifies the reflection on this subject and engages the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining these teaching methods and using digital tools after the pandemic. This debate is not new either in the two fields in question: from the 90s, the matter has been discussed in translation studies (Aubin, 1998) and long before in the field of languages, at least since the birth of audio-oral methods and the famous language laboratories of the early 20th century.

Issue 21 of our journal proposes to carry out this reflection which could deal with the various challenges and risks that go along with distance education and/or the use of ICTE. The questions will relate in particular to the training of translators and interpreters who will themselves be confronted, once on the market, with digital tools, and to the teaching of modern languages ​​where the distance training market is growing. Various issues could be raised, the most important of which would undoubtedly be that of questioning the real reasons for resorting to technology: is it for the sake of quality or for the desire to conform to a fashion that is invading the sphere of the teaching profession? In other words, how to enhance the use of technological tools that are in fact present in our social environment, without falling into a kind of technocentrism where ICTE would solve all problems and would be valid for all situations? If a new academic orientation is necessary[1], the fact remains that we should not lose sight of the essence of our mission as teachers and trainers, which is to prepare future generations for the inevitable changes in the labor market. To this end, Joseph Aoun suggests to immunize learners against the effects of robots (Robot-Proof) and help them adjust to changes in the professional fields, through lifelong training. He suggests a new discipline or a new base of skills that he calls “Humanics”, the content of which would aim to teach three skills or new literacies: a data literacy which consists of knowing how to read, analyze, and use digital products, a technological literacy that aims to understand the functioning of these products and the machines that created them, and finally a human literacy where learners develop their knowledge in humanities and become aware of their unique talents that distinguish them from the machine. This last literacy emphasizes the concept of creativity, which is always a distinctive characteristic of human beings[2], as well as the concept of interaction which allows human beings to understand one another and to work together. For his part, Yves Gambier, speaking at the AFFUMT conference in April 2021, highlighted the need to get out of the “all techno or nothing” dilemma and to rethink the complex links between technology, culture and ethics. In addition, the Web 2.0 Pedagogy Wheel shows in its fifth version the multitude of applications available for each level of Bloom's taxonomy and the SAMR model. This is to say how much the choice among these applications has become, for the teacher, a necessary and a thorny question at the same time.

The main axes of research covered in the framework of this theme are the following (non-exhaustive list):

- ICTE, DL and quality education

- ICTE and practices adapted to the teaching of translation and languages

- Continuous training of teachers and mastery of ICTE

- ICTE, learner motivation, interaction, collaborative work and creation of remote presence

- ICTE, DL and cognitive load on teachers and learners

- ICTE: social and economic inequalities

Researchers wishing to submit their contribution are requested to send it to the following address: may.haddad@usj.edu.lb, before October 31, 2021.

Proposals for Varia section and book reviews will also be received.

Indicative References

Aoun, J. (2017). Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, MIT Press.

Aubin, M-C. (1998). Internet pour enseigner la traduction ? Dans J. Delisle & H. Lee-Jahnke (dir), Enseignement de la traduction et traduction dans l’enseignement (p. 141-151). Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa.

Béliveau, G. (2011). Impacts de l’usage des TICE au collégial : rapport final, PhiloTR. https://philosophie.cegeptr.qc.ca/2011/08/analyse-des-recherches-sur-les-tice/

Bonnéry, S. (2020). L’école et la COVID-19. La Pensée, 402, p. 177-186. https://www.cairn.info/revue-la-pensee-2020-2-page-177.htm

Carrington, A. (s.d.). Designing outcomes. https://designingoutcomes.com/

Croze, E. (2021). Covid-19 et passage éclair au distanciel pour les enseignants de langues vivantes du secondaire : une expérience renvoyant à l’irréductible présence en classe de langue. Distances et médiation des savoirs, 33. https://doi.org/10.4000/dms.6134

Gambier, Y. (2012). Teaching Translation/training Translators. In Y. Gambier & L.V. Doorslaer (Eds), Handbook of Translation Studies (vol. 3, pp. 163-171). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

 

Jézégou, A. (dir). (2019). Traité de la e-Formation des adultes. De Boeck Sup.

 

Jiménez-Crespo, M.A. (2017). The Internet in Translation Education: Two Decades Later. In S.   Colina, American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association, & C. Angelelli (Eds), Translation and Interpreting Pedagogy in Dialogue with Other Disciplines. (pp. 31-54). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

 

Pilot, A. (2020). Book Review of Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Journal of the European Honors Council, 4 (1). https://doi.org/10.31378/jehc.131

 

Pym, A., Fallada, C., Biau, J.R. & Orenstein, J. (Eds). (2003). Innovation and E-Learning in Translator Training. Reports on Online Symposia. Tarragona: Intercultural Studies Group, Universitat Rovira i Virgili. http://www.intercultural.urv.cat/en/publications/elearning/

Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth. (s.d.).  Ressources pédagogiques de la Mission de pédagogie universitaire. https://www.usj.edu.lb/mpu/archive_pub.php?cat=49

 

Editorial Policy

 

Calls for contributions for the thematic section are launched twice a year. However, contributions dealing with various and original issues may be received at any time of the year for possible publication in the Varia section.

Al-Kīmiyā only accepts original, unpublished articles in French, Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian and German, not submitted to another journal. Plagiarism results in an automatic rejection of the article.

 

All contributions are subject to an evaluation process:

  1. The authors send their text by email including:
  • The title of the contribution
  • Two abstracts of the article: one in the language of the article and the other in English, 600 to 800 characters each
  • 3 to 5 keywords in both languages of the abstracts
  • The text:
    • The article: 25000 to 35000 characters (with spaces)
    • The book review: 7000 to 10000 characters (with spaces) 
  • Biobibliographic note of the author (500 to 800 characters)
  1. The article is first examined by the editor-in-chief and then submitted to a double-blind peer review by two experts of the reading committee.
  2. The experts complete and sign a form giving their opinions and recommendations.
  3. Authors are notified of the results of the evaluation within 6 weeks and can make the requested changes within 20 to 30 days.
  4. The manuscript is reviewed by the editorial committee and possibly by a third expert.
  5. The final decision taken by the editorial committee is transmitted to the author.

 

The members of the reading committee are clearly listed on each issue published.

 

Formatting

 

The editors will take care of the styling of the articles. However, authors are requested to respect the following formal instructions:

- Font: Times New Roman, Title: 14 points in bold (in capital letters). Name of the author: 10 points, name followed by the academic title and function. Abstract: 10 points. Text: 12 points with single spacing. Footnotes: 10 points. For Arabic texts: Simplified Arabic. Title: 16 points in bold. Name of the author: 12 points, name followed by the academic title and function. Abstract: 12 points. Text: 14 points with single spacing. Notes: 10 points.

- The keywords (3 to 5) are separated by a comma.

- Headings are marked in bold at the beginning of the paragraph.

- Short quotations (less than 3 lines) in the body of the text between inverted commas, long quotations indented in 10 points.

- The bibliographical references in the body of the text follow the norms: (Name of the author, date, page)

- Footnotes, numbered continuously, are reserved for substantial comments and additional information.

- References placed at the end of the article follows the APA style, 7th edition (https://apastyle.apa.org/).

- References must be romanized. The journal adopts the ALA-LC (American Library Association- Library of Congress) rules: https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html

 




[1] The USJ University Pedagogy Mission, which has carried out remarkable work in supporting and training teachers during the pandemic, closed its 2020-2021 training program with a conference entitled "New academic orientations in higher education following the pandemic” given by Professor Joseph Aoun, President of Northeastern University, Boston on June 24, 2021.

[2] “Instead of training laborers, a robot-proof education trains creators” (Aoun, 2017).