Translators, Texts, and Contexts: Reclaiming Human Agency in the Age of AIHosted by the Department of Translation, Lingnan University, Hong Kong11-12 December 2026  |  M+, Kowloon, Hong Kong

As artificial intelligence (AI) sweeps through the landscape of language mediation, the classical trio of Translators, Texts, and Contexts remains central to understanding the art, ethics, and politics of translation. While AI tools offer unprecedented efficiencies in text processing, they often lack the human capacity for nuanced judgment and cultural contextualisation that remain essential to traditional translation studies scholarship.

This conference invites a critical return to the foundational pillars of our discipline: the Translator as cultural mediator, the Text as a site of meaning negotiation, and the Context as the dynamic framework shaping both process and product. We seek to explore how classical methodologies—from hermeneutics and philology to functionalist, historical, and socio-critical approaches—continue to offer indispensable insights, even as researchers increasingly rely on AI tools.

We welcome contributions that foreground human agency, textual depth, and contextual richness in translation research. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

• The translator’s voice, visibility, and ethics in AI-assisted workflows.
• Textual analysis and literary criticism are augmented (not replaced) by technology.
• Contextual frameworks (historical, cultural, political) that challenge algorithmic neutrality.
• Theoretical reappraisals of traditional paradigms (e.g., Skopos, Descriptive Translation Studies, Polysystem) in contemporary digital contexts.
• Pedagogical approaches highlighting humanistic skills amid technological evolution.
• Pedagogical strategies for developing translators’ ethical and intercultural competencies amid technological revolution.

Our goal is to reaffirm that contextual intelligence, textual fidelity, and translatorial responsibility cannot be automated—and that the deepest questions of meaning, power, and representation still demand human-centred scholarship.

We aim for a collected volume with an international publisher, and full submission of papers will be considered by Translation Quarterly, published by the Hong Kong Translation Society, for the post-conference publication.

The conference will also include two master classes and one workshop as an additional series of events:

• 10 December: Master Classes by Prof. Theo Hermans and Prof. Haun Saussy
• 11 December: Literary Translation Workshop by Prof. Alexander Bubb

Master Classes Speakers and Conference Keynote Speakers

Theo Hermans (Master Class and Keynote Speech)

Emeritus Professor of Dutch and Comparative Literature

University College London

Haun Saussy (Master Class and Keynote Speech)

Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilisations

University of Chicago

Yifeng Sun (Keynote Speech)

Chair Professor of Translation Studies
University of Macau

Rachel Lung (Keynote Speech)

Professor and Department Head
Lingnan University, Hong Kong

Dechao Li (Keynote Speech)

Professor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityWorkshop Guest Speaker

Alexander Bubb

Associate Professor 
University of Roehampton, LondonWorkshop TitleAsian Classics on the Victorian Bookshelf: The Agency of Amateur Translators and Non-expert ReadersDetailed information about the conference and an additional series of events is as follows:Dates

Master Classes: 10 December 2026

Conference: 11-12 December 2026

Literary Translation Workshop: 11 December 2026

Venues

Master Classes:

Main Campus of Lingnan University, 
8 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong

Conference and Workshop:

M+, Kowloon, Hong Kong

ModeFace-to-FaceConference languageEnglishOrganisersDepartment of Translation, Lingnan University, Hong KongRequirements for Conference Submissions

We welcome presentations that fit the topics of the conference or that are related to the conference theme in a broader sense.

We invite submissions of abstracts for oral presentations via EasyChair by 31 March 2026.

Each presentation will be 20 minutes long, followed by a 5-minute discussion.

Abstract submissions will be reviewed by members of the Programme Committee, and decisions will be notified by the end of May 2026.

Abstract submissions must include the following information in English:

• Name(s) of author(s)
• Institutional affiliation(s)
• Email address(es)
• Title of presentation
• An abstract of 250 to 400 words in English
• A list of keywords (up to 5)

Easy Chair Link:  https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ttcrhaai2026

For submission of new papers, please create an account via EasyChair. Please also submit an Author biographical note(s) of 50 to 100 words each through the File Submission in the submission page as PDF files.

Fees

REGISTRATION FEES must be paid for attending this conference, with fee standards as follows:

• Full-time Professionals: HK$1300
• Full-time Students (with proof): HK$800

Registration fees will cover conference bags, programmes, souvenirs, refreshments, coffee breaks, and two lunches (on both conference days).

• Conference dinner: HK$450

  Conference dinner is provided only on the second day of the conference, with EXTRA fees.

Important DatesSubmission Opens21 November 2025Abstract Submission Deadline31 March 2026Acceptance Notifications Announced31 May 2026Registration Opens1 September 2026Registration Deadline15 October 2026 (to make sure your presentation is included in the conference programme)Enquiry

Department of Translation, Lingnan University

Email: trans@LN.edu.hk 

Website: https://www.ln.edu.hk/tran/conferences/conference2026