Multilingualism in European workplaces

Multilingua ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt-Louise Gunnarsson
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Cultural Encounters ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Workplace Discourse ◽  
Cultural Networks

AbstractThis state-of-the-art article includes a review of past and recent studies on multilingualism at work in European environments. One aim is to provide the reader with a cross-cultural picture of workplace studies on various languages in Europe, another to discuss both positive and problem-based accounts of multilingualism at work. The overview covers studies on workplace interaction in multilingual regions in Europe, on English as a lingua franca workplaces, on cross-cultural encounters in global businesses, and on workplaces with workforce diversity. The conditions for workplace discourse in Europe have been influenced by a series of changes taking place in recent decades. Globalization and technological advances have created new types of cross-cultural networks, at the same time as political changes and turmoil have led to migration and new and more complex multilingual workplaces throughout Europe. In the discussion section, the scope is enlarged and workplace discourse is related to various contextual frameworks. Finally, some key topics for future studies are sketched.

Multilingualism in the Workplace

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 162-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt-Louise Gunnarsson
Keyword(s):  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Face ◽  
Transnational Companies ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Workplace Discourse ◽  
Dynamic Interplay

This survey article presents studies on multilingualism in the workplace carried out in different regions. One aim is to give a cross-cultural picture of workplace studies on different languages, and another is to discuss both positive and problem-based accounts of multilingualism at work. The conditions for workplace discourse have been influenced by a series of changes taking place in recent decades. Technological advances have led to new types of networks and workplaces, making linguistic issues salient, at the same time as many low-paid workers are found in traditional jobs, for which the face-to face interaction is central. A model is presented, the aim of which is to grasp the complex and dynamic interplay between workplace discourse and its various contextual frames. Overviews of studies on multilingualism at work are discussed with a focus on workplaces in the inner, outer, and expanding English circles; in transnational companies; and in multilingual regions and English lingua franca workplaces in Europe. Workplaces with workforce diversity are also dealt with. In the discussion section, the scope is enlarged and workplace discourse is related to various contextual frameworks. Finally, some key topics for future studies are sketched.

South Sea Tales

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Louis Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Robert Louis Stevenson ◽  
Global Culture ◽  
Cultural Encounters ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
South Sea ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Subject Material

The literary world was shocked when in 1889, at the height of his career, Robert Louis Stevenson announced his intention to settle permanently on the Pacific island of Samoa. His readers were equally shocked when he began to use the subject material offered by his new environment, not to promote a romance of empire, but to produce some of the most ironic and critical treatments of imperialism in nineteenth-century fiction. In these stories, as in his work generally, Stevenson shows himself to be a virtuoso of narrative styles: his Pacific fiction includes the domestic realism of ‘The Beach at Falesé, the folktale plots of ‘The Bottle Imp’ and ‘The Isle of Voices’, and the modernist blending of naturalism and symbolism in The Ebb-Tide. But beyond their generic diversity the stories are linked by their concern with representing the multiracial society of which their author had become a member. In this collection - the first to bring together all his shorter Pacific fiction in one volume - Stevenson emerges as a witness both to the cross- cultural encounters of nineteenth-century imperialism and to the creation of the global culture which characterizes the post-colonial world.

Accessible Audiovisual Translation

2020 ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Adriana Silvina Pagano ◽  
André Luiz Rosa Teixeira ◽  
Flávia Affonso Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Universal Design ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Digital Infrastructure ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Audiovisual Translation

Ever-increasing technological advances and growing demands for accessibility have been evolving new audiovisual translation practices and shaped the development of the field within the discipline of translation studies. This chapter provides a brief survey of state-of-the-art audiovisual translation practices, with particular focus on the ways growing demands for accessibility have been met within models of integration and inclusion of people with disabilities. It briefly reviews initiatives toward universal design and accessibility thinking in the preproduction of audiovisual content. Finally, audiovisual translation is framed within a wider user-oriented model of accessibility intended to inform the planning and development of digital infrastructure toward inclusion and reduction of social inequalities.

scholarly journals State of the Art in Open Platforms for Collaborative Urban Design and Sharing of Resources in Districts and Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4875
Author(s):  
Barry Hayes ◽  
Dorota Kamrowska-Zaluska ◽  
Aleksandar Petrovski ◽  
Cristina Jiménez-Pulido
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Local Community ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
The State ◽  
Smart Technology ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Technology Platforms

This work discusses recent developments in sharing economy concepts and collaborative co-design technology platforms applied in districts and cities. These developments are being driven both by new technological advances and by increased environmental awareness. The paper begins by outlining the state of the art in smart technology platforms for collaborative urban design, highlighting a number of recent examples. The case of peer-to-peer trading platforms applied in the energy sector is then used to illustrate how sharing economy concepts and their enabling technologies can accelerate efforts towards more sustainable urban environments. It was found that smart technology platforms can encourage peer-to-peer and collaborative activity, and may have a profound influence on the future development of cities. Many of the research and development projects in this area to date have focused on demonstrations at the building, neighbourhood, and local community scales. Scaling these sharing economy platforms up to the city scale and beyond has the potential to provide a number of positive environment impacts. However, significant technical and regulatory barriers to wider implementation exist, and realising this potential will require radical new approaches to the ownership and governance of urban infrastructure. This paper provides a concise overview of the state of the art in this emerging field, with the aim of identifying the most promising areas for further research.

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