efsli2023 Conference
Thessaloniki | Greece | 15th to 17th of September 2023
Call for Abstracts
The Association of Greek Sign Language Interpreters (AGSLI-SDENG) is proud to host next year’s conference of the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) in Thessaloniki (Greece), under the title: Rights. Right?
Deadline for submission: 15th of February 2023
We inform you that due to a malfunctioning problem of the mail account, we extend the deadline for abstacts' submissions to 15th of February 2023. Please send your applications to abstracts2023@efsli.org.
The conference will investigate the division of duties and rights of the professional interpreter under
the scope of the changing Deaf and hearing community in the 21st century.
From the emergence of the profession of Sign Language Interpreter to the present day, interpreters have sought and experimented with various professional identities. Sign language interpreting became a profession mainly as a result of the needs of d/Deaf people. Worldwide, initially "interpreters" were family members, neighbors or friends who served a d/Deaf person at times when communication was difficult.
This automatically indicates that the nature of the profession is fluid and dependent on various factors, such as the d/Deaf emancipation movements, the disability legislation, the trends in the education of the d/Deaf, the progress in linguistic and sociological research and the interpreters’ associations and unions. In such a vivid profession the dividing line between duties and rights are fluid and indiscernible.
Through the theme “Rights. Right?" we propose to explore the new identity and the rights of professional sign language interpreters, having moved from the model of the benevolent care-taker, the facilitator/mediator, the ally and the conduit/machine interpreter.
From the emergence of the profession of Sign Language Interpreter to the present day, interpreters have sought and experimented with various professional identities. Sign language interpreting became a profession mainly as a result of the needs of d/Deaf people. Worldwide, initially "interpreters" were family members, neighbors or friends who served a d/Deaf person at times when communication was difficult.
This automatically indicates that the nature of the profession is fluid and dependent on various factors, such as the d/Deaf emancipation movements, the disability legislation, the trends in the education of the d/Deaf, the progress in linguistic and sociological research and the interpreters’ associations and unions. In such a vivid profession the dividing line between duties and rights are fluid and indiscernible.
Through the theme “Rights. Right?" we propose to explore the new identity and the rights of professional sign language interpreters, having moved from the model of the benevolent care-taker, the facilitator/mediator, the ally and the conduit/machine interpreter.
Questions to be answered:
The questions we would like to answer comprise, but are not limited to, the following:
• Which is the new identity of sign language interpreters, in the 21st century?
• How can we position ourselves as interpreters to respond to the challenges of the evolving/changing Deaf and hearing community?
• What are the duties and rights of professional interpreters nowadays? How can we draw a line in between?
• How can we develop our competences and adjust our attitude, strategies and techniques for the new digital era?
• How does the Deaf community view our new role? How do they participate in the development of the profession in alliance with the interpreter community?
• What impact will the 21st century sociological changes have on sign language interpreters’ ethics?
• What will our profession be like in the future and how will we make it more inclusive for every interpreter, deaf or hearing, regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion -and for all deaf citizens?
• What can Deaf and hearing interpreters learn from each other regarding our rights and duties?The open scene
The 2023 conference in Thessalonica will provide an open scene for stakeholders and participants from different fields of knowledge (Deaf and hearing researchers, interpreters, translators, trainers) to share their experiences and exchange views on the vague dividing line between professional duties and rights of sign language interpreters.
Presentations may be either:
a. Plenary lecture-style presentations of 30 minutes (20-minute presentation, 10 minutes for questions)
b. Panels (4-6 people) of 30-minute presentation and 30 minutes for questions/discussion
c. Practical workshops of 120 minutes (including an introductory note of 20 minutes, the moderation of the workshop, the preparation of a summary presented on Sunday)
d. Poster presentations (A1 format) (an exclusive time slot will be provided)Proposals submitted by February 15th 2023 should include:
• Name of presenter(s)
• Short biography of each presenter (max. 100 words to be published online and in the program booklet)
• Contact details for correspondence
• Title of presentation
• Language of presentation
• Abstract (max. 300 written words/video of two minutes max.)
The choice of presentation (presentation, workshop, poster) proposals should be submitted in English in a Word document or in International Sign.
Submissions in video format should be .mov or .flv.
All proposals should be sent to abstracts2023@efsli.org (videos can be sent via SendSpace or similar).What will come next:
The selection criteria will be based on relevance, significance, quality, originality, clarity, and overall presentation. All abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee (SC) whose members (listed in alphabetical order) are academics, researchers and practitioners from different European countries:
Marianna Hatzopoulou Head (Greece)
1. Aleksandra Kalata- Zawlocka, (Poland)
2. Maartje de Meulder (Netherlands)
3. Christian Rathmann (Germany)
4. Chrissostomos Papaspyrou (Greece)
5. Sarah Sheridan (Ireland)
6. Patricia Hermann Shores, (Switzerland)
7. Christopher Stones (UK)
Official notification of acceptance or rejection of proposals will be made by 10th March 2023. Selected presenters will be required to register by 15th April 2023. PowerPoint presentations in English must be submitted no later than 30th June 2023.efsli Conference Proceedings
Full papers in English to be included in the efsli 2023 conference proceedings should be submitted by 30th November 2023.
All presenters are kindly requested to submit their papers for the 2023 proceedings. Your printed presentations have great value for the development of the profession and especially for those who cannot afford to attend the conference. Please have a cooperative attitude with regards to the possibility of including your paper in the 2023 edition of the efsli conference proceedings.Important Notes:
• Conference languages will be English & International Sign. PowerPoint slides should use written in English.
All presenters who wish to use a different spoken or sign language are kindly advised to provide their own interpreters.
• Plenary presentations (lectures/workshops/panels) and poster presentations are considered by the SC to be of equal standing and judged by the same criteria.
You can indicate your preferred format of presentation when submitting your abstract, but inevitably there is limited space for plenary (lecture/workshop/panel) presentations in the programme. On the other hand, many more posters can be accommodated. The decision of what format to assign to any abstract rests with the SC.
Should you have any further queries on abstract submissions, please contact Marianna Hatzopoulou, Head of the Scientific Committee at SCGreece2023@efsli.org.
For any practical information about the 2023 efsli conference, please send an email to the Organizing Committee OCGreece2023@efsli.org and in cc to Androniki Xanthopoulou, efsli board contact person, at androniki.xanthopoulou@efsli.org.