Henry Líu

Grants 2026 LingComm Grants – Small Grants for Communicating Linguistics to Wider Audiences We want to see more linguistics in the world!  The 2026 LingComm Grants are $300 (USD) to support lin…

Are you an early career researcher interested in communicating linguistics to broader audiences?

Consider applying for a @lingcomm.org grant!
Deadline April 30, via @lingthusiasm.com

lingcomm.org/grants/

Digital mutual aid among migrants, in the shadow of ChatGPT For nearly four years now, I’ve been heavily involved in online (Telegram-based) communities for Ukrainian forced migrants in Austria. Such communities sprang up all across Europe after Russia’s fu…

After our end-of-year publishing break, Language on the Move is back with an important post about how ChatGPT can actually weaken migrant mutual aid efforts, by @schenior.bsky.social

Another example where GenAI is useful in theory but damaging in reality

languageonthemove.com/digital-mutu...

Big news! Our Japanese-to-English subtitling trial lesson is now available in VOD format - you can download the video and worksheet and do the trial lesson at any time!

Click on the graphic that says J-E Subtitling Trial Lesson on this page to get access to it!➞
www.jvtacademy.com/english/

Welche Übersetzung soll ich lesen? – Sturmhöhe Emily Brontës „Sturmhöhe“ zählt zu den meist übersetzten Büchern der englischen Literatur. Auch deutschsprachige Leser:innen haben die Qual der Wahl.

Gothic-Fans aufgepasst: „Wuthering Heights – Sturmhöhe“ kommt ins Kino!

Wer Lust bekommen hat, Brontë auch zu lesen, aber von den vielen Übersetzungen überfordert ist, findet in Julia Rosche eine detaillierte und kompetente Ratgeberin:

www.tralalit.de/2022/03/30/w...

Learning is complex, messy, emotional: AI can’t replicate that ChatGPT and other AI tools may seem irresistible. But educators should beware, as they could end up trading away the thing that gives them value — the rich experience of slow learning

Chatbots offer a magnificent bribe - a fast, frictionless route to information that bypasses the discomfort of learning. In this op-ed, we describe this as a Faustian bargain, in which we trade away what it means to be human & universities trade away their value
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Translator friends:
Does anyone have any good resources for teaching newbie translators more about the importance of creative writing skills in general, and character voice in particular? And/or simple online courses they can take for this?
I'm not a great teacher for this rn, so any help welcome! 🙏

Hungarian Lit month at Winston’s Dad – some book recommandations Somehow I missed the announcement that Stu at Winstonsdad is hosting Hungarian Lit Month in February. We’re already the 7th of the month, there’s not much time to read and write about H…

Hungarian Lit month at Winston's Dad - some book recommandations bookaroundthecorner.com/2026/02/07/h...

Wir suchen Verstärkung!
Du schreibst gerne über #Literatur und #Übersetzungen? Wir suchen Gastautor:innen!

Ob Rezensionen, Essays oder Artikel – bei uns hast du die Möglichkeit, eigene Texte zu veröffentlichen.

Bei Interesse freuen wir uns über formlose Mails an redaktion@tralalit.de

#tl8x

Sydney Opera House at night

It still really is the most incredible building I have ever seen. I love it so much.

Title image from the Sega Master System version of Ys 1

Announcing Localization Lore, a new series dedicated to learning more about the history of video game localization! 🎉Featuring new interviews personally conducted by me, this first entry is on Ys 1 and the people behind its first three English translations. lizbushouse.com/localization...

Promotional poster titled “AVT Hero of the Year 2025” honoring Loek van Kooten, featuring a portrait of a smiling man and text describing his advocacy for unpaid freelancers in the subtitling industry.

Award-style poster for “AVT Hero of the Year 2025” featuring Scott McCarthy’s portrait and text recognizing his support for freelancers and efforts to promote individual awards in audiovisual translation.

“AVT Hero of the Year 2025” poster highlighting NAViO’s feedback portal, showing a hand holding a TV remote in front of a screen and text about a public platform for reporting subtitle quality.

Graphic poster titled “AVT Hero of the Year 2025” spotlighting ATRAE’s campaign for human translation, with a campaign logo and text advocating for protecting human artistry in translation.

We're excited to announce the newest edition of our yearly initiative, Subtle's AVT Heroes of the Year! We want to highlight and celebrate the people, organisations and efforts that have had a particularly positive impact on our industry and profession over the past year—and here they are!

OH, Look! Another game translated by magic!

This right here is quite dangerous in these times. Why? By erasing us translators from our jobs it makes it easier to replace us with GenAI.

We've always been invisible. That gave them a leverage in introducing MTPE and lowering our rates.

I know it's easier to dismiss it as slop, but for the first time since AI 'happened', I am travelling in a country where I have no language, using AI to translate menus/signs and audio, and it is mindbogglingly effective.

I am so glad, however, that it didn't exist when I was learning Chinese.

Another really enjoyable discussion with lots of relatable points. “It’s not imposter syndrome if you are an imposter!” Great on importance of author-translator contact and the potential for “found in translation”

#xl8

Artificial intelligence | AVTE

Näheres zur Haltung unseres Verbandes erfahr ihr hier, im Statement zu Künstlicher Intelligenz des AVTE (Audiovisual Translators Europe), dem europäischen Dachverband audiovisueller Übersetzer*innen:

avteurope.org/artificial-i...

"Wir stellen uns klar gegen die Verträge, die Rechte von Urheber*innen aushöhlen sollen - nicht nur, um uns selbst zu schützen, sondern auch, um die lebendige kulturelle Vielfalt, die Qualität unserer Arbeit für alle und die wirtschaftliche Kraft des Kreativsektors zu erhalten."
#HumansNotMachines

Wir sind der festen Überzeugung, dass die Erlaubnis zum KI-Training für alle Urheber*innen immer optional sein muss. Zudem muss eine solche freiwillige Einwilligung an eine faire Vergütung geknüpft sein. Demnach können wir die Unterzeichnung entsprechender KI-Trainings-Klauseln Urheber*innen aller Gewerke generell nicht empfehlen.

Wir stellen uns klar gegen die Verträge, die Rechte von Urheber*innen aushöhlen sollen - nicht nur, um uns selbst zu schützen, sondern auch, um die lebendige kulturelle Vielfalt, die Qualität unserer Arbeit für alle und die wirtschaftliche Kraft des Kreativsektors zu erhalten.

Statement Teil 2 2/2

Kein Blankoscheck für Netflix & Co! KI-Training nur freiwillig & fair vergütet

Aktuell sehen sich deutsche Synchronsprecher*innen in der Zusammenarbeit mit Netflx mit nachteiligen Vertragsklauseln konfrontiert: Durch Unterzeichnen erlauben sie dem Streaminganbieter das KI-Training mit ihren Stimmaufnahmen und ermöglichen dadurch K-Synchronisation mit synthetischen Stimmen. Die Nutzung des urheberrechtlich geschützten Materials soll ohne zusätzliche Vergütung erfolgen.

Die Klauseln betreffen auch andere Gewerke, wie Regie und audiovisuelle Übersetzung. Als AVÜ solidarisieren wir uns mit den deutschen Synchronsprecher*innen, dem "Verband Deutscher Sprecher*innen" (VDS) und allen anderen Urheber*innen, die solche Klauseln ablehnen.

Von den nachteiligen KI-Klauseln sehen wir die im AVÜ vertretenen audiovisuellen Gewerke genauso betroffen wie die Synchronsprecher*innen und -regisseur*innen. Die Synchronübersetzung ist Grundlage des Dialogbuchs und somit auch jeder Synchronaufnahme von Stimmen. Und egal ob Untertitel, Voiceover-Adaption, Videospiel-Lokalisierung, Audiodeskription oder Synchrondialogbuch - es handelt sich immer um urheberrechtlich geschützte Werke, deren Nutzung für KI-Training wir nicht pauschal und unvergütet zustimmen.

AVÜ-Statement zur "Netflix-KI-Klausel". 1/2

#HumansNotMachines

Cover of the book Chinese Characters Across Asia by Zev Handel (University of Washington Press, 2025)

Like the book, this talk will be accessible to everyone—regardless of whether you have any knowledge of Chinese characters or East Asian languages. All are welcome and guaranteed to have a good time.

New Poetry in Translation: ‘From a Country That Was’ "The temperature dipped a little / but the country’s still burning—"

New Poetry in Translation: ‘From a Country That Was’

"The temperature dipped a little / but the country’s still burning—"

"at no point do they seriously contemplate the structural causes of academic dishonesty: the alienation of students from meaningful intellectual labor, the reduction of education to skill building & credential accumulation, & the pervasive distrust that suffuses increasingly surveilled classrooms”

A Pedagogy of the Inevitable Over the last couple of years, two altogether incompatible discourses of “AI literacy” have emerged. One seeks just enough literacy to support a smooth, perhaps even joyful, integration with new techn...

One of the best AI critiques I’ve seen read.dukeupress.edu/critical-ai/...

"How will a student who is learning to write well know when to transform an automated output or how to infuse it with A-worthy value? Which of a chatbot's always confident ideas or texts do or do not meet the bar?"

Really brilliant piece on AI infiltrating the university.

✨ Jen Calleja will be leading the German workshop at this year’s BCLT Summer School ✨

All 10 chosen participants in the German workshop will receive a full tuition fee bursary, kindly supported by @prohelvetia

Find out more: www.uea.ac.uk/groups-and-c...

@jencalleja.bsky.social

Cartel de la píldora sobre facturación e IVA. Sobre fondo oscuro, a la izquierda, la imagen de la cara dibujada de la ponente. Encima se lee "Marta C. Dehesa, abogada y gestora cultural especializada en propiedad intelectual". A la derecha, el título de la actividad: "Píldora sobre facturación e IVA". Debajo, "4 de febrero de 2026 a las 18:00 h" seguido de dos puntos: el primero, "charla de una hora” y el segundo, "turno abierto de preguntas". Justo debajo, “gratuita para socies”. En la esquina superior derecha, el logo multicolor de ATRAE. En la inferior, la etiqueta "#ATRAE_IVA".

Ya está abierta la inscripción para la «II Píldora sobre facturación e IVA», con Marta C. Dehesa. @martacdehesa.bsky.social #ATRAE_IVA

📍 4 de febrero de 18:00 a 19:30 aprox.

ℹ️ Más info e inscripciones: atrae.org/ii-pildora-s...

Reise an die Grenze des Ertragbaren – TraLaLit Rin Usami ist Shootingstar der japanischen Literaturszene. Luise Steggewentz hat ihren jüngsten Roman bravourös ins Deutsche gebracht.

Neue #Rezension von Rin Usamas zweitem Roman ‚Kankos Reise‘!

Lea Berger führt aus, wie die Übersetzerin Luise Steggewentz mit linguistischen und kulturellen Schwierigkeiten einer Übertragung aus dem Japanischen umgeht und den Ton des Originals beibehält.

www.tralalit.de/2026/01/28/k...

#tl8x

📣 Applications are OPEN for BCLT International Literary Translation & Creative Writing Summer School 2026 📣

Join us ONLINE from Monday 20 July - Friday 24 July 2026. Find out more & download an example programme on our website: shorturl.at/gy3yT

💡 Bursaries available

Front cover of Singing to the Sun, next to a pot plant in the sunshine.

Publication day has finally arrived for my latest translation from Spanish: Singing to the Sun, by Regina Rodríguez Sirvent, published by Amazon Crossing.
This book was so much fun to translate, it still made me laugh even after my umpteenth revision!
#literarytranslation

‘The Last Thing’ by Slovak author Leopold Lahola, translated by Julia and Peter Sherwood, has been shortlisted for the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize!

Judging panel chair Boyd Tonkin refers to the shortlist’s "extraordinary literary rediscoveries and urgent contemporary voices".

‘I thought it was going to perish’: the remarkable revival of an endangered language in Lesotho Concentrated among 1,000 people in the remote Daliwe valley, siPhuthi has gained a dictionary, a Bible translation and official recognition thanks to intrepid linguists and activists

#langsky #sharegoodnewstoo

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...