Mediterranean Editors and Translators Meeting 2010

Facilitating knowledge transfer –
through editing, translation, coaching

28-30 October 2010
Universitat Rovira i Virgili,
Campus Catalunya, Avinguda de Catalunya, 35,
43002 Tarragona, Spain

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Call for participation

Call for participation | Types of contributions | Guidelines for abstracts | Financial support

Deadline for submission of proposals: 30 April 2010

Update June 16: Poster proposals still welcome! Until the poster display space is fully occupied we remain open to proposals for posters. See below for more information about METM posters. Abstracts should be sent to the poster coordinator, .

Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET) is an independent, non-profit association that brings together people who give language support for international communication in English within the Mediterranean and southern European area. Read more about MET, our objectives, and our programs since 2005 to learn if you would like to join us at our next meeting, to be held in Tarragona, Spain. We invite researchers and practitioners of language support for international communication in English from the Mediterranean area and beyond to attend the conference and consider sharing their work in presentations or posters.

MET’s meetings explore the nature of written or spoken texts in professional disciplines that communicate knowledge internationally through English, and the processes through which language support providers (translators, editors, coaches and other advisors) assist with writing, preparing for publication, or oral presentation of knowledge or culture in English. In 2009, MET also began to explore the translation into English of literature from Mediterranean countries.

The conference language is English.

Call for participation

We welcome proposals on topics relevant to the 2010 conference theme (Facilitating knowledge transfer – through editing, translation, coaching) as well as to the association’s objectives, especially regarding how to

  • communicate knowledge that can contribute to improving the quality of language support services available in the Mediterranean
  • stimulate research in Mediterranean communities on the needs of academics, scientists, public institutions and private enterprises; and stimulate research on promising practices that meet their needs well
  • help users of language support services locate appropriate solutions to their needs and promote mutual understanding between suppliers and users of these services

Types of contributions

We invite proposals for oral presentations, training workshops, and posters.

Presentations

We welcome oral presentations in the following three categories:

  1. Original research. These presentations describe the aims, methods, results and practical implications of original research on topics including – but not limited to – contrastive and critical discourse and genre analysis, professional-level ESP writing and speaking, ethnography applied to text and communication, journalology, how to elicit revision from authors, plagiarism, practical applications of corpora, the writing process, and professional translation processes. Our members are interested in special writing and speaking characteristics in all the academic disciplines, the sciences, cultural fields such as art and architecture, governmental and non-governmental institutional settings, commercial and financial areas, and more. Research presentations must describe the results of research designed to answer a specific question or test a specific hypothesis. These are parallel session presentations composed of a 20-minute talk followed by 10 minutes for discussion.
  2. Promising practices. These presentations explain the use of novel tools or techniques or describe practical approaches to problems that language professionals and their clients commonly encounter. They differ from research presentations in that they usually draw on personal experiences and may identify a problem or difficulty and answer the question, “How do I solve this problem?” These parallel sessions are composed of a 20-minute talk followed by 10 minutes for discussion.
  3. Knowledge updates. These sessions review current concepts on a specific topic of any knowledge area in which MET members work. The aim of a knowledge update session is to further participants' understanding of the latest terminology, procedures, tools, and resources for continued learning. Topics presented in the past or being considered now have included EU terminology, clinical trial documentation, the “Bologna process” in higher education, new statistical methods, and new financial products. These are 45-minute parallel sessions composed of a 35-minute presentation plus 10 minutes for discussion.

Training workshops

These are 3-hour sessions in which the facilitator teaches a skill or concept in more depth than is usually possible at a conference. Workshops are interactive sessions in which participants are directly involved in activities and discussion. They are encouraged to do preparatory reading or tasks; handouts often include follow-up tasks, keys and suggestions for further reading. Many workshops mature and become a part of MET’s ongoing professional development process. Past topics have covered language and writing skills (readability, flow, punctuation, citing), knowledge areas (anatomy, research designs, statistics), and communication skills (giving presentations, nondirective listening, interactive workshop planning, annotating texts with author queries, dealing with plagiarism in clients’ texts).

Posters

Posters use visuals—photographs, illustrations, diagrams—and short, concise texts to express the core content of a mini-presentation in a visual and memorable way. The subject matter of a poster can be original research or a promising practice. MET prizes posters and will build an audience for yours using these means:

  • The poster abstract will be on the website and in the program.
  • Open house in the poster display area: During a formal poster-viewing and discussion session in the coffee break area, participants will have a chance to talk to you personally about your message.
  • Extended viewing: your poster will be on display in a central area on all days of the conference.

The maximum size for a poster at METM10 is 0.8 m x 1 m (width x height). (Note: If you limit your width to 0.76 m, your poster will roll up into standard-size carrying tubes.)

Guidelines for preparing abstracts

Submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed by one or more MET members and non-member subject experts. The abstracts will be assessed for quality, interest to conference attendees, and pertinence to the METM conference theme or to MET's mission and objectives. After peer review, abstracts may be accepted or rejected directly or, more likely, undergo one or more rounds of revision until deemed satisfactory for acceptance.

Since conference attendees are mostly practitioners, we will consider proposals based on previously presented material. However, if your work has been presented or published previously, we require that, upon submission of the abstract, you inform us of that and provide copies of any resulting publications or abstracts. Your abstract should also acknowledge that the work has been presented previously.

All abstracts should describe the problem, need or knowledge gap addressed and clearly state what participants will learn by attending. Abstracts should be written in clear, proper English and be accompanied by an informative title and a short (<75 words) biography of the presenter. Abstracts for the different types of contributions should also meet the following criteria:

Abstracts for presentations

These abstracts must not exceed 300 words.

  • Original research abstracts should be structured into four short sections as follows: background and purpose; methods; results; and conclusions. A good summary gives the background for research by outlining current knowledge regarding the problem investigated, indicates the specific aim of the study, highlights the methodological approach and the key findings of the study, and then states the main conclusions that can be drawn from the results. Send your abstract to the research coordinator, , by 30 April 2010.
  • Promising practice abstracts should state a problem that has been identified, describe a novel or important working context that presents challenges, or propose an issue that needs consideration. The speaker should indicate what will be accomplished in the session, and the type of examples or solutions to be illustrated. MET audiences expect ideas to be well exemplified. We suggest this abstract structure: background (the problem and its context), purpose (the objective of the session), solutions and recommendations (the practical advice the presenter will give). Send your abstract to the promising practices coordinator, , by 30 April 2010.
  • Knowledge update abstracts should emphasize why MET members, and which MET members, need the knowledge that will be presented and give a clear indication of what will be discussed or done during the session. Suggested abstract structure: rationale, purpose, presentation content. Send your abstract to the knowledge update coordinator, , by 30 April 2010.

Abstracts for workshops

MET workshops involve a mix of presentation of concepts, discussion, and tasks that make messages come to life. We ask facilitators to propose pre-reading or preparatory tasks (posted on the website) and to suggest further reading or possibly post-workshop tasks with a key (handout). The objective is to provide participants with solid training in a concrete topic and directions about how to deepen their understanding. The sections for a proposed workshop description (no word limit): 1) overall introduction to the workshop convincing readers of the importance of the topic and the need to meet the objectives (answer the question, “What is this workshop about and why is that important?”); 2) name of the developers and/or facilitators, 3) a concise statement of the purpose(s), 4) a concise description of the methods or approach to be used (answer the question, “What will happen?”); 5) structure or steps (“How will it happen?”); 6) description of intended audience (“Who should attend?), 7) the outcome skills (“What will a participant know or be able to do after the workshop?”), 8) Pre-meeting information (“What will help a participant prepare for getting the most out of your workshop?”). Send your workshop description to the workshop coordinator, , by 30 April 2010.

Abstracts for posters

We suggest that the abstract be written according to the same guidelines given above for oral presentations on original research and promising practices above. Send your abstract to the poster coordinator, , by 30 April.

Financial support for presenters

All presenters register at a special below-cost fee. (See registration page.) A limited number of presenters who have high travel or visa costs may also be eligible for further support (fee waiver and/or accommodation). To enquire about further support, write to the .

METM10 contact information

For general enquiries write to the .