Special edition on the occasion of the European Day of Languages & the European Year of Skills
The fifth KCI Virtual Café took place on 26th September 2023 as announced and brought together the Commission’s Directorates-General for Interpretation (SCIC), Translation (DGT) and Communication Networks, Content and Technology (CNECT), and a panel of experts to discuss 'Languages, skills, and technologies for economic growth'.
Thanks to the work of our colleague interpreters, we could showcase multilingualism and interpreting skills in action: there couldn't have been a better match, since 2023 is the European Year of Skills. Our audience, our service, and the future generation of interpreters were able to gain thought-provoking perspectives on what is at stake in the field of linguistic professions, such as competition, the rise of AI, and more. A common theme emerged: we need to work for our future and for a multilingual communication that contributes to a more inclusive and democratic society and that does not leave anybody behind, regardless of their mother tongue or their IT skills and competencies.
For the first time in the Virtual Café series, two groups of students could join on-site as attendees (KU Leuven and UC Louvain), with another group from ETI Geneva University in dummy booths. Over 100 people joined on-site and online from across Europe and beyond, and online participants alone tuned in from a total of 18 different countries. See here some pictures by way of visual recap of the event for a visual recap of the event.