The HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics hosted the 21st EFNIL conference from September 23–25. This year’s theme centered on linguistic diversity and language planning. In her opening address, Merit-Ene Ilja, Acting Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation, outlined the EU’s initiatives to promote linguistic diversity. Sabine Kirchmeier, President of EFNIL, highlighted the differences in digital support for European languages and stressed the need for a strong digital presence for all languages.
More than forty institutions participated in the event, which focused on both linguistic minorities and majorities. Presentations on language planning in various countries provided insight into the everyday, educational, and workplace challenges of multilingualism, as well as the solutions that address linguistic diversity. Presenters also explored the social and technological challenges of language use and diversity.
The General Assembly also held this year’s leadership election. Sabine Kirchmeier remains EFNIL’s President for the next four-year term, and Cecilia Robustelli continues as Vice-President. Tamás Váradi will remain in the position of General Secretary until June 30, 2025, after which Andreas Witt will take over. Åse Wetås and Susanne Obermayer have stepped down from the Executive Committee. Željko Jozić remains a member, while Kozma Ahačič, Ari Páll Kristinsson, and Jutta Ransmayr are newly joining the committee.
For the fifth year, young linguists from across Europe had the chance to compete for EFNIL’s Master’s Thesis Award. This year, the professional jury recognized three outstanding theses. The winners were Joanna Pena-Taradelles from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Lisza-Sophie Neumeier from the University of Vienna, and Welmoed Sjoerdstra from the University of Groningen. Since the competition was very strong and many excellent master’s theses were submitted, the jury also awarded three certificates of Mention of Honour. The recipients of these awards were Ellen Brösterhaus from the University of Münster, Sol Tovar from the University of Regensburg, and Mona Schwitzer from the University of Vienna.
The conference presentations are available on the event’s website.