AI-powered Multilingualism: Friend or Foe for European Universities?

Welcome words

Marius Gilbert is vice-rector of research and valorization, and vice-rector of culture and scientific mediation at the Université libre de Bruxelles. His research focuses on the epidemiology of avian influenza, emerging infectious diseases with pandemic potential, and global changes in livestock production systems. During the COVID pandemic, he was part of the expert group assembled by then Belgian prime minister Sophie Wilmes to advise the government and was at the forefront of communication with the media. He is also a columnist at the national journal Le Soir around the theme of science and society. 

Speakers

Ágnes Farkas Ágnes Farkas works as the head of DG Translation's AI Language Services Advisory, an advisory body with the mission to promote eTranslation and other AI-based multilingual services managed by DGT for EU institutions and eligible users across EU Member States. The advisory body also provides user support and expert guidance to clients. She previously worked as a policy officer in the field of multilingualism and as acting head of unit and translator in DGT's Hungarian translation department. She holds master's degrees in translation and interpretation, as well as in French language and political sciences.

Damien Heinsen is assistant professor of translation and AI at the ULB, and has obtained a PhD in translation studies from the University of Liège, as well as in computer science from the Grenoble Alpes University. His doctoral work, focused on the topic of literary machine translation, looked into the possibility of adapting MT systems to the style of individual literary translators, but also into the ergonomic and social issues related to the technicization of the field. Recently, his research shifted more towards the effects of translation tools on the cognitive processes and socio-economic factors involved in creative translation, but his interests also brought him to study the experimental "détournements" of technology and to the field of game studies, where he examines the interplay between languages and games.

Fanny Meunier is a full professor of English language, linguistics, and teacher education at UCLouvain, Belgium. She also serves as the Academic Director of the CU.mil (Multilingualism, Interculturality, and Language Lab) within the Circle U. European University Alliance. Her research spans fundamental, instructed, and applied aspects of additional language acquisition, and she is actively involved in pre- and in-service teacher education, where she fosters collaborative teacher-researcher initiatives. Her most recent projects focus on pluriliteracies, i.e. the development of advanced and critical literacy skills across multiple languages and contexts. She also focusses on how technology can empower learners and teachers in the human–machine era.

Moderator

María Isabel Soldevila Brea is a Dominican journalist and communication specialist, currently Head of Communication at the CIVIS European University Alliance, where she leads strategic efforts across a transnational university network. Her 25-year career bridges media, education, and European affairs, with a focus on democracy and human rights. A Fulbright grantee, she earned a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University and pursued further studies at NYU and the University of Paris Sorbonne. Soldevila held key editorial roles in major Dominican media and directed the School of Communication at PUCMM in Santo Domingo. A Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan (2015), she continues to champion press freedom and civic engagement in global education.