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Language – Contact – Meaning – Identity. Post-event report

10 July 2025

At the end of May, Faculty of Humanities in Warsaw at SWPS University hosted a student-led academic conference titled Language – Contact – Meaning – Identity. The event was organized by the Omnilinguae Research Group under the academic supervision of Dr. Agnieszka Chada.

Exploring language and identity across cultures

The conference brought together students from various academic backgrounds who explored topics related to language, identity, and communication. Presentations covered a wide range of themes, from multilingualism and identity construction to code-switching and intercultural pragmatics.

Ten students presented their research, including:

Olesia Rohovska, Julia Detkowska, Marta Kostecka, and Natalia Sztandera from SWPS University
Samuel Taviro Rodríguez-Brusco, Miranda Santana Adams, Lorena Negrín Rodríguez, Patricia Negrín Rodríguez, Beatriz Álamo Rodríguez, and Cristina Méndez Guardia from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)

Conference audience seated in rows, viewed from behind, watching a speaker presenting at the front of the room beside a projected slide. — Photo: Omnilinguae Research Group

The event featured two keynote speakers who shared their perspectives on contemporary language challenges:

Matthew Riemland, Ph.D., presented on the topic of "Language Contact in the Modern Digital Economy: Uncovering the Language Power Relations Underneath Multilingual AI Technologies."
Talya Balikcioglu, M.A., discussed the "Bridge Across Languages: Cultural Intelligence for Interpersonal Agility in Multilingual and Multicultural Business Environments."

Strengthening international collaboration

This initiative was particularly significant as it strengthened the collaboration within the European Reform University Alliance between SWPS University and the ULPGC. It was especially meaningful to welcome students from the traveling seminar led by Professor Heather Adams and Dr. Matthew Riemland, who presented their research during the conference.

The event fostered academic exchange and helped build lasting connections across institutions and cultures. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to organizing this event and making it a success.

At the Omnilinguae Research Group, we remain committed to creating interdisciplinary, cross-cultural spaces where students and researchers can exchange ideas, learn from one another, and build international partnerships.

The report was written by members of the Omnilinguae Research Group