ISITLab: where experimentation meets innovation
ISITLab
ISITLab is Europe’s reference in intercultural research. ISITLab owes its benchmark status to its facilities and work spaces that have been accessible since fall 2015.
- Lecture halls and conference rooms with interpreting booths and video-transmission systems
- A 150m² innovation laboratory
- Meeting rooms and work spaces for videoconferencing
- Audio and visual sensors, computers for processing data in multiple languages
The innovation laboratory has many functions:
- Simulating multicultural team-management situations
- Audio and video recording to analyze speech and posture, but also to identify bias linked to language as well as to differences in culture, professions, countries, and generations
- Innovation and co-design workshops
- Research workshops on collective intelligence
- Research training
Applied research and training
Research forms the core of an ISIT education. The school prides itself on being able to offer a progressive approach to studies, meaning students acquire the key skills to appropriate scientific methodology from day one.
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Students are able to complete applied research projects as part of the Master’s program. Such projects are completed under the supervision of an ISIT research professor. Applied research projects offer companies:
- A fresh or additional take on an intercultural issue
- Recommendations for intercultural strategies in terms of sales, marketing, communication and/or human resources
- Development of multilingual communication tools and multimedia
A few examples of past student projects:
- Analysis of uniqueness and diversity of messages on sustainable development and corporate social responsibility in different cultural settings
- Fundraising strategy for an NGO
- Digitalization strategy for press relations in the communication department of a large company
- Reputation analysis in China and the United States and development of a communications strategy
- Business plan proposal for small business development
- Creation of terminology and multilingual reference database
- Establishment of an “excellence model” for professional translation in international organizations
Unique research holdings
The ISIT library has a unique research collection specializing in intercultural and multilingual studies.
Publications: “Le Bulletin du CRATIL”
In publication since 2008, “Le Bulletin du CRATIL” brings together work by French and international researchers on the subjects of translation, interpeting, multilingual communication and intercultural management. The Bulletin examines these subjects their economic, political and social impacts. Close collaboration between researchers from different backgrounds results in a cross study, multidisciplinary approach to research on languages and countries, in addition to professions and generations.
Events
ISIT organizes regular conferences, study days and seminars on its international campus.
- December 8-11, 2020 : «Artificial intelligence – Intercultural intelligence. Actions and interactions in translation, interpretation and their target contexts». Read the call for papers or look at the dedicated website. .
- November 16-17, 2018 : “Discuss interpreting. The interpreter : what roles and identites in a changing environment”. International conference.
- Mai 26, 2018 : “Career strategies of conference interpreters”. Morning study. See the video
- May 25, 2018 : “ Institutions and today’s media: from speech analysis to translation. Day 2 – translating institutionnal and media discourses”. In partnership with Milan University. See the video
- May 17, 2018 : “Linguistic dimension of european and international legal cooperation”. Study mornings in partnership with Université Paris Sud XI Faculté de droit Jean Monnet.
- June 2017 : “Contributing to diversity in campuses” co-organized with CGE (Conférence des Grandes Ecoles).
- March 2017 : « Cultural realities and connected worlds: what role for human being?».
ISIT, a European research leader
ISIT is involved in several innovative European research projects. Through these projects,the school continually updates its teaching methods and expands its curricula.
Current projects
- Conference interpreters’ careers: assessing the legitimation process of career changes in collaboration with Université de Créteil, France & IGS-RH
Completed projects
- IMPLI/Improving police and legal interpreting (DG Justice): Read the final report and watch the videos.
- CO-MINOR 1/Interpreting for minors in legal proceedings (DG Justice)
- QUALETRA 1/Quality for legal translation (DG Justice)
- Optimale (DG Education and Culture)
- PICT/Promoting intercultural competences in translators (DG Education and Culture)
- TRANSCERT/Voluntary certification for translators (DG Education and Culture)
- CONNECTING CONFERENCE INTERPRETING TRAINERS / On integrating new technologies into interpreting training courses (DG LINC – European Parliament)
– Read the report and its appendixes (in French) - AGORA/Transnational placement scheme for translation students (DG Education and Culture)
- CO-Minor-IN/QUEST 2/Interpreting for minors in legal proceedings
- Jean Monnet (DG Education and Culture)/Intercultural legal communication training for lawyers, judges, magistrates and European legal professionals
- ORCIT (DG SCIC and DG LINC, European Parliament and Comission)
