Berkeley Globalization Conference

Introduction

Berkeley, 3-5 Aug, Chaired by Patricia Egan; Deadline 16 Mar

 ARC: Connections: ELMAR: Posting

areas: global: call


Call for Papers

Berkeley Globalization Conference
(LISA @ Berkeley)
Language—Society—Technology

August 3–5, 2009, University of California’s Clark Kerr Conference
Center, Berkeley, California, USA

This two-day conference (with an additional day of workshops) will focus on globalization—the business decisions and processes required to do business internationally. This conference aims to bring together researchers examining the phenomenon of globalization and so will consider three primary themes:

    The social impact of globalization. How does globalization affect the attitudes and expectations of local communities with regard to goods and services? Does globalization result in leveling of regional difference or does it increase awareness of and response to those differences? Does globalization necessarily involve a center-periphery model, or do recent changes allow for the periphery to challenge the dominance of the center? How can ethnographic study influence globalization in a positive way?

    Language and globalization. Language and culture are both a limiting factor in globalization and the enabler for globalization.. How do organizations deal with issues of translation and cultural adaptation (localization) when entering new markets? How can demand for language best be met in a cost-effective manner that allows organizations to speak to individuals in their own languages?

    Technology. Modern globalization efforts are characterized by a reliance on technical solutions to reduce costs and expand scope. How do technology and technological change impact globalization? What technologies are the most effective in meeting demand? What disruptive technologies are on the horizon?

These themes are to be interpreted broadly and submissions, including multidisciplinary ones, that engage with globalization in a constructive manner are encouraged. University and organizational partners include the Localization Industry Standards Association (Switzerland), Boeing Institute of International Business (Saint Louis University), Institute for Information Management (Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Germany), Brigham Young University Translation Research Group (USA), and Lessius University College (Belgium).

Presentation slots will be 20 minutes in length. Submissions can be provided as abstracts of no more than 500 words describing the proposed presentation and may be sent in Word, RTF, plain text, or Open Office file formats. Abstracts should not include the names of presenters. Each submission should include a cover letter with the names, affiliation, and contact information for all authors. The deadline for submissions is March 16, 2009. We will notify attendees of acceptance in early April 2009. All submissions should be sent to the conference chair, Patricia Egan, at patricia.egan@lisa.org.