PROLang, the newest seminar series turned one (and a half)

PROLang emerged organically from the need to highlight and advertise SSEES languages inside UCL and to the world, in a more visible and interdisciplinary form.

The 10 events that took place during the first year of existence are proof that the need to create a platform for languages is real and relevant. The first year events attracted in total over 500 sign-ups online and over 400 in the room.

During the first year, links with our partner, University of Regensburg seeFField project were tightened with PROLang. As a consequence of this, the first language-focused co-organised event was created, entitled Albanian Studies in the Global Context, which will take place on 30 January 2024. 

The second year of PROLang started with an event on Macedonian language, then a second event on Decolonising the Language Curriculum, part of an annual series, followed by another Ukrainian event on the consequences of war on young adults, a special issue of the East European Journal of Psycholinguistics, with 10 international presenters.

Another event co-organised with several other seminar series will follow, with Booker Prize winner Giorgi Gospodinov and his translator Angela Rodel.

PROLang also contributes to the conference Languages and Cultures in Times of War: (Im)possible, (Re)imagined, (Un)manageable to take place in May 2024. It also contributed to the event on Surzhyk, together with FRINGE/PPV.

The next events for 2024 include a second event in the series Spotlight on….Putting Postgraduate Research Centre-stage, with 13 PhD students presenting on Romanian topics on March 5th.

Also in May, an event on Endangered Languages of Europe will follow, with an international panel of speakers.

All events are hybrid, international and recorded.

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PROLang is also preparing a conference in 2026, to coincide with UCL bicentenary celebrations.

This is also an open invitation to collaborate with PROLang by expressing your intentions to Ramona Gonczol, co-founder and convener of PROLang. r.gonczol@ucl.ac.uk or ssees-prolang@ucl.ac.uk