Bridging Language Barriers Symposium

Prof Ingrid Piller and her team, "Language on the Move," made a great symposium, Bridging Language Barriers at Macquarie Uni. Thank you for the wonderful content and the lovely time (Here's the report)! Especially, live broadcasting by twitting is a brilliant and genius idea. The theme, the language barriers is crucially important, which directly relates to human rights, equality and social justice in our multilingual societies. Cutting edge research methods, the newest data and interesting approaches in critical analyses are wonderful. Every participant really enjoyed the symposium. Oh, the LOTM team worked so hard to organise it. All the team members are our heroes!

Prof Ingrid Piller, the host 

Presenters, Prof Ingrid Piller, LOTM team and the right, me! (in a red shirt)

Photo Courtesy of LOTM. 

Thank you very much for the twitter. LOTM members, you did a fantastic job! Twitting or a live coverage worked very well. Moreover, the member collected questions directly from broad audience and the symposium answered. Amazing! Another benefit is that it recorded the symposium. I reread it to review the presentations and could pick up the missed out information. 

This is the LOTM twitter site. Enjoy it.
I found three photos of me. A bit blushing up. Thanks, the team!
https://twitter.com/Lg_on_the_Move

It was a very hard and demanding task to make a spot-on summary in short sentences. The twitting LOTM member sacrificed her own time. I felt so sorry for her. But lovely to see other LOTM members brought her a food plate in every break. (*although she hardly enjoyed it.) I cannot help but think of hard workers behind scenes. Backstage players should be valued.  

Keynote Speaker, Prof. Dr. Ingrid Gogolin

Each presenter demonstrated very stimulating, forefront and serious social issues regarding language barriers. In a break and a lunch time, I could make networking. (*I always do preliminary research on presenters, set target persons and attend conferences.) A keynote speaker, Dr Ingrid Gogolin encouraged me to make my dreams come true in picture book publication. She gave me the fascinating information on a successful picture book project that has advocated non legitimate language speakers in Germany. (*I'm checking the information right now). 

Keynote Speaker, Prof. Dr. Drorit Lengyel

I was interested in Prof Amanda Miller Amberber's project and the data that focuses on the aphasia in non English speakers, its treatment and recovery. We had a chat. I always wonder if I should get aphasia, is there any help in an Australian medicare system? As far as I know few experts are available at hospital, yet the reality has gone too further ahead of a current service --- sadly Amanda and I agreed. There's an interpretation service and patients use it in need in Australian hospitals. But a professor from Germany said that the reality of Australia is much better than Germany. It raised a question of our health care system at a global level.      

Prof Amanda Miller Amberber

Btw, Ingrid (Piller) has got "slender" and "Nothing different from 10 years ago"! HOW COULD SHE DO IT?-- I said so to her at a first sight. "Sadami, what a performer! (hahaha!) You, too, nothing different from 10 years ago!" replied Ingrid. Hahaha! Ingrid's say is a compliment. Mine is a truth, a solid fact! Instantly and magically, we could catch up over the 10 yrs gap and enjoyed a chat as if we were seeing all the time.  

Dr Tobias Schroedler 

Ingrid, that sweet professor and the symposium host introduced me in a humorous way, which was a happy surprise. I could not move from shocking at very the beginning of the symposium! 
"We're lucky to have an artist, Sadami. She had been always sketching lecturers in lectures (= did not study well!) and has become an artist (*partially, true! ... or almost?!)." Ingrid showed the two bookcovers created by me. "If she comes near to you, tell her, 'No! (stop drawing) Go away!' " We/audience laughed. Well, actually, all victims gave me a positive response and they loved my sketches.... Or, were they all flattering?!

Prof Ingrid Piller

A mission was accomplished. Prof Jane Simpson, the expert of Indigenous/endangered languages and Australian English had asked me to sketch her supervising PhD candidate, Ms Susan Poetsch. How sweet Jane is! I'm sure a supervisor feels like a mother nurturing students like my mentors. Susan was very happy to know that Jane had been thinking of her. She wondered when I had studied linguistics in Sydney uni. We found Susan and I studied at the same time in Sydney uni! What a small world! We became friends at once and chatted over our old lecturers. As far as I know, not many students get into the sector of Indigenous people's languages. I'm sure Jane should be very happy and proud to see Susan fledgling from her nest.  

Ms Susan Poetsch 

A light topic in the symposium.

Ingrid's mother tongue is German. The symposium hosted Hamburg Uni from Germany. I met a LOTM member teaching German in Macquarie uni. Another LOTM member is a PhD candidate in the area of German. "Oh, for you, today's symposium will be easy!" said I. The German familiar LOTM members showed a big smile. I knew one sentence in German, "Ich liebe dich." So, I told it to LOTM members. Some laughed and others did not. "What does it mean?" a member asked the PhD candidate or the uni German lecturer. They said, "Oh, that's the most practical expression!" Hahaha, I laughed and kept silent about the meaning! The puzzled member asked again, "What does it mean??" The others answered with a smile, "I love you." I giggled.

Prof Loy Lising was taking photos. Really a lovely lady told me her academic interest. She included me in the photos. (*I kept myself away from the LOTM team, when Loy took photos.) Thank you very much. That was another great bonus.

Ms Hanne Brandt (Hamburg University)  

Those young linguists will bridge a rainbow of love, hope and dreams in their areas, fighting for social justice like Ingrid has been working on. I believe Ingrid has been doing a great job in her life long career at a front line. The same is true of Prof Jane (Simpson) and all the presenters. I sincerely hope many young linguists will follow these great linguists and go beyond them. My area is in art, picture books and portraits. Like Prof Ingrid Gogoling said that a picture book has the great potential. I want to chat with my mentors (Books Illustrated and Helen Chamberlin) to explore the potential and make it happen in Australia. That's the mission in my life. The symposium has become my big encouragement and inspiring!

Dr Miriam Faine

Lastly, I'd say, the LOTM team and Ingrid are real heroes. Their TONs of unknown hard work has made such a fruitful symposium and an intimate mood among attendees. Oh, yes, food was excellent! Yummy and I felt the team's very sensitive thoughts of calories and health. Very Glutton Sadami wanted to have more, but a stomach had limitation. If they have another conference, I'll happily join it and take away?! Sociolinguistics is my very good brain exercise. Kind Ingrid suggested the team to give me their T shirt. Wow~~~! It made my day. Special thanks to Ingrid and the team!

Dr Stephen Doherty

In addition, the Ford St publisher "loves" my colour roughs of "My dog Socks." Yey! I'll move onto a real size paper. I hope I will make a good picture book. 

Friends, Happy Painting and Bridge a Rainbow! 

Bridging Language Barriers Symposium