Pérez-Llantada, C. (2025). From genres and networks to researchers’ training: Interdisciplinary perspectives on language education in the digital age (plenary talk, at the “Innovate and Engage: Bridging Research Communication and Society” International conference, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 13-14 June 2025.

Abstract

In this talk, I will first discuss the profound impact of digital transformation on science communication in the context of the Open Science movement, which promotes greater accountability of science and societal impact. I will do so through the lens of genre analysis, focusing on the emerging forms of online public science communication (from blogging to citizen science) that aim to make science accessible to a wide audience. I will also reflect on how the dramatic shift from print to the digital medium driven by the technological affordances of Web 2.0 demands new language and digital communication skills within academia and the R&D sector. Using the EU Erasmus+ project Digital Language and Communication Training for EU Scientists (DILAN) as a case study, I will showcase ways of innovating language-specific pedagogy (LSP) through collaborative networking in order to cater for these new language and digital communication needs. Using conceptual and methodological framing, I will also assess the robustness of the two online training courses (a short online course and a MOOC) designed to help scientists successfully navigate the digital world, enabling them to communicate their science effectively across genres and modes on the internet and social media.