More than 40 doctors have graduated from the doctoral program in Translation and Intercultural Studies at Universitat Rovira i Virgili, and 18 alumni attended the conference. The event also marked the retirement of Anthony Pym, the long-time coordinator of the doctoral program and one of the most influential figures in contemporary Translation Studies. (https://www.intercultural.urv.cat/en/conferences/nrtis/nrtis-2026a/)
The tree-day event brought together researchers from across the globe: Spain, Italy, U.K., Ireland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, France, Belgium, Hungary, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, U.S.A., Canada, Australia, China, Hong Cong, Singapore, Japan, and Turkey. I proudly represented Finland.
The conference program reflected the breadth of current Translation and Interpreting Studies research. Topics ranged from AI and translation agents to translation history, translator training, translation policies, reception in public spaces, interpreting practices, and audio description, to name just a few. Despite the large number of parallel sessions, the lecture rooms remained full throughout the event, and the discussion was lively and engaging.
The first days of the conference coincided with the celebrations of Midsummer (San Juan), one of the most important cultural festivals in Tarragona. The city came alive with spectacular street processions featuring fire-breathing dragons, bulls, and devils, and the famous human towers known as castells. It was a memorable opportunity to experience Catalan culture at its most vibrant.
Another highlight came after the second day of the conference, when participants attended a performance of Georges Bizet’s Carmen in Tarragona’s ancient Roman amphitheater. For me, it was the most impressive production of Carmen I have ever seen.
Even after the conference officially ended, conversations continued on the beach, where colleagues exchanged ideas, discussed future projects, and reflected on several inspiring days of academic exchange. Let us hope that the NRTIS conference continues to thrive, building on the remarkable legacy of Anthony Pym and the Intercultural Studies Group.
