We’re delighted to announce that the CIOL face to face Conference for 2026 will be held on Friday 17 April at King’s College London in the iconic Bush House building (pictured) right in the heart of academic, commercial, cultural and legal London. This will be followed by our one-day Online Conference on Thursday 30 April (for more see below).
For the 2026 Conference, we are returning to the successful pre-2023 format of a single integrated in-person conference day for all linguists. The single-day format means you can save on travel and accommodation costs, and, with a dual stream format that was so popular for Translators Day in 2025, there will be plenty of content for translators and interpreters, as well as for linguists who work with their languages in other contexts such as teaching, academic research, consultancy and within organisations.
See below for further details, including confirmed speakers and booking information, with more to be added in the coming weeks. In the meantime, book early for our best prices via the Early Bird and 'All Access' tickets. We are looking forward to welcoming all our delegates to the CIOL Conferences in 2026!
Date: Friday 17 April 2026
Time: from 9.15am (registration) - 6pm
Location: Bush House, King's College London, Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG
Confirmed Speakers
Vasiliki Koui Prestidge: Technology integration: From challenge to competitive advantage
Vasiliki Koui Prestidge MCIL CL is the director of Greek to Me Translations Ltd, where she leads a team of translators and partner agencies to deliver high-quality language services worldwide. The company specialises in certified, legal, marketing, medical, and technical language services, as well as business and media interpreting, covering all sectors and regions.
She is a Chartered Linguist, member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), and is registered with the Greek Consular Authorities in the United Kingdom as a certified translator and interpreter. She holds a BA in English Language and Linguistics and a Master’s in Business Translation and Interpreting. As a Member of Council of the CIOL and Board Member of the IoL Educational Trust, she contributes to the strategic direction of these organisations.
Vasiliki is also a Lecturer in Legal Translation and Languages at the School of Business and Law, London Metropolitan University, and a journalist for a major Greek digital media outlet, writing on business and finance with a focus on the fashion and luxury industries.
You can follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Andrew Simpson: Multi-skilled, multilingual, multimodal - can the modern linguist really do it all?
Andrew Simpson FCIL CL graduated with a modern language degree in 2006 before studying for an MA in Professional Translation for European Languages at Newcastle University the following year. Whilst studying for a PG degree he set up a boutique legal translation agency specialising in French within the legal sector whilst also studying for the DPSI qualification.
Andrew began lecturing at Newcastle University after his studies alongside building his own agency before being headhunted in 2013 to work as in-house French interpreter at Newcastle United for the raft of French-speaking players recruited at the time. This then led to work for a handful of other Premier League football clubs.
In 2016 he moved to Paris to live and work, opening up opportunities to interpret for the French Football Federation and Lyon Women's Team during their Champions League winning spell. He returned to Newcastle in 2020 and expanded his services to specialise in certified French medical translation with his agency French Medical Translators.
Andrew now works full-time as both a translator and interpreter in the legal and medical sectors as well as teaching interpreting on the T&I programme at Newcastle University.
Ibrahim Kadouni: The Modern Linguist: Building New Identities in a Changing World
The AI revolution is reshaping every aspect of the language industry. Not only the tools we use, but the very nature of our professional roles. Traditional lines between translation, interpreting and consultancy are dissolving as automation takes over routine tasks, creating space for new kinds of expertise and leadership.
This talk will explore how linguists can evolve from service providers to language strategists – professionals who combine linguistic mastery with cultural insight, technological literacy and business acumen. Drawing on real-world examples, it will show how embracing AI – when combined with the right mindset – can unlock new opportunities in language consultancy, brand communication and multilingual strategy.
It will argue that this is not the end of human translation, but rather its evolution and transformation. The linguists who will thrive in this new era are those who collaborate with technology, reinvent their skills with curiosity and agility, and lead the conversation on what truly human communication means.
Ibrahim Kadouni MA MCIL CL is an experienced Arabic conference, diplomatic, and broadcast interpreter, translator, and interpreter trainer. He holds a Master’s degree in Translation Studies from SOAS University of London. Ibrahim collaborates with international organisations and leading think tanks, delivering high-level interpreting and translation services across a wide range of specialised domains. He has interpreted at major global events, including the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings, provided interpreting for world leaders, and translated three published books. He currently serves as an Associate Tutor of Interpreting at the University of Surrey and as an advisory board member of the translation program at Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
You can follow Ibrahim on LinkedIn.
Diana Singureanu and Sabine Braun - University of Surrey Centre for Translation Studies: AI, technology and the spoken word what are the risks and opportunities for public services and PSIs
Diana Singureanu is a researcher at the Centre for Translation Studies, University of Surrey. She has studied video-mediated interpreting (VMI) in court settings and helped develop VMI standards and interpreter training through the EU-WEBPSI and EmpASR projects.
Diana holds a Masters in Translation Studies, a second Masters in Conference Interpreting and a DPSI Law. She also works as a Conference Interpreter and legal interpreter, is a member of CIOL Council and coordinator of CIOL's Interpreting Division. Recently, she was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship to explore machine interpreting in legal contexts.
Sabine Braun is Professor of Translation Studies, Director of the Centre for Translation Studies at the University of Surrey and a Co-Director of the Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence. Her research focuses on socio-technological practices of interpreting and audiovisual translation.
She has led several multi-national research projects on video-mediated interpreting and interpreting in virtual-reality environments (e.g., AVIDICUS 1-3, IVY, EVIVA) and is currently exploring the interaction and integration of human agency and machine intelligence in translation and interpreting to improve language access for linguistic-minority populations and other groups in need of communication support. She was recently a partner in the H2020 project MeMAD, which combined machine learning/AI and human input to explore the creation of semi-automatic descriptions of audiovisual content.
Josephine Murray: For the love of languages: Translating across genres
Josephine Murray's presentation will cover translating books and literature, translating food, and a look at some inspirational translators.
Josephine is a graduate of the UEA MA in Literary Translation and a French to English literary translator specialising in children’s literature and culinary texts. Alongside this she is an award-nominated freelance journalist and Secretary to the PETRA-E Network, a pan-European organisation which promotes the training of literary translators. She has taught French, German and Spanish in secondary schools, and previously worked as a cook.
Her translation work includes three illustrated children’s non-fiction books by Manon Bucciarelli for Harper Collins and an Anne-Sophie Pic food memoir for Hachette.
After a Visiting Fellowship in the Archives and Collections at UEA studying the archive of prolific children’s literature translator and translators’ rights activist Patricia Crampton, Josephine is writing a book about Crampton’s work.
Josephine founded and formerly chaired the CIOL Gloucestershire Network and is a member of the Society of Authors and the Translators’ Association.
You can follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Maria-Elena Metaxas MCIL: For the love of languages - A life in languages
In this conference presentation, Maria-Elena Metaxas will talk about why languages matter, the bilingual brain, education and life-long learning, and why respect for languages and cultures is as important as ever.
Raised bilingually in Greek and English, Maria-Elena has taught French, German and Spanish, currently using languages within healthcare market research. Previous industry experience in consumer photography, commercial printing and aesthetic orthodontics established professional language fluency, unique skills and lifelong learning.
Dedicated to bilingual communication using a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach, she continues to research effective pedagogical methods that facilitate language and grammar proficiency. Maria-Elena has chaired CIOL Education Society events and presented CPD webinars on multilingualism and cultural importance, aiming for today’s linguists to thrive in tomorrow’s world.
Lucas Nunes Vieira: AI Realities - Risks and Choices
Lucas Nunes Vieira has done extensive research on uses of AI translation in public services. Using case studies and practical examples from a survey of over 2,500 public service professionals, Lucas will consider the delicate balance of risks and benefits of using machine/AI translation in frontline communication tasks. His talk will examine some of the ethical dilemmas of AI translation in the public sector to highlight factors to consider in policy-making and in organisational language access strategies.
Lucas is Associate Professor in Translation Studies at the University of Bristol. He received a New Investigator Award from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council and is a former Arts and Humanities Research Council Fellow. His book, Translate: Multilingual Access to Critical Services in the Age of AI, is coming out with Cambridge University Press in summer 2026. Lucas’s talk will be a preview of some of the topics discussed in the book.
Anita van Adelsbergen MCIL CL is an experienced translator, conference interpreter, writer and speaker from the Netherlands. In her native country, alongside her career as a linguist, she has worked as an equestrian journalist and TV commentator for international broadcasters, including the Dutch national broadcaster NOS.
Anita was born into an international Dutch-Pakistani family and grew up speaking four languages. She works mainly with direct clients and specialises in assignments related to dogs and horses, yoga and ayurveda.
Anita is a Chartered Linguist, a Vice Chair of CIOL Council and Chair of the ED&I committee.
Dr Mariam Aboelezz MCIL CL is a Lecturer in Arabic Translation Studies at the University of Liverpool. She previously taught at University College London, Birkbeck College and Lancaster University. She also worked as an Arabic translator at the British Library for seven years.
Her research interests include Arabic linguistics, sociolinguistics and translation, and she has published a number of academic papers in these areas. She is particularly interested in the translation of cultural heritage.
She has been a member of CIOL since 2007 and, in addition to a DipTrans from CIOL Qualifications, holds a PhD in Linguistics and MA in Language Studies from Lancaster University, and a BA in English Language from Ain Shams University in Egypt.
She is passionate about promoting the teaching of non-European languages and fostering positive attitudes towards heritage languages in the UK. She is also eager to contribute towards improving professional standards for Arabic Public Service Interpreting.
Steve Doswell MCIL CL is Chair of CIOL Council. He is an experienced linguist and corporate communication practitioner with extensive experience spanning energy, power engineering, robotics, financial services and higher education.
He has also had experience as a translator (French/German-English) and became a CIOL member in the 1990s after completing the Final Diploma in Spanish. He has been President of FEIEA, the European Association of Internal Communication and CEO of the UK’s Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC).
Steve recently had his book: 'Running Me: Running EU' published, which shares his experiences of the diverse languages and cultures of Europe experienced whilst running in all 28 EU countries for charity.
More speakers to be announced in the coming days
Early bird tickets now available via Eventbrite
