Call for Papers

We invite you to contribute to the efsli Conference in Zagreb 2026 by submitting a paper or poster presentation.

This is an opportunity to share your work, research, and experiences with colleagues from across Europe and beyond. Whether you are a practitioner, researcher, trainer, or student, we encourage you to take part and bring your perspective to the programme.

Call for Papers

Submit your abstract here. Please read the criteria for “From Experience to Credentials” and review the suggested topics below.

Any paper will be delivered at the conference as a plenary presentation for 40 minutes (30 minutes presentation and 10 minutes question and answer).

Submissions will be evaluated based on relevance, significance, quality, originality, and clarity. All abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee (SC) →

Submit your abstract

Proposals should be submitted in Croatian or English via the form (max. 350 words), or in Croatian Sign Language (HZJ) or International Sign (IS) as a video (max. 3 minutes) uploaded in the form.

Submission deadline: 22 March 2026

Deadlines

30 March 2026

Notification of acceptance

15 April 2026

Presenters confirm acceptance

1 July 2026

Submit presentation materials

(Powerpoint in written English and materials for interpreters in English or International Sign)

30 November 2026

Submit full papers in English for the conference proceedings

Call for Posters

Submit your poster here. Please read the criteria for “From Experience to Credentials” and review the suggested topics below.

If your abstract submitted to the Call for Papers is not selected, you may be offered the opportunity to present it as a poster instead.

Submissions will be evaluated based on relevance, significance, quality, originality, and clarity. All posters will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee (SC) →

Submit your abstract

Proposals should be submitted in Croatian or English via the form (max. 350 words), or in Croatian Sign Language (HZJ) or International Sign (IS) as a video (max. 3 minutes) uploaded in the form.

Submission deadline: 31 July 2026

"From Experience to Credentials"

The Scientific Committee encourages submissions for presentations that explore the role of formal education and credentialing in advancing the professionalization of sign language interpreting across Europe. Across many European countries, disparities in university-level sign language interpreter education remain significant. In some regions, formal degree programs are insufficient or entirely absent, resulting in reliance on informal interpreting practices and inconsistent professional standards. Even where academic programs exist, challenges persist in ensuring quality, inclusivity, harmonization, and recognition of sign language interpreting as a fully established profession.

This conference seeks to critically examine how education systems, certification models, lived experience, and institutional structures intersect in shaping the future of the profession. We particularly welcome contributions that address structural gaps, innovative pedagogical approaches, inclusive certification pathways, and cross-border collaboration.

Suggested Topics

Suggested Topics Include (but are not limited to):

• Pathways to professionalization: From informal practice to formal recognition
• Comparative models of interpreter certification across Europe
• Balancing lived experience and academic credentials in interpreter training
• Ethics and standards in sign language interpreting: Towards harmonization
• Assessment tools and frameworks for interpreter competence
• The role of universities and training institutions in shaping interpreter education
• Continuing professional development and lifelong learning
• Inclusion of Deaf interpreters within certification systems
• Technology in interpreter education (online learning, VR, remote assessment)
• Mentorship and apprenticeship models
• Intercultural competence and multilingual realities
• Quality assurance in interpreter training programs
• National policies and their impact on interpreter certification
• Recognition of informal and community-based learning
• Collaboration between Deaf and hearing interpreters in training and assessment
• Accessibility of interpreter education for Deaf students
• Toward pan-European standards for sign language interpreter credentials

By bringing together diverse stakeholders, From Experience to Credentials aims to serve not merely as a forum for discussion, but as a catalyst for sustainable and tangible progress toward equitable, high-quality, and academically grounded interpreter education across Europe.

Conference languages

Conference languages will be Croatian (HR), Croatian Sign Language (HZJ), English (EN) and International Sign (IS).

All presenters who wish to use a different spoken or signed language from those listed above, are kindly advised to bring their own interpreters. Please let us know and we will put you in touch with the Interpreters’ Coordinator, so that they will receive preparation material. Should you have any further queries on abstract submissions, please contact Dr Sławomir Stępski, Head of the Scientific Committee, at sc.zagreb@efsli.org

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Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

See you in Zagreb! ❤️