AILA Newsletter – March 2026
What's on in Applied Linguistics ...
Newsletter
March 2026
Welcome to the first edition of the AILA newsletter in 2026, the year of the Fire Horse according to the Chinese lunisolar calendar. We invite all to read, share, subscribe and contribute to this vehicle to stay tuned with news from the AILA family.
As you may know, one of the responsibilities of the AILA President is to publish a quarterly newsletter, typically issued in March, June, September, and December each year. To access a comprehensive archive of past newsletters, please visit https://aila.info/members/welcome/newsletter/.
To receive the AILA newsletter via email, simply subscribe through the provided link. If you represent a national affiliate or regional organization, kindly disseminate this information to your members to enhance the benefits of AILA membership. Additionally, feel free to share this with your broader networks.
If you wish to share news or contents to the newsletter, please send your contributions via email to by the following deadlines: February 15th (for the March issue), May 15th (for the June issue), August 15th (for the September issue), and November 15th (for the December issue).
The newsletter reaches approximately 10,000 recipients across all continents and serves as an excellent platform for staying informed and sharing news relevant to the AILA community. It is also a valuable channel for promoting initiatives and events within AILA. Upcoming events or calls for papers are encouraged to be shared through this medium. These are some of the important dates we have to celebrate.
International Day of Education
On 24 January, the international community celebrates the UNESCO International Day of Education, a moment to reaffirm education as a fundamental human right and a shared global responsibility. From an applied linguistics perspective, this day highlights the central role of language in ensuring educational access, quality, and equity worldwide.
Languages shape how knowledge is produced, taught, assessed, and circulated across borders.
Multilingual education, inclusive language policies, and respect for linguistic diversity are essential to ensuring that international education does not reproduce inequalities, but instead fosters participation, dialogue, and mutual understanding. AILA reaffirms its commitment to promoting language-sensitive approaches to education that support social justice, sustainability, and meaningful international cooperation.
International Mother Language Day
Celebrated on 21 February, International Mother Language Day draws global attention to the vital role of linguistic diversity and multilingualism in education, culture, and society. For applied linguists, this day resonates strongly with ongoing efforts to protect minoritized, Indigenous, and heritage languages, and to challenge monolingual ideologies that marginalize speakers and forms of knowledge.
Languages are not merely tools of communication; they carry histories, identities, and ways of knowing. Supporting mother languages in education and public life strengthens learning, well-being, and social cohesion, while contributing to linguistic sustainability worldwide. AILA stands in solidarity with initiatives that value all languages as resources for inclusion, epistemic diversity, and intercultural dialogue.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day, observed on 8 March (https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day), offers an opportunity to reflect on the intersections between language, gender, and power. Language both mirrors and shapes social realities: it can perpetuate inequality, but it can also serve as a powerful means of resistance, visibility, and transformation.
Research and practice in applied linguistics have long demonstrated how gendered discourses affect access to education, academic recognition, leadership, and participation in public life. AILA recognizes the contributions of women in applied linguistics worldwide and reaffirms its commitment to fostering equity, inclusive language practices, and gender-aware research and education across diverse sociocultural contexts. In this spirit, we acknowledge the many women who have advanced the field of applied linguistics. While it is impossible to name them all, we take this opportunity to recognize those who have served as presidents of AILA: Azirah Hashim (2021–2024), Claire Kramsch (2014–2017), and Susan Gass (2002–2005; 2005–2008).
News from AILA Affiliates, ReNs and Relevant Organizations
The AILA Research Network (ReN) promotion cycle continues to highlight research from these groups, delivering solutions to real-world challenges.
In this second interview, we speak with Meng Liu, Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Phil Hiver, Xuechun Huang, and Mehdi Shaahdadi about the Open Applied Linguistics ReN. Their mission? To promote open scholarship through talks, workshops, and resources, fostering inclusivity and lowering barriers to participation.
Launched in 2022, the ReN addresses the growing interest in open scholarship, with 500+ mailing list subscribers and a strong social media presence. It bridges gaps in research quality, accessibility, and inclusion, offering field-specific insights. Applied linguists can engage with discussions on transparency, ethical practices, and open-access publishing. The ReN’s "Meet the Authors" series and Open Applied Linguistics Research Library provide valuable resources.
As part of AILA, the ReN is leading the way for the entire applied linguistics community in highlighting the importance of open research.
Visit openappliedlinguistics.org to learn more and read the full interview: click here.
Catch up on ReN updates!
- January 26 - INJAL report: Second written interview about Open Applied Linguistics – with Meng Liu, Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Phil Hiver, Xuechun Huang, Mehdi Shaahdadi. Click here
- September 2025: Second AILA ReN webinar featuring Research Network for Learner Autonomy (ReNLA) & Language Policy Research Network (LPReN).
- July 2025 - INJAL report: A short summary of the first AILA Joint Research Network Webinar on Thinking Inclusivity in Applied Linguistics. Click here
- June 2025: First AILA ReN webinar featuring EMEVEDI ReN and the Inclusive Foreign Language Education ReN.
- June 2025 - AILA Newsletter: Click here
- April 2025 - INJAL report: First written interview about ReN RECAL – Research & Educational Cultures in Applied Linguistics – with Paola Gamboa and Claire Kramsch. Click here
- March 2024 - AILA Newsletter: Click here
- January 2025 - INJAL report: Learn more about ReNs. Click here
- December 2024 - AILA Newsletter: Click here
News from AILA-Europe
- The special issue of the European Journal of Applied Linguistics
A curated collection of scholarly articles examining contemporary theoretical and empirical advancements within the field of European applied linguistics. - AILA-Europe Junior Researcher Meeting 2026, 13-14 November 2026
An academic forum designed for doctoral candidates and early-career scholars to disseminate original research and engage in peer-led discourse within an international framework. - Online Workshop “Research Methods in Terminology”, 8 May 2026
A technical seminar focused on the methodological frameworks and analytical tools essential for conducting rigorous research in terminology and specialized languages.
News from China English Language Education Association (CELEA)
CELEA and the co-host Xi’an Jiaotong University are actively preparing for the 24th AsiaTEFL International Conference & the 11th International Conference on ELT in China to be held in Xi’an on May 29–31, 2026. Recent progress includes issuing the first round of acceptance notifications, conducting the second round of proposal reviews, planning for AILA East-Asia Forum and the special events celebrating CELEA’s 45th anniversary etc. About 1,000 scholars and teachers from Asia and across the world will participate in the conference.
Upcoming Events
AFinLA
Welcomes all to their annual Autumn Symposium of the Finnish Association for Applied Linguistics (AFinLA), to be held in Oulu, Finland 12-14 November 2026. The theme of the symposium is “Encounters: Culture, Technology and Interaction.”
CFP will be announced in April. More information will be available here: https://afinla.fi/en/the-afinla-autumn-symposium-2026-in-oulu/
HAALLT and AILA Europe
The Hungarian Association for Applied Linguistics (HAALLT), in cooperation with AILA Europe, is organizing the online workshop “Research Methods in Terminology” (8 May 2026, Zoom, 10:00–17:00 CET).
For full details (including topics, submission guidelines, and deadlines), please see the workshop announcement above.
3rd International Conference on Migration Linguistics, Malaysia and Singapore, November 2026
Conference Theme: Migrants at the Margins: Roots, Routes, Belonging, and Language
Contemporary migration is a phenomenon shaped by histories of displacement, changing work opportunities, geopolitical shifts, global inequalities, and the climate emergency. As people migrate, they navigate new social, cultural, political, and linguistic terrains. A large proportion of people who migrate for better opportunities elsewhere tend to be at the mercy of forces of power both at the origin and in the destination. In the process, their identities are reshaped across roots (heritage and origin), routes (journeys, mobilities, border crossings), belonging (integration, exclusion), and language (communication, identity, power, survival).
PRISEAL VI
Publishing and Presenting Research Internationally: Issues for Speakers of English as an Additional Language (PRISEAL) is dedicated to supporting researchers who use English as an additional language to publish and present their work. Since its first meeting in Tenerife in 2007, PRISEAL has addressed the social, linguistic and geopolitical challenges faced by scholars navigating English-medium academic publishing. Over the years, the organization has helped articulate global concerns around research inequities, language hierarchies, academic publishing norms and access to international scholarly communication.
CFP for their next conference is now open, more information at https://info.aus.edu/nov-2026-priseal
Plurilingual Perspectives on Scholarly Writing for Publication: Within, Através y au-delà des Frontières "nas Américas"
Edited by James N. Corcoran, Caroline Payant, Simone Sarmento, Laura Colombo, Mario E. López-Gopar, Lorena Córdova-Hernández, and Fiona Patterson
Copy edited by Lindsey Harding. Designed by Mike Palmquist.
This multilingual, multimodal edited collection includes contributions from emerging and established scholars who consider a wide range of issues related to scholarly writing for publication in diverse international contexts. The contributors—writing in Cree, English, French, Guadaloupean Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and sometimes in multiple languages—report the results of empirical studies, consider the impact of pedagogical initiatives, and reflect upon the politics and practices of academic knowledge production and dissemination. Readers will find themselves adopting a reflexive stance as they consider critical questions underlying publishing across sociolinguistic and geographical contexts. The book can be viewed and downloaded for free at https://wacclearinghouse.org/books/international/plurilingual/
Important Notice: Phishing Attempts
We have recently become aware of several phishing attempts targeting AILA members. These fraudulent emails falsely claim to be from members of the Executive Board and request funds or urgent financial assistance. These messages are scams and are not sent by AILA.
Please do not respond to such emails, do not click on any links, and do not download attachments. We strongly advise against forwarding these messages. Instead, delete them immediately.
If you are uncertain about any message claiming to be from AILA, please contact the Secretary General directly at for verification.
We are taking steps to reduce the risk of further incidents, including removing email addresses from the AILA website and strengthening protective measures.
Thank you for your vigilance and cooperation.
Advancing Research, Collaboration, and Inclusion
The initiatives highlighted above reflect the vitality and diversity of the AILA community across regions, languages, and research traditions. From early-career researcher forums to methodological innovation and large-scale international conferences, these activities demonstrate how applied linguistics continues to evolve through dialogue, critical inquiry, and collaborative engagement.
As we move further into 2026, AILA remains committed to fostering inclusive research cultures, strengthening connections among affiliates and Research Networks, and supporting scholarship that responds to social, educational, and linguistic challenges worldwide.
Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Engagement in 2026
We encourage affiliates, Research Networks, and partner organizations to share upcoming calls, events, and initiatives for inclusion in future issues.
The Year of the Fire Horse symbolizes a rare and dynamic combination of freedom, passion, and forward momentum — a time associated with transformation, bold initiatives, and new opportunities. May we embrace this spirit as we continue advancing research, collaboration, and inclusion in Applied Linguistics worldwide.
Best wishes,
Kyria
Professor Kyria Finardi
President, AILA International Association of Applied Linguistics