LD&A 2028

Conference
Berlin, Germany & Online, 6-8 September 2028

Conference Timeline

March 15, 2028

Abstract submission
deadline

April 30, 2028

Notification of acceptance

June 30, 2028

Presenter registration deadline
Online (free), in-person

July 15, 2028

In-person attendee registration deadline

August 1, 2028

Online attendee registration deadline

September 6-8, 2028

Conference dates

on Zoom

TBD

Language documentation and archiving are key activities in the effort to preserve and support linguistic and cultural diversity globally. As new technologies emerge and evolve, new opportunities and challenges present themselves for how we record, curate, preserve, and disseminate linguistic and cultural materials. This conference invites documenters, scholars, activists, technologists, and others engaged in language documentation and archiving to present papers and posters exploring new approaches, methods, and technologies for documentation, archiving, and mobilization. We welcome critical and creative perspectives on the politics, practicalities, and possibilities for working with language documentation materials in both academic and community contexts.

The conference themes include:

Relationship & Collaboration

  • Community-driven and Indigenous-led documentation projects
  • Navigating differing expectations among community members
  • Capacity-building and support for local agencies and small cultural centers

Tools & Technology

  • Advances in documentary tools (remote methods, specialized software, audio/video tech)
  • Use of 360 cameras, GoPros, and new audiovisual tools
  • Enhancing annotation, orthography, and translation practices
  • Development of digital platforms for documentation and revitalization
  • Using social media and technology to promote minoritized languages

Impact & Outcomes

  • Archives as models for strengthening language records
  • Reports on indigenous community use of archives and materials
  • Move from paper to digital, and qualitative shifts in record-keeping
  • Educational and artistic initiatives using archival materials
  • Sustainability: addressing carbon costs of documentation and archiving

Planning, Policy & Future

  • Updating OLAC metadata and archiving standards for accessibility
  • Making digital archives more navigable and engaging
  • Solutions for access in low or no-internet environments
  • Training sessions, capacity development, and future prospects

Artificial Intelligence: Challenges & Opportunities

  • Use of AI for description, transcription, OCR, and ASR on records
  • AI tools to locate and catalog language materials
  • Debate over using AI for synthetic speech; ethical and legal concerns
  • Calls to heed critiques like Emily Bender’s about “AI hype”
  • Balancing innovation with data sovereignty and community consent

Scientific Committee

  • Pius Akumbu
    (CNRS Paris)
  • Felix Ameka
    (Leiden University)
  • Aleksandre Arkhipov
    (Hamburg University)
  • Linda Barwick
    (PARADISEC / University of Sydney, Australia)
  • Steven Bird
    (Charles Darwin University)
  • Alexis Michaud
    (CNRS)
  • Mary Linn
    (Smithsonian)
  • Katherine Bolaños
    (PDEL Foundation)
  • Ana Paula Brandão
    (Federal University of Pará)
  • Gabriela Caballero
    (University of California, San Diego)
  • Onno Crasborn
    (Radboud University, Nijmegen)
  • Gabriela Perez Baez
    (University of Oregon)
  • Patience Epps
    (University of Texas at Austin)
  • James Essegby
    (University of Florida – Gainesville)
  • Victoria Nyst
    (Leiden University)
  • Jeff Good
    (University of Buffalo)
  • Birgit Hellwig
    (University of Cologne)
  • Gary Holton
    (University of Hawai’i Manoa)
  • Jacques Vernaudon
    (University of French Polynesia)
  • Ana Vilacy Galucio
    (Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi)
  • Roberto Zariquiey
    (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru)
  • Zachary O’Hagan
    (University of California, Berkeley)
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