The Department of Foreign Languages at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi, hosted a National Young Researchers' Seminar on 8 May, bringing together over 48 young researchers from across India to deliberate on translation studies, cultural mediation, and language politics. The event was held at the India-Arab Cultural Centre (IACC) on the JMI campus, according to a statement issued by JMI Chief Public Relations Officer Professor Saima Saeed.

Institutions and Themes Represented

Researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Delhi, Panjab University, Amity University, SRM University, and several other prestigious institutions participated in the seminar. The wide-ranging agenda covered translation studies, intercultural communication, literature, language politics, and global cultural exchange — themes that are increasingly central to academic discourse in a multilingual, digitalised world.

Key Addresses and Insights

The inaugural session opened with a welcome address by Professor Md. Faizullah Khan, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, who emphasised student perspectives on cross-cultural communication in today's globalised environment.

Anisur Rahman, former professor from the Department of English at JMI, attended as Chief Guest. In his inaugural address, Rahman noted that "no platform is more enriching than engaging with young researchers and learning from them," while stressing the importance of interdisciplinary research and a multilingual approach.

Guest of Honour Professor Kiran Chaudhry highlighted the timeliness of the seminar's theme, pointing to the growing frequency of cultural encounters globally and what she described as an urgent need to reflect on pluralism. She outlined the shift in foreign language pedagogy from a "monocultural" to a "pluralistic" model, offering insights into contemporary teaching practice.

In the keynote address, Professor Sonya Surabhi Gupta (Retd.), Department of Foreign Languages, JMI, argued that identity has a lexical foundation — that is, language itself. She elaborated on the nexus between language and power and underscored the role of foreign languages in what she termed "defence of cultural humanism." She also identified the 1970s as a turning point for the indigenisation of foreign languages in India — a historical marker that continues to shape curriculum debates today.

Professor Simi Malhotra, Department of English, JMI, delivered the Chair's remarks, stressing that cultural understanding is "the need of the hour" and commending the relevance of the seminar's theme in contemporary academic life.

Parallel Technical Sessions

The seminar featured multiple parallel technical sessions spanning six interdisciplinary tracks: Translation, Language and Cultural Mediation; Society, History and Interdisciplinary Perspectives; Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations; Literature, Identity and Self–Other; Language, Education and Politics; and Media, Popular Culture and Representation. The breadth of themes reflects a broader shift in Indian academia toward treating translation not merely as a linguistic exercise but as a site of cultural and political negotiation.

Why This Seminar Matters

This comes amid growing institutional interest in foreign language studies as tools of soft power and cultural diplomacy — a conversation that has gained urgency as India deepens its engagement with the Arab world, Europe, and East Asia. The seminar's focus on young researchers signals an effort to build the next generation of scholars equipped to navigate complex linguistic and cultural intersections. Further academic outputs and publications from the seminar's proceedings are anticipated in the coming months.