Programme
Join us in Zagreb, Croatia
11-13 September, 2026
The conference programme may change, so please check back for updates.
There is still time to apply for a poster presentation:
Call for Papers →
Thursday, 10 September
17:00 – 20:00
Open forum: DI participation in NASLI
Orgainsed by efsliDI Working Group
DI Space for deaf interpreters only!
Venue:
Zagreb Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Google Maps →
2 minutes walking from the conference hotel
Friday, 11 September
efsli Day
9:30
Welcome, opening and icebreakers
efsli staff & board
10:30
Coffee break
10:50
Where and who can graduate as a sign language interpreter in Europe?
Combining a CIUTI survey on university curricula with efsli insights on Deaf interpreter trajectories
Charlotte Berthier (efsli) &
Bart Defrancq (CIUTI)
12:20
Networking lunch
14:00
Accreditation and recognition of deaf interpreters and translators
Christian Rathmann
16:00
The road ahead: efsli’s vision and priorities for sign language interpreting in Europe
efsli staff & board
17:00
Guided social tour
HDPZJ
20:00 – 23:00
Social evening with appetizers
For social ticket holders only!
Venue:
Zagreb Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Google Maps →
2 minutes walking from the conference hotel
Saturday, 12 September
efsli Conference and Gala evening
9:00
Welcome & Recap / Introducing topic
9:15
Keynote speaker
Maya de Wit
10:15
Coffee break + poster presentation
11:00
Fragmentation to professionalization:
Credentials, Associations and Sustainability in Italian Sign Language Interpreting
Genny Brusegan Conte & Francesca Malaspina
11:40
From Experience to Credentials:
an Exploration of a Complex Transition for Trainee Interpreters and Translations in the United Kingdom
Paul Michaels
12:20
Between Experience and Academia:
Building a Semi-Formal Certification Model in the Absence of University Interpreter Education – The Croatian Case
Dorijana Kavčić
13:00
Lunch + poster presentation
14:10
Professionalisation in Flanders:
Stakeholders' perspectives on a professional register and continuous professional development
Elke Poullet
14:50
Finding the Scenic Route:
Alternative Pathways for Deaf Interpreters
Naomi Hoefer
15:30
Coffee break + poster presentation
16:20
Workshop 1:
An exploration of how AI can be utilised in interpreter education and throughout interpreting careers to support the journey from experience to credentials
Tom Mould
Workshop 2:
Exploring the Roles of Deaf Mediators, Interpreters and Translators: Practice, Boundaries and Professional Training
Christian Rathmann
17:30
Closing remarks
Gala evening
12 September, 20:00
The gala evening will take place at the same conference venue, the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel. The theme for the evening is Night in Blue.
Night in Blue 🌙
Blue is the colour of our host – Zagreb! We invite you to bring out your finest blue dresses, suits, or accessories – from royal blue to the shade of the Zagreb sky at dusk!
Sunday, 13 September
efsli Conference
9:00
Welcome & Recap
9:10
Temporal, Spatial, and Cultural Adaptability:
A Community Engagement Model for Students and Professional Interpreters
Sherry Shaw & Eva Sacherer
9:50
Bridging Education and Practice:
Exploring Experience-Based Learning in Early-Career Sign Language Interpreting
Mark Berry
10:30
Coffee break
11:00
Doing and Mediating Trust in Interpreter-Mediated Communication
Dina Zander-Tabbert
11:40
Evidence-Based Interpreter Education for VRS
Camilla Warnicke
12:30
Closing remarks
12:45
Closing ceremony
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