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Artificial Intelligence at the service of inclusive language policies: the case of the E- MIMIC Project

Rachele Raus & Tania Cerquitelli

University of Bologna & Politecnico of Torino, Italy

Panel: Language as a means of inclusion in educational and institutional settings

Chair: Maria Margherita Mattioda, Università di Torino, Italy

It is well known how artificial intelligence (AI) learning from big data can contribute to the reiteration of gender bias and forms of exclusion due to the dissemination of stereotyped discourses on minorities, such as migrants and disabled people (Bartoletti 2021, Marzi 2021, Savoldi et alii 2021). The Empowering Multilingual Inclusive comMunICation (E-MIMIC) project led by the Polytechnic of Turin and the University of Bologna, in partnership with the Jean Monnet Centre of excellence Artificial Intelligence for European Integration, aims to promote inclusive communication in real- world scenarios by eliminating non-inclusive language forms in administrative texts written in European countries, starting with those written in Italian and French. The application uses AI algorithms to identify non-inclusive text segments and propose inclusive reformulations. The project starts from the assumption that supervising machine learning through linguistic and discourse criteria can contribute to achieving better quality results. The methodology proposed to identify these criteria rests on the principles of discourse analysis “à la Français” (Dufour, Rosier 2012: 5). In this sense, an attempt is made not to reiterate the non-inclusive ideology present in current discourses (in France and Italy). The application highlights inappropriate segments or words, thus contributing to spreading awareness of discrimination and non-inclusion in language. Moreover, the application suggests possible reformulations, so that the user can choose from the proposed solutions. The AI exploited by the application thus becomes an element in support of linguistic policies that aim at the development of metalinguistic awareness capable of counteracting the circulation of erroneous discursive and linguistic frames, also in the perspective of an eco-critical analysis of discourse (Stibbe 2014). The first tests carried out on the application are encouraging and allow us to extend its implementation to other European languages in addition to Italian and French, taking into account the diatopic variants of the languages analysed.

References

Bartoletti, I. (2021). An Artificial Revolution. On Power, Politics and AI. Edimbourg: Indigo.

Dufour, F., Rosier, L. (2012), Héritages et reconfigurations conceptuelles de l’analyse du discours ‘à la française’ : perte ou profit ?. Langage et Société, 140, 5-13.

Marzi, E. (2021). La traduction automatique neuronale et les biais de genre : le cas des noms de métiers entre l’italien et le français. Synergies Italie, 17, 19-36. http://gerflint.fr/Base/Italie17/marzi.pdf.

Savoldi, B., Gaido, M., Bentivoglio, L., Negri, M., Turchi, M. (2021). Gender Bias in Machine Translation, Transactionsof the Association for Computational Linguistics, 9, 845-874.

Stibbe, A. (2014). An ecolinguistic approach to critical discourse studies. Critical discourse studies, January 2014, DOI: 10.1080/17405904.2013.845789.

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Promoting multilingualism and inclusiveness in educational settings in the age of AI

Alessandra Molino, Ilaria Cennamo, Lucia Cinato, Marita Mattioda

Università di Torino, Italy

Panel: Language as a means of inclusion in educational and institutional settings

Chair: Maria Margherita Mattioda, Università di Torino, Italy

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems for natural language processing, which increasingly permeate people’s daily life, offer undeniable advantages in terms of speed and efficiency, but also raise social and ethical questions about how AI may undermine socio-cultural and linguistic equality. This paper presents the activities of the panel “Linguistic rights and language varieties in Europe in the age of artificial intelligence”, discussing the role of education in helping new generations recognize and challenge practices that may affect linguistic, social, and gender inclusiveness.

We report on initiatives within the panel aiming at raising awareness among university students, in particular foreign language learners, of the socio-cultural and linguistic implications of neural machine translation (NMT). NMT software such as Google Translate, DeepL, or Reverso is in large use among current, digital native students (Jiménez-Crespo 2017), who may not be fully aware of the risks of such digital resources for the development of their language skills and translation competence, as well as for broader social issues. Through theoretical discussions and translation-related activities, students were encouraged to reflect on the massive presence of certain languages online and the lack

of visibility of others, a situation that may have a negative impact on inclusive access to digital technologies (Ranathunga et al. 2021), multilingualism and, ultimately, the fundamental goal of European integration. The uncritical use of NMT systems may also lead to a progressive phenomenon of language flattening at the levels of register and sociolects, thus affecting the preservation of linguistic diversity. Finally, students were also made aware that current NMT systems are still far from guaranteeing adequate treatment of gendered language (Attanasio et al. 2021). The widespread inability of generating gender-inclusive content may reinforce stereotypes and inequalities.

Preliminary results of the impact of our pedagogic activities will be presented in this paper, making special reference to the initiatives conducted at the University of Turin (Italy).

References

Attanasio, G. & al. (2021). E-MIMIC: Empowering Multilingual Inclusive Communication. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (Big Data), 2021, 4227-4234, doi: 10.1109/BigData52589.2021.9671868.

Humbley, J., Raus, R., Silletti, A., Zollo, D. (eds) (forthcoming), Multilinguisme et variétés linguistiques en Europe à l’aune de l’intelligence artificielle. De Europa, Special Issue 2022. http://www.deeuropa.unito.it.

Jiménez-Crespo, M. (2017). The role of translation technologies in Spanish language learning. Journal of Spanish Language Teaching, 4, 181-193.

Ranathunga, S., Lee, E.A., Skenduli, M.P., Shekhar, R., Alam, M., & Kaur, R. (2021). Neural Machine Translation for Low-Resource Languages: A Survey. ArXiv, abs/2106.15115.

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The UNITA project on Intercomprehension: inclusive multilingualism in educational settings

Sandra Garbarino

UNITA, Universitas Montium, EU

Panel: Language as a means of inclusion in educational and institutional settings

Chair: Maria Margherita Mattioda, Università di Torino, Italy

In order to be inclusive, multilingual language education must embrace all the levels of the vertical curriculum, also – and above all – the highest one: that of the university and its actors.

Training current and future protagonists of the research world in multilingual communication through intercomprehension (IC) also means allowing for and encouraging a more complete and holistic dialogue between disciplines, in a perspective that considers diversity not only a controversial issue but an epistemological, political and ontological principle (Castellotti et al., 2016: 49). Disciplines often convey complex knowledge through specific terminology, which is sometimes difficult to translate into other languages even when they come from the same Latin matrix. The IC approach will enrich disciplinary understanding and communication.

Within the UNITA alliance, the benefits of an IC approach are already beginning to emerge after a year of experimentation, in both quantitative and qualitative terms. The preliminary results tell us that, to date, several syllabi have already been implemented for the IC training of students at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and Modern Cultures; of students who are about to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme; of language teachers who are training in IC teaching; and of content teachers who welcome foreign students into their classrooms. 

This paper will illustrate initial qualitative results obtained within the project, stressing the inclusive value of the activities, which fostered the enhancement of personal linguistic profiles and the creation of a global and international communicative environment.

References:

Bonvino, E., Jamet, M.C. (2016). Intercomprensione: lingue, processi e percorsi, Venezia : Edizioni Ca’ Foscari.

Capucho, F. (2012). L’Intercompréhension – un nouvel atout dans le monde professionnel [online]. Degache, Ch., Garbarino, S. (éds.) Intercompréhension: compétences plurielles, corpus, intégration, Actes du colloque IC2012 (Grenoble, 21-23 juin 2012). http://ic2012.u-grenoble3.fr/OpenConf/papers/67.pdf (2013-11-11).

Carrasco Perea, E.,  De Carlo, M. (2019).  «¿Cómo implementar una educación plurilingüe y evaluarla? El ejemplo de la Intercomprensión». Lenguaje y Textos, 50 (28 diciembre 2019), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.4995/lyt.2019.12004.

Garbarino, S. (2019). Sviluppare competenze in intercomprensione di livello avanzato. Il contributo dei descrittori del REFIC. EL.LE, 1, Vol. 8/2019.

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Fostering citizen engagement through integrative language planning

James Archibald

Università di Torino, Italy

Panel: Language as a means of inclusion in educational and institutional settings

Chair: Maria Margherita Mattioda, Università di Torino, Italy

In any state, monolingual or multilingual, a common overriding objective is to create, build and maintain a cohesive national entity which will serve the social, cultural and economic needs of the citizenry, present or future. In order to create this type of national linguasphere and to maintain relations with other or related linguaspheres, the state must establish coherent policies which will guide its practices with respect to socioeconomic inclusion, cultural identity and language.

Integrative language planning cannot be disassociated with strategic development. This is what we have called elsewhere a stakeholder approach to language planning.

This model of devising or implementing language policies requires that states articulate clear statements of intent so that all concerned have an understanding of what is planned and how the plans will be executed. Hence, planning and practice go hand in hand.

Moreover, given the human involvement in the process, legislators and administrators must be mindful of the “affects” (Damasio 2018, Ch. 7) that will result from statements of intent, policy formulations, legislative texts and regulations used in the implementation of language legislation. In addition, public administrators must be in a position to objectively measure any possible social, cultural and economic effect of such policies, legislation and regulations. At the same time, this measurement should take place in an atmosphere which reflects the fundamental human rights of the present and future citizenry.

Rooted as they are in shared ideologies, these policies and practices help the state to define its educational philosophy and priorities as well as its institutional policies. That is why state-mandated institutions must define their own institutional policies. These should be in alignment with national policies and practices.

Such a system, if well planned and maintained, should have as a main objective to foster citizen engagement and support for policy orientations.

References

Archibald, J. & Chiss, J.L., éds. (2007). La langue et l’intégration des immigrants. Sociolinguistique, politiques linguistiques, didactique. Paris : L’Harmattan.

Archibald, J. & Galligani, S. (2009). La langue, l’immigration et la cohésion sociale. In Archibald, J. & Galligani, S., dirs. (2009) Langue(s) et immigration(s) : société, école, travail, 9-15. Paris : L’Harmattan.

Archibald, J. (2019). Principes de mise en œuvre de politiques linguistiques intégrées. In Grin, F., dir. Les « linguasphères » dans la gouvernance mondiale de la diversité, 26-28. Neuchâtel : Délégation suisse à la langue française, 2019.

Busekist, A. von. (2018). The ethics of language policies. New York : Routledge.

Damasio, A. (2018). The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures. New York : Pantheon.

Freeman, R.E. (2010). Strategic management: a stakeholder approach. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.

Freeman, R.E. & Mcvea, J.F. (2001). A stakeholder approach to strategic management. Social Science Research Network Electronic Journal, January. (DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.263511).

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Language as a means of inclusion in educational and institutional settings

Panel Chair: Maria Margherita Mattioda

In today’s globalised and interconnected world, managing linguistic and cultural diversity becomes increasingly complex and raises new questions and challenges at the political, economic, and sociocultural levels. Reflection on the so-called linguaspheres (Grin 2018), i.e., constellations of countries or populations sharing the same language, highlights the need for international cooperation at the above-mentioned levels to preserve sociolinguistic diversity. Such cooperation efforts have led, and continue to lead, to the development of transformative paradigms focused on social cohesion and the recognition of fundamental linguistic rights (Archibald 2009).

Language is one of the means through which inclusive policies are articulated (Gazzola 2016). However, the role of language is often underestimated. While its importance is acknowledged when it comes to gender and racial discrimination, other less evident aspects also require attention. Awareness of all the factors potentially affecting diversity is integral to policy planning and the development of inclusive strategies.

Several questions arise in this context. Which language(s) is/are best suited to promote effective communication in specific settings? What are the relationships among languages in multilingual contexts? What are the effects of language choices on social relations? How does the choice of language at institutional level, whether deliberate or imposed, affect citizen engagement and active participation? What technical means can promote, maintain and sustain inclusion?

The panel will focus on how language policies can be designed based on inclusive strategies, among which is that of active citizenry. The promotion of inclusive policies is the goal of various current European projects, some of which described in the panel, aimed at developing tools for inclusion from both educational and institutional perspectives.

Although the principle of linguistic diversity is promoted by the European Union and many international organisations (e.g., UNESCO, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, OIF), its application is often problematic, due to the practical need of using only a few, widely shared languages for international communication, thus creating a paradox whereby inclusion is achieved through exclusive practices.

No easy solution exists. However, acknowledging the variety of contexts, situations, practices, communicative and educational needs is a first step to identifying possible tools and strategies to favour inclusive policies based on the value of multilingualism (Humbley J., Raus R., Silletti A., Zollo S. forthcoming; Gaboriaux C., Raus R, Robert C., Vicari S. forthcoming)

In this regard, the panel will include four presentations on existing projects, three of which funded by the European Union, aiming at promoting inclusive language policies and related best practices. Following are some of the issues that will be discussed.

  1. How can citizen engagement and inclusiveness be promoted through integrative language planning? (James Archibald – University of Turin)
  2. How can inclusive, multilingual language education be integrated in university programmes and syllabi? (Elisa Corino, Sandra Garbarino – UNITA)
  3. How can artificial intelligence education contribute to the development of metalinguistic awareness of inclusive language use in educational contexts? (Alessandra Molino, Ilaria Cennamo, Lucia Cinato, Marita Mattioda – University of Turin)
  4. How can the widespread use of artificial intelligence tools affect multilingual communication choices in institutional settings? (Rachele Raus, University of Bologna; Tania Cerquitelli, Politecnico of Turin)
References

Archibald, J. & Chiss, J.L. (2007). La langue et l’intégration des immigrants. Sociolinguistique, politiques linguistiques, didactique. Paris: L’Harmattan.

Archibald, J. & Galligani, S. (2009). La langue, l’immigration et la cohésion sociale. In Archibald, J. & Galligani, S. dirs. (2009). Langue(s) et immigration(s) : société, école, travail, 9-15. Paris : L’Harmattan.

Busekist, A. von. (2018). The ethics of language policies. New York : Routledge.
Freeman, R.E. (2010). Strategic management: a stakeholder approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gaboriaux, C., Raus, R., Robert, C., Vicari, S. (eds) (forthcoming). Le multilinguisme dans les organisations internationales. Mots. Les langages du politique, 128/2022.

Garnier, B., Blanchet, Ph. (2020), Diversité linguistique et formation citoyenne, ELA. Etudes de linguistique appliquée, 197, 2020/1.

Gazzola, M., Wickstrom, B. (2016). The economics of Language Policy. Cambridge : MIT Press.
Grin, F. dir. (2019). Les « linguasphères » dans la gouvernance mondiale de la diversité. Neuchâtel : Délégation suisseà la langue française.

Humbley, J., Raus, R., Silletti, A., Zollo, D. (eds) (forthcoming), Multilinguisme et variétés linguistiques en Europe àl’aune de l’intelligence artificielle. De Europa, Special Issue 2022. http://www.deeuropa.unito.it.

Keywords: language, inclusion, multilingualism, education.

Fostering citizen engagement through integrative language planning

The UNITA project on Intercomprehension: inclusive multilingualism in educational settings

Promoting multilingualism and inclusiveness in educational settings in the age of AI

Artificial Intelligence at the service of inclusive language policies: the case of the E- MIMIC Project

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The constitutional contours of preferred-gender-pronoun policies at U.S. public institutions of learning

Manuel Triano López

The United States Supreme Court has held that the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution directs the government to treat alike “all persons similarly situated.” Accordingly, the judiciary reviews with heightened scrutiny laws or policies that discriminate against individuals in a so-called “protected class.” Although the Court still has not ruled on whether transgender individuals constitute a protected class for Fourteenth-Amendment purposes, it has ruled that the category of “sex” in Title VII (a federal law on workplace discrimination) includes transgender individuals. Consequently, an employer may not dismiss an employee merely for being transgender. In 2021, the Education Department extended this protection to transgender students under a 1972 law that forbids sex-based discrimination in institutions of learning receiving funds from the federal government. 

These institutions could therefore invoke that 1972 law to justify disciplinary measures against professors who violate preferred-gender-pronoun policies, i.e., those that require professors to address their transgender students with the gender pronouns (“he,” “she,” etc.) that these students prefer. From a legal standpoint, however, the disciplinary measures could clash with the professors’ constitutional right to free speech, which includes the right to refrain from speaking. In other words, the government —in this case, represented by public institutions of learning— may not compel people to affirm a belief with which they disagree.By analyzing relevant court rulings handed down over the last two years, this presentation aims at resolving the tension between a public educational institution’s interest in eradicating sex-based discrimination against transgender students and a professor’s constitutional freedom from compelled speech.

Keyword: Public Education, Free Speech, United States of America, Transgender Community