Shinkansen is arguably the most visible sign of Japan’s technological advancement and, together with electronic goods, Mt. Fuji and sushi, the most recognizable symbol of Japan. The presentation will draw upon the origins of the famous Japanese high-speed rail system and its development over the period of close to 60 years. Challenges faced by engineers in the operation of Shinkansen trains will be briefly addressed, and information attesting to their incredible efficiency will be provided. The talk will feature practical tips for potential Shinkansen travellers and a range of interesting Japanese culture-related facts. You will find out what taxi seats are covered with, where you can have your ears cleaned in Akihabara Tokyo, who herbivore men are, how napping in public is seen by Japanese society, and whether tipping in Japan is a customary practice.

The aim of the lecture is to familiarize the participants with the notion of language awareness in their university community.
Language awareness focuses on improving the language and cultural competences in the didactic and educational contexts as well as in everyday communication context, e.g. conversations between students.
From the perspective on language as a dynamic social act and not simply as an arbitrary system of exchange of communicates, the awareness of the fact that language can be either a tool of exclusion and hostility, or an act of inclusion and acceptance, is very important. Taking into account the ever-changing social reality and increasing intercultural exchange, creating a safe space for students both physically and identity-wise, should be a priority. Language is exactly that factor in establishing one’s identity and creating a sense of belonging (or non-belonging) to a given community.
In her lecture, using a few chosen real life situations as small case study analyses, Ms Janicka will describe and unpack the issue of lack of language awareness or inadequate awareness and confidence in one’s competences in shaping one’s attitudes and language tools which help to create a more inclusive and equal space in the university community.

Celem wykładu jest przybliżenie uczestnikom kwestii świadomości językowej w ich najbliższym otoczeniu uniwersyteckim. Wykład kierowany jest zarówno do studentów jak i do nauczycieli akademickich.
Świadomość językowa (language awareness) skupia się na podnoszeniu kompetencji językowo-kulturowych w kontekstach zarówno nauczania i procesu dydaktycznego ogółem jak i w innych codziennych ‘mikro’ kontekstach sytuacji komunikacyjnych, np. podczas rozmów z innymi studentami.
W ujęciu języka jako aktu społecznego, a nie tylko zero-jedynkowego arbitrarnego systemu wymiany komunikatów, świadomość tego, że język może być narzędziem wykluczającym i wrogim lub też włączającym i akceptującym, jest bardzo ważna. W zmieniających się realiach społecznych i zwiększającej się wymianie międzykulturowej, działania mające na celu tworzenie bezpiecznej przestrzeni dla studentów nie tylko w wymiarze fizycznym, ale również tożsamościowym, powinny być kwestią priorytetową. Język jest właśnie takim elementem budowania tożsamości oraz przynależności (bądź jej braku) do danej grupy.

A practical workshop where participants will attempt technical translations in Polish and English. Through a hands-on approach, participants will learn:

• features of the technical translator
• computer tools for technical and specialist translations
• how to become a sworn translator
• the interdisciplinary nature of the translator's work

A lecture and workshop on the significance of the history of American Frontier in understanding American creativity leading to new technologies.

Have you ever wondered why good hackers wear white hats and the bad guys put on black ones? Are you curious to know why Mars Pathfinder was given such a name? Do you know why Silicon Valley, home to many of the world’s largest high-tech companies, is located in California and why the most popular Levi’s blue jeans were created near San Francisco? If you want to know the answers to these questions, why don’t you take part in the lecture on the relationship between the American Frontier and American inventiveness, which spurred innovation, leading to new technologies and ways of living.

President-elect Donald Trump's presidential campaign has been a tough power struggle, and its course has been fraught with turbulent circumstances caused by the launch of impeachment proceedings against the presidential candidate himself, the raging COVID-19 pandemic, media disinformation, and the spread of alleged conspiracy theories affecting the election results. Unfavourable events of the socio-cultural background created conditions for equally unusual and extreme behaviour of the presidential candidate himself. Hence, it is worth looking at and examining patterns of language practices of the presidential campaign, which showed how Donald Trump tried to establish and maintain power. Thus, the results of the study provide interesting conclusions about the leadership style represented by the former president.

The lecture is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the concept of EMI at PUT from the academic teachers’ perspective focusing in particular on their needs, expectations, skills and requirements. The speech will also introduce projects (NAWA, BAGDE, EUNICE) implemented at the Centre of Languages and Communication, which can be a valuable support for lecturers conducting classes in English.
The second part starts with a brief description of EMI methodology. Then, it discusses results of a study, the main objective of which was to find answers to the following research questions: (1) How do the learners perceive the EMI course? and (2) What are the challenges faced by the students in the EMI classes?
Key words: EMI, academic staff, teachers’ perspective, students’ perspective, NAWA, BADGE, EUNICE