The rapid advances of new technologies[1] penetrating into, and being embraced in, nearly all aspects of life, resulting in growing demand for specialized knowledge traversing a variety of domains are just some of the challenges that humans living in developed 21st century societies have to face. In a globalized world marked by volatility, communities are increasingly interconnected by an ever expanding web of economic, political, strategic and educational linkages. Roland Robertson argues that the globalization process leads to the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole[2]. At the same time, cultural practices, traditions, and identities – once unique – have begun to gradually converge toward standardization and homogeneity. As the Internet unfolds its homogenizing effect on language patterns across the globe, the communication process is substantially affected by the pace of change, too.

In a world of inevitably converging cultures and accelerating technological transformation, the role of specialized languages appears to be gaining a new meaning and increased importance. These languages, often intrinsically inscribed in the specific needs of different sciences and industries, reflect a mosaic of actors and stakeholders in the global marketplace. The emergent and strengthening interdependencies amongst these can bring benefits as well as create barriers to the communication process. Hence, the study of specialized languages can provide a framework for effective communication between experts in different fields, as well as between insiders and outsiders, the specialist and the lay.

The papers comprised in this volume share a focus on an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of specialized languages in educational, professional and cultural contexts, as well as addressing the practical challenges of teaching and translation.

The development of specialized linguistic competence, which seems critical for effective communication in areas such as law, technology or medicine, is analyzed in Eliza Borczyk’s article. The author demonstrates that the accurate conveyance of information in specialized texts may be conditional on the ability to aptly use specific syntactic structures, such as nominalization, elision, or subordinate clauses in compound sentences. Olga Ranus-Witkowska examines the role of coaching in the process of teaching intercultural communication in business settings, and discusses new trends in the teaching of professional languages. The inclusion of intercultural elements modifies the role of the teacher, who becomes a facilitator in the learning process. Natalia Szkop draws on recent research to look at the potential of ChatGPT 3.5 as a tool supporting the preparation of lesson plans in adult education. Melanie Ellis and Natalia Pająk concentrate on the acquisition of specialized technical vocabulary. The chapter reports the findings of a study that sought to identify the most effective techniques of learning and involved a series of tests alongside a short-term educational intervention. The study proved that the best effects were attained through repetition based on bilingual wordlists.

Rafał Matusiak underscores the role of nominalization in the specialized language of the legal profession, specifically in British “legalese”, overviewing its benefits and risks. While on the one hand, he concludes, nominalization helps reduce subjectivity by giving messages an impersonal tone, and makes it possible to condense information; on the other hand, if used in excess, it might easily produce ambiguity. The study highlights the prevalence of nominalization in legal discourse and the differences between its functions and the role of verbs.

The volume also includes papers exploring the relationships between language and culture. Marta Banaś, Daria Socha and Emilia Krawczyk investigate the function of ethnolects – Silesian and Catalan – as tools for building local identity and their potential role in achieving regional autonomy. The research, funded under a scholarship and conducted at the University of Silesia, shows how language policy can support the preservation of cultural diversity. In the same vein, Amani Bara portrays the interactions between language and culture in the multilingual songs of Saint Levant, an artist of diverse Palestinian-Serbian-French-Algerian heritage. The study, based on corpus analysis, demonstrates how linguistic choices reflect and shape cultural identities. The impact of cultural change on men’s and women’s discourse is also discussed in the article by Grzegorz Wlaźlak and Alicja Piekacz. The authors examine the language of presentations given by male and female students at selected universities to discover whether and how gender differences show in formal settings. The observations did reveal certain gender-dependent contrasts between communication styles, some of which, however, might be traceable to the distinctive features of the Polish academic language.

Two of the articles comprised in this volume fall within broadly conceived translation studies. Marta Banaś undertakes an analysis of the translation of neologisms found in Frank Herbert’s Dune, thus highlighting the challenges inherent in preserving their cultural and philosophical content. Fidelity of melic translation is addressed by Mikołaj Woźniak’s research. Employing an extended version of Low’s Pentathlon Principle, the author proposes a model for assessing the quality of song translations and, in an attempt to validate it, applies it to the Polish translations of  Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars. The analysis proves the usefulness of multi-level assessment tools in quantifying translation quality.

With the growing awareness of gender identity and the ongoing debate over discrimination against non-binary individuals, the issue of translating gender-neutral language becomes increasingly relevant, particularly in the context of English-language media and their translation into Polish. Anna Szkonter-Bochniak, Magdalena Kowalska and Emilia Kuzior present the outcomes of their extensive research in this area, delivering a thorough description of the translation strategies identified.

The articles collected in this volume show specialized languages as a multidimensional phenomenon that combines theoretical research with practical implications in teaching and translation studies. We hope that the collection offers insights that will be valuable to a broad audience of researchers, teachers, translators, and to all those interested in specialized languages in their diverse contexts and applications.

                                                                                   Maria Banaś, Jarosław Szostak
December 2024

References

Jacobs E.: The Homogenizing and Diversifying Effects of Migration Policy in the Internationalization of Higher Education. „Higher Education” 2022, Vol. 83, pp. 339–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00658-4

Robertson R.: Globality, Global Culture, and Images of World Order. [In] Social Change and Modernity. Red. Haferkamp, H. Haferkamp, Smelser, N.J. Smelser (eds), Social Change and Modernity. Berkeley: California University Press 1992., pp. 395-411.

Robertson R.: Globalization: Social Theory and Global Culture. London: Sage 1992.

Rozenfeld J., Tomaščiková S.: The Lovable Machine. Social Implications of Implementing Artificial Intelligence: A Cultural Studies Perspective. “Ostrava Journal of English Philology” 2023, Vol. 15(2), pp. 77-92.

Rozenfeld J.: Eastern European Struggles to Redefine the Local in a Globalized World. [In] S. Šnircová, S. Tomaščiková (eds), Postmillenial Trends in Anglophone Literatures, Cultures and Media. Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2019, pp. 233-234.

[1] J. Rozenfeld: Eastern European Struggles to Redefine the Local in a Globalized World. [In] Postmillenial Trends in Anglophone Literatures, Cultures and Media. S. Šnircová, S. Tomaščiková (eds). Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2019, pp. 233-234; J. Rozenfeld, S. Tomaščiková: The Lovable Machine. Social Implications of Implementing Artificial Intelligence: A Cultural Studies Perspective. “Ostrava Journal of English Philology” 2023, Vol. 15(2), pp. 77-92.

[2] E. Jacobs:  The Homogenizing and Diversifying Effects of Migration Policy in the Internationalization of Higher Education. „Higher Education” 2022, Vol. 83, pp. 339–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00658-4