Training event for doctoral researchers on Thu 16 April

What to do when plans go wrong?

16 April 2026 13.00-17.00,
University of Eastern Finland, Agora (Room 109, 202)

This pre-symposium training event, organised the day before the KäTu symposium (Thursday, 16th April 2026), consists of a panel discussion and a text seminar for doctoral researchers in Translation Studies. The panel discussion, titled “What to Do When Plans Go Wrong?”, explores how researchers navigate unexpected challenges in their work, offering perspectives from different stages of the academic journey. The text seminar supports participants’ writing projects through constructive discussion and feedback from senior researchers and peers. We are pleased to offer coffee during the event and to reimburse travel expenses for commentators travelling from outside Joensuu, as well as for at least the first five doctoral researchers to register (max €60/person). More detailed information about travel reimbursements will be shared after the registration period has ended.

Researchers in Translation and Interpreting Studies are warmly invited to participate. Doctoral researchers are asked to register here by 23 March, and those wishing to take part in the text seminar must submit their manuscript by 23 March. Travel reimbursement for doctoral researchers is available for a limited number of participants and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. In accordance with the funding guidelines, priority will be given to members of the ID-TS network.

We also welcome senior scholars who are interested in serving as commentators. We retain the contact details and areas of expertise of those who expressed ongoing availability last year, but new volunteer commentators are very welcome to register here. Commentators will be contacted according to their specialisation by 25 March. While the number of submitted papers may not allow us to assign a manuscript to every senior researcher, all are warmly invited to attend the panel discussion.

Programme

13:00–14:30 Panel discussion: What to Do When Plans Go Wrong?

Sooner or later, every researcher faces unexpected turns in their research journey—incomplete or inconsistent data, shifting deadlines, or theories that suddenly stop making sense when new information comes in. The panel discussion explores how researchers respond to unexpected challenges, focusing on flexibility, creativity, and resilience across three career stages: an established scholar, a doctoral researcher, and a recent PhD graduate.

14:30–15:30 Coffee break

15:00–17:00 Text seminar (for registered seminar participants)

The text seminar offers practical support for registered participants’ writing projects and provides an opportunity to practise constructive peer feedback. Participation requires the submission of a manuscript (a draft chapter, article, research plan etc.) of max. 15 pages in advance. During the seminar, the manuscripts will be discussed and commented on by experienced researchers and fellow doctoral researchers.

The panel discussion and the text seminar will be organised in English. Texts for the text seminar may be submitted in Finnish, Swedish, or English.

More information and registration

The event is organised in cooperation with the Langnet network, the UEF FILOTO Doctoral Programme, the International Doctorate in Translation Studies network (ID-TS), and the members of the KäTu organising committee. Please contact Svitlana Firsova (svitlana.firsova@uef.fi) for questions related to the panel discussion, registration, or other practical matters.

Doctoral researchers: register here by 23 March
Senior researchers: interested in commenting at the text seminar, tell us about your availability here.
Text seminar participant: register and submit your manuscript to svitlana.firsova@uef.fi by 23 March. Please write ”Text seminar” in the subject line of your email. Each paper will be assigned to one senior researcher and one doctoral researcher for feedback. Soon after the deadline, you will also receive another doctoral researcher’s paper to comment on.

Participation is free of charge. The event may be attended either on-site at the UEF Joensuu campus or online. Text seminar participants may apply for partial reimbursement of travel expenses.

Further information about the practical arrangements will be sent to registered participants by email.

The event is supported by grants from Kopiosto and ID-TS network.

Welcome!