Paper short abstract

This paper draws on a 14-month linguistic ethnography of a migrant-advice group in a low-income UK town. Taking a metapragmatic approach, it explores how interlocutors conceptualise digital translation technologies as participants in advice encounters, in theory and in practice.

Paper long abstract

This paper draws on a 14-month linguistic ethnography of a migrant-advice group, in a low-income coastal in the UK. Amidst financial and bureaucratic pressures, organisations that provide advice on accessing economic and civil services in the UK are subject to logics of efficiency (Koch and James, 2022). This is particularly true of advice organisations that aid refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants, in towns already lacking in state infrastructure, where such logics manifest linguistically in the form of standardised (“scripted”) conversations and mediation through digital translation technologies. Attempts to make advice interactions “efficient”, however, are regularly opposed by the linguistic and emotional complexities of clients’ cases.

Amidst contradictions between standardised expectations and complex linguistic realities of advice encounters, this paper asks: how do interlocutors conceptualise digital translation technologies as participants in advice encounters, in theory and in practice? Drawing on sociolinguist Jan Blommaert’s (2010) concept of “truncated speech” – the patchworking of multiple speakers and multiple “bits” of linguistic competence to work through an encounter – it explores the ways in interlocutors switch between working with and working against translation technology to generate the advice clients need.

By offering a metapragmatic (Silverstein,1979; Gal and Irvine, 2019) approach to digital language technologies – that moves away questions of what language technologies are doing, on a pragmatic or technological level, and toward what participants perceive them as doing/being able to do – that we can begin to theorise how they might fit into otherwise human encounters about livelihood security.

Paper short abstract

Kenya’s multilingual education faces a widening gap between policy and practice as AI tools rarely support Indigenous languages. Limited digital access reinforces English dominance. Inclusive, community-driven AI and stronger Indigenous data governance are needed to support multilingual learning.

Paper long abstract

Kenya’s multilingual education system is increasingly shaped by AI-mediated communication, where translation technologies offer the potential for broader language access. However, the gap between language-in-education policies and actual classroom practice has widened due to inadequate digital infrastructure and the limited inclusion of African Indigenous languages in mainstream AI systems. These shortcomings contribute to renewed linguistic marginalisation despite national commitments to multilingualism. This study investigates how Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) language policies function in digitally influenced learning environments, identifies infrastructural constraints affecting multilingual instruction, and explores how AI translation tools might be redesigned to better align with local language priorities. A mixed-methods design was used, combining surveys and semi-structured interviews with educators (n=120), students (n=100), policymakers (n=30), and community leaders (n=50) in Kisii and Homabay counties. The data examined experiences with policy implementation, access to digital and AI resources, and user perceptions of translation technologies. Quantitative analysis assessed relationships between language use and learning outcomes, while qualitative perspectives revealed systemic challenges and unequal technological access. Guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the study highlights the role of language in shaping learning processes. Critical language policy analysis draws attention to power structures influencing language technologies, and decolonial computing brings Indigenous data sovereignty to the forefront. Findings indicate persistent gaps between multilingual policy goals and classroom realities, alongside minimal digital support for Indigenous languages. Current AI tools largely reinforce English dominance, yet community-led language documentation offers promising alternatives. The study recommends strengthening Indigenous data governance and investing in culturally grounded AI systems.

Paper short abstract

Inspired by insights from a year of iterative, small-scale creative placemaking experiments (AI KE US): What if we reimagine our confluence of participatory research methods that day as a liminal space to collect “whimsical points,” where shared ritual sparks lasting creativity?

Paper long abstract

Contribution:

A reflection of 12 months of documented experimental AI KE US practice, providing insights unfolding into sustained creative iteration

Personal narrative approach & visual documentation of AI KE US that can spark curiosity about process, failure, and iteration, offering an alternative to academic/theoretical contributions

“ The Outsider POV” - What began as a personal quest, and was limited by constraints; formal training, financial, etc, yet demonstrating how limitations open up new avenues to creativity & creative placemaking. It shifts the agency back to the people.

Mode of delivery:

A 7-minute liminal space exploration (think Wizard of Oz having "liminal" or "in-between" spaces), experimenting with some of the elements of AI KE US creative experiments, using journal entries and photographs to illustrate key insights. This will be followed by offering 2-3 prompts about creative constraints to frame collective reflection at the end. I'm open to adapting this format based on the panel's needs and would welcome your suggestions for a more aligned approach to serve our group better.

AI KE US:

Grounded in 2025 Harvard Business Review’s finding of top generative AI use in 2025 - companionship and therapy, this contribution traces the irony of seeking connection from “heartless” AI. Through a year of unconcluded AI KE US creative placemaking experiments, it explores how constraints and shared rituals nurture care, vulnerability, and unexpected cultural commoning practices —demonstrating that small-scale, playful, and uncertain yet intuitive approaches can reframe what meaningful outcomes in participatory research and collective inquiry could be.