The Balkan Language Industry Symposium (BLIS) is a regional European conference of the translation industry.
It will focus on modern technology and trends, but place them on the backdrop of this fascinating history.
The Balkan peninsular is often presented as a region of conflict, but it has an impressively long history of peaceful inter-ethnic cohabitation and mixing despite the surrounding great powers. Mixing and migration have shaped and re-shaped the linguistic landscape over the centuries, leaving today’s complex patchwork.
What influences have all these languages had on each other? How did the Ottomans influence the ancient tongues? How did the 19th century Donauschwaben affect modern Slavic languages, as the Banat of Temesvar filled the vacuum left by the retreating Turks? After centuries of feudalism, local languages were exposed to new ideas and technologies intruding on the linguistic space – today’s Serbian screwdriver is still a šrafciger (German Schraubenzieher). Was Albanian just one of many influences, or was it the major driver of the sprachbund that Schumacher and Matzinger claim?
Come and learn something new. Balkan hospitality awaits you.
