Prof. Hiroki Yoshida

Prof. Hiroki Yoshida

Kanto Gakuin University, Japan


Hiroki Yoshida was born in 1973 in Nara, Japan. He received the MEd in Educational Methodology (Audio Visual Education) from the International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan in 2001. He worked at the Japan Audio Visual Education Association (JAVEA) from April 2000 to March 2002. He taught pre-service teachers at the Faculty of Education, Tokoha University, Shizuoka, Japan from April, 2002 to March, 2017. He is currently a professor at the College of Intercultural Studies, Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama, Japan. His research interests include collaborative online international learning, lifelong learning, and intercultural education.


Title: Study on Japanese University Students' Awareness and Interest toward Multicultural Exchange: A Case Study of Yokohama City

Abstract:The population of foreign residents in Yokohama City has been increasing on an annual basis, reaching a figure exceeding 100,000 in 2019. Consequently, Yokohama City has emerged as the second most populous foreign-resident city in Japan, closely following Osaka City. A questionnaire survey administered by Yokohama City revealed that the majority of foreign residents in Yokohama expressed satisfaction with their quality of life in the city. This study aimed to ascertain the extent of Japanese university students' awareness and interest in multicultural exchange in Yokohama. The results of the study indicate that Japanese university students have limited understanding of Yokohama City's multicultural context. Moreover, the findings suggest a paucity of experience in multicultural exchange among Japanese university students. However, they also demonstrate a keen interest in other cultures and are eager to participate in multicultural events or programs.



Assoc. Prof. Li Jie

Assoc. Prof. Li Jie

Northwestern Polytechnical University, China


LI Jie holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Leipzig, Germany. Currently, she serves as an Associate-Professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University in China. She has made significant contributions to the fields of applied linguistics and translation studies through numerous academic publications. Her notable works include the monograph Kognitionstranslatologie: Das verbale Arbeitsgedächtnis im Übersetzungsprozess [Cognitive Translation: Verbal Working Memory in the Translation Process] (Berlin, Germany: Frank & Timme Verlag, 2022). She has also published influential journal articles such as "The Impact of Bilingualism on Storage and Processing Functions in Working Memory: An Experimental Dual-Task Study" (Language and Cognitive Science, 2019, London, UK) and "The Impact of Verbal Working Memory on Written Translation: Empirical Evidence and an Initial Model" (Linguistica Antverpiensia, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium). Prof. Dr. Li, as an active researcher, is a professional member of the Translators Association of China (TAC) and has been awarded a research grant from the National Social Science Foundation of China (NSSFC) for her translation project.

Title: “The International Dissemination of Chinese Ethnic Language History: Navigating Challenges and Innovating Pathways”

Abstract: The charm of a nation's culture and the cohesion of its people are primarily expressed and transmitted through language. As a vital carrier of cultural heritage and national unity, language embodies the cultural allure and centripetal force of a nation. In this context, the translation and overseas dissemination of China's domestic academic works hold significant strategic importance for enhancing national cultural confidence and strengthening the country's cultural soft power. This study focuses on the international promotion of ethnic language history, systematically reviewing its developmental trajectory and current status. By employing a dual-dimensional approach that combines diachronic and synchronic perspectives, as well as integrating quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study delves into the primary obstacles and underlying causes faced during its overseas dissemination. Building on this analysis, the research aims to construct an academic discourse system for ethnic language history with Chinese characteristics and explore practical pathways for international promotion, thereby showcasing the unique theoretical contributions and practical wisdom of Chinese ethnic language studies to the global academic community.

Index Terms: academic translation, ethnic language history, international dissemination



Dr. Eva S. Ohbaya

Dr. Eva S. Ohbaya

Keio University, Japan


Dr. Eva S. Ohbaya is an Assistant Professor at Keio University, Japan. She holds both a Master's and a Ph.D. in Linguistics, with a focus on Arabic language and pedagogy. Her research encompasses Arabic linguistics, Arabic language education, and modern Arab political thought and sociology.​ With over a decade of teaching experience at Japanese universities, Dr. Ohbaya has also contributed to Arabic language education through Japan's national broadcaster, NHK. She has presented her work at international conferences such as the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and the International Conference on Education and Social Sciences (INTCESS), etc.

Title: Translation Evolution in the AI Era: Bridging Japanese and Arabic Cultures

Abstract: Not so long ago, such translation work required hours of tedious leafing through dictionaries and searching for the perfect words. Nowadays, a helping hand stands at the ready: artificial intelligence. It accelerates the task by a great margin. But quicker often doesn't mean more convenient—particularly when the two languages as far apart as Japanese and Arabic are concerned. These two languages differ not merely in structure; they are based on radically different worlds of culture, tradition, and historical experience. Based on the theories of Roman Jakobson regarding translation, this presentation discusses a number of the challenges of translation: How can the poetry's rhythm live on in another language? What happens to humor that depends so much on its original cultural setting? Taking “The Thousand and One Nights” as an example, we will look closely at the balancing act translators perform: staying faithful to the original words while making the story come alive for new readers. I will also consider the role of AI translation tools—their growing strengths, but also their struggles when it comes to capturing cultural nuance and preserving deeper meanings. In the end, while AI offers remarkable new opportunities, real cross-cultural understanding still depends on human insight, empathy, and creative judgment.



Dr. Eva S. Ohbaya

Senior Lecturer Dr. Rewa Wright

Queensland University of Technology, Australia


Dr. Rewa Wright is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Practice (Film, Screen & Animation) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. Renowned for her innovative work at the intersection of computational arts, real-time animation, and artificial intelligence, she has made significant contributions that intersect media arts and technology. Dr. Wright has presented at prestigious A+ conferences, including SIGGRAPH 2023 in Los Angeles and SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 in Sydney. Her research has garnered substantial funding, including a Creative Australia Grant with the ISEA2024 Steering Committee and a large Australian Research Council grant in the Industrial Transformation Hub advancing ‘Connected Sensors for Health’. Dr. Wright's recent work explores the applications of Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models (LLM) in creative practices, investigating how these technologies can enhance artistic expression and engage audiences in novel ways. Notably, she served as Chair of the IEEE Visual Arts Program in 2024, guiding discussions on the future of data visualisation and human-machine creativity. She has published top-tier papers in the ACM Digital Library, showcasing her expertise and thought leadership in digital media.

Title: Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Humanities and Art: Digital Futures in Evolution 

Abstract: The advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs), is reshaping the landscape of the humanities and arts, offering novel avenues for creativity, analysis, and interpretation. This presentation explores the transformative potential of these technologies, which not only enhance artistic practices but also challenge traditional notions of authorship and originality. Recent scholarship, including works published in the IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, reveals how LLMs facilitate innovative forms of expression and interaction across diverse cultural contexts. As artists and scholars increasingly adopt these tools, they navigate a complex interplay of ethical considerations and creative possibilities. The integration of generative AI invites critical reflections on the implications for human agency and the evolving role of the artist in the digital age. By examining case studies and theoretical frameworks, this talk aims to illuminate the rich dialogues emerging at the intersection of technology and the humanities, emphasizing the necessity for responsible and informed engagement with these powerful tools. Ultimately, the presentation seeks to inspire a nuanced understanding of generative AI's impact on cultural production and the future of artistic inquiry.



Prof. Hiroki Yoshida

Prof. Noriki Amano

Dean, Department of Information and Data Science
Notre Dame Seishin University, Japan


Dr. Amano is a full professor and heads the Department of Information and Data Science at Notre Dame Seishin University (NDSU)—one of the famous universities in the Chugoku area in Japan. Before joining NDSU in 2024, Dr. Amano was a professor at Saitama University and Mukogawa Women's University and is best known for his work on wearable music, live coding performance for stage lights and audio devices, glitch art and music, etc. Dr. Amano earned a Ph.D in computer science in 1999 from Japan Advanced Science and Technology (JAIST) and has published papers in many areas of computer science, including programming languages, middleware, educational technology, entertainment computing, and media art. He had also worked for two IT companies and developed many systems, including a word processor system. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Title: Live Coding as Performance Art: Beyond Programming 

Abstract: In recent years, the term "live coding" has been seen in the context of music and performance art. Live coding events such as MUTEK and Algorave are so popular that tickets sell out immediately. What is live coding? In this short talk, the speaker will introduce the history of live coding and its current situation, and discuss its significance and potential. Currently, live coding as a performance art is mainly musical improvisation and real-time image generation, but it has the potential to become a tool for creating new performance art in the future. What kind of performance art will live coding enable? The speaker started out studying programming languages as a researcher and is currently developing multiple live coding systems and performing unique performances. From the perspective of such a practitioner, the speaker will talk about the appeal of live coding as a performance art and its outlook for the future.

Prof. Hiroki Yoshida

Assoc. Prof. Wei Zhang

Director TESL Certificate, Director, Certificate in Linguistic Studies, Director, English Language Institute
The University of Akron, US


Wei Zhang, Ph.D., M.Ed., is an Associate Professor of Linguistics and TESOL at the Department of English, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, USA, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in linguistics, second language acquisition, and language teaching methodology. She is also the Director of The English Language Institute and directs the TESL Certificate and Linguistics Certificate programs. Between 2012-2023, she served as PI and Co-PI of million-dollar federal grants to train U.S. public school teachers with a TESOL Endorsement. Her primary research interests are in the areas of academic English development of second language learners, TESOL teacher training, TESOL program design, second language phonological acquisition, speech perception, and acoustic phonetics. She is also interested in Chinese phonology and home language maintenance in the United States.

Title: Teaching ELA Educators and English Majors to Analyze Poetry Using Systemic Functional Linguistics 

Abstract: Poetry is a literary genre found in K-12 English language arts curricula and commonly taught to English majors at college. Its unique linguistic and rhetorical features bring out rich and highly condensed meaning that goes beyond the literal meaning of a poem. Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) proposed by linguistic M.A.K. Halliday offers a set of linguistic tools for the exploration of both the surface and deep meanings of poems. SFL examines a poem’s graphology (layout), sound system (rhyme and rhythm), rhetorical organization (poetic form and rhetorical organization), cohesion devices (word choice), and how they construct and condense meaning. It also reconstructs the lines of a poem into clauses to examine the experiential meaning, interpersonal meaning, and textual meaning of the poem. The experiential meaning is expressed through participants (human and/or non-human actors), processes (doing, being, sensing, and saying, circumstances (adverbials), and conjunctions; the interpersonal meaning through mood (declarative, interrogative, or imperative) and modality (the use and choice of modal verbs); and the textual meaning through the explicit identification and tracking of the Theme, or the departure point of each clause. In this presentation, sample poems are used to illustrate the SFL tools and how they are used to unpack the surface and deep meanings of poems for K-12 English language arts teachers and English majors.