Multilingual Writing and Community Engagement in the Age of AI

As writing studies researchers and teachers grapple with increasing demands for automation, particularly given the growing popularity of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), some multilingual writing studies scholars seem to be providing a clear and consistent message: It’s time to lean further into community. Drawing on 10 years of research with multilingual communities who leverage multiple technologies to translate information across languages, Gonzales will illustrate how contemporary multilingual communication and community engagement continue to be critical components of writing pedagogy. Using examples from collaborations with technical translators, Indigenous language interpreters, and community organizations, Gonzales will argue that multilingual communication has always been intertwined with technology. Though current developments in GenAI have potential to shift multilingual communication practices, the core rhetorical skills of writing across languages have always and will always be tied to culture and community. This talk will be useful to writing instructors and researchers interested in providing community engagement opportunities for students of all linguistic backgrounds.