International Week 2021: Renate Link

What was the topic of your lecture? Why did you choose it?

“The Kaleidoscope of Sustainable Virtual Conferences: The 2020 Virtual International Language Days at Aschaffenburg UAS/Germany as Best Practice Example”

I chose the topic to inspire other HE colleagues to organise such virtual conferences themselves as well as to demonstrate that these conferences can be more three-dimensional than expected and almost as authentic and effective as physical events.

What is best in international cooperation and teaching exchanges?

In my opinion, the key asset of international cooperation and teaching exchanges is the possibility to broaden your horizon, familiarise yourself with foreign (academic) cultures and languages and, last but not least, to meet and exchange ideas with people from all over the world. All this promotes an important change of perspective which enables one to think outside one’s own national box.

What would you like to say about the cooperation with SeAMK?

My university, Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, has been cooperating with SeAMK for over a decade; I myself have been collaborating with SeAMK colleagues since I first attended and taught at their International Language Week back in 2014 which inspired me to establish such an event at my institution as well. The result is a success story: SeAMK and Aschaffenburg UAS have now become co-hosts of the format of the International Language Week which has become even more international over the years.

Prof. Dr. Renate Link
Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences/Germany
Faculty of Business and Law
Professor of Business English
Coordinator for Business Languages
Vice Head of the Language Centre
Head of the Institute for Intercultural Communication