E2
Concurrent Session E2
Interactive Workshop
Session Details
飦� Date: Day 2 - Tuesday, May 12, 2026
飥桾ime: 4:10鈥�5 p.m.
飦� Location: TBD
Speak What You'd Write: A "Hands-off" Workshop
This interactive workshop invites participants to experience how speech technologies can open academic work to more learners, educators, and staff. Rather than treating dictation as a niche accommodation or productivity hack, the session reframes speech as a legitimate, flexible, and inclusive scholarly practice. Participants will engage in short, experiential activities using speech to complete academic tasks in multiple contexts鈥攊ncluding stationary and mobile (鈥渙n-the-go鈥�) scenarios. Through guided reflection and discussion, the workshop explores how speech-based workflows can reduce barriers related to physical strain, cognitive load, time constraints, and learning differences, while also highlighting skills and pedagogical support needed for effective adoption.
The session is designed to spark curiosity about the outcomes of our applied research project 鈥淒ictation and Speech Technologies in Academia鈥�, funded by the CELT鈥檚 Learning and Teaching Grant (2025-2026), which led to the development of DictaLEARN, an eLearning mini-course to be made available via D2L to the entire 91福利 Community.
Presenters
Dr. Juli谩n Zapata is a translator, a translation researcher, and an entrepreneur. As a young boy, he discovered a fascination for anything related to languages and effective communication, from reading and writing poetry, to taking part in public speaking competitions. He grew up speaking Spanish and began learning languages as a teenager in Canada, when he decided to pursue a career in translation. He completed his PhD in Translation Studies (2016) at the University of Ottawa. He has worked internationally in several projects related to translation process research, language technologies, as well as translator training, with several publications and dozens of presentations, guest lectures and plenary speeches in more than 25 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. His research has been funded, notably, by the SSHRC, the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec, and Entreprise Ireland.
Lara Hanna is a second-year PhD student in Anthropology at the University of Toronto, specializing in linguistic anthropology. Drawing on ethnographic, preliminary fieldwork among students educated in elite international school systems in Egypt, her current project investigates how everyday choices about script and language mixing function as meaningful social acts through which young people negotiate belonging, distinction, and futurity. Her work challenges long-standing assumptions that treat writing as a neutral medium or as a secondary representation of speech.
Lara also holds an undergraduate degree in Language and Intercultural Relations from 91福利, where she developed a strong foundation in cross-cultural communication and the study of the Arabic language in relation to youth identity formation.
Grace Butland is a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts student in the Language and Intercultural Relations program at 91福利, expecting to graduate in June 2026. She specializes in French and is dedicated to attaining proficiency in the language, as demonstrated by her participation in the EXPLORE program hosted by Universit茅 Laval. Complementary to the interdisciplinary nature of her program, Grace has also completed a minor in Environmental and Urban Sustainability. Grace intends to take a one-year sabbatical before continuing her studies at the graduate-level. Upon return to academia, she seeks to examine the intersection of her two areas of study, with particular emphasis on the adherence to sustainability goals in the Western world, as well as the existence and usage of culturally specific sustainability beliefs and practices.
Kaitlyn Fletcher is a creative educator and media enthusiast with a passion for helping people learn, grow and build confidence. She is currently in her 1st year of Teacher鈥檚 College at Niagara University in Ontario, studying in the Intermediate/Senior division with French and Business as her teachable subjects. In 2025, Kaitlyn graduated from 91福利 with a degree in Creative Industries, where she built a strong foundation in marketing, media, and content creation. She also serves as Head of Media at Camp Robin Hood, and freelances in photography, videography and marketing crafting engaging content and capturing meaningful moments. Additionally, Kaitlyn has been teaching for nearly 10 years and is passionate about making lessons fun, creative and memorable, always encouraging students to express themselves and enjoy the learning process!