How do we produce knowledge? How do we present it? How can we better understand our societies, past and present? And, ultimately, what is it that makes us us? The study of Modern Languages tackles nothing short of these fundamental questions, exploring the very foundations of what it means to be human.

Moreover, the field is inherently dynamic. Artificial Intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT, have rapidly changed our perspective on language as something uniquely human. Social media have created new ways of reading and consuming information. Concurrently, emerging forms of scholarship are reshaping the way we approach Modern Languages.

We wanted to learn more about the discipline in an ever-changing and increasingly digital world, so we sat down with Professors Andy Byford and Claudia Nitschke from Durham University, UK. Andy Byford holds the position of Professor of Russian Studies, while Claudia Nitschke is a Professor of German at Durham’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures. Both have authored numerous publications and are serving as editors of the upcoming “Handbook of Modern Languages”, to be published by De Gruyter in 2024.

Alexandra Koronkai-Kiss, Editorial Communications Manager at De Gruyter, conducted the interview, which is also available as a video and podcast.

Link to the interview transcript on our blog De Gruyter Conversations ► https://blog.degruyter.com/modern-languages-in-a-changing-world-an-interview-with-andy-byford-and-claudia-nitschke FOLLOW US ► Website: https://www.degruyter.com ► Blog: https://blog.degruyter.com/ ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/degruyter.publishers ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/de-gruyter ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/degruyter_official ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/degruyter_history ► SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-869529439 ► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xDjVUC6XzailRz20DxYDz