Language Academy hosts inaugural ALLC webinar on regional collaboration

Dr. Farhana Abu Bakar

JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 27 – Language Academy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH), marked a significant milestone in regional academic cooperation by hosting the inaugural Asian Language, Linguistics and Communication (ALLC) webinar. The day-long virtual event, held on 26 November 2025, brought together leading scholars and researchers from across Asia to share insights and foster collaborative networks in language studies.

Co-organised by three research groups from the Language Academy: Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching (ALLT) Research Group, the Language and Communication in Society (LCS) Research Group, and the Technology in Language Education (TLE) Research Group. The webinar was directed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noor Aireen Ibrahim. Dr. Aireen conceived the webinar as an initiative to extend the spirit of regional partnership, inspired by Malaysia’s recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chairmanship. The event was also a signature initiative of the Research and Development Centre for Humanities (RDCI) at the FSSH, UTM.

Some of the the speakers for the plenary sessions

Under the theme “Voices Across the Region”, the webinar aimed to explore language in context, share insights across the Asian borders, and empower voices through research. It featured an impressive lineup of 15 plenary speakers representing 15 institutions from seven Asian nations: Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam.

The proceedings were headlined by two distinguished keynote addresses: Prof. Dr. Hadina Habil from the Language Academy, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Pattama Patpong from the Research Institute of Language and Culture of Asia (RILCA), Mahidol University, Thailand.

Discussions spanned a wide array of topics, including digital literacy, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in language education, cultural heritage preservation, mental health communication, intergenerational engagement, and multimodal discourse analysis, reflecting the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of contemporary language research.

Keynote addresses, Prof. Dr. Hadina Habil and Asst. Prof. Dr. Pattama Patpong

In his opening address, Chair of the Language Academy, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Rahim Salam, emphasised the webinar’s role as a crucial platform for sustaining dialogue and partnership among Asian institutions.

“ALLC 2025 is not just a one-off event; it is the foundation of a sustainable, rotating collaborative initiative. By sharing knowledge and hosting responsibilities, we strengthen our collective capacity to address linguistic and communicative challenges unique to our region,” he stated.

This sentiment was echoed by the Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Fauzi Hussin, in his closing remarks. He applauded the success of the first instalment of the ALLC webinar series, noting that it “marks the beginning of a long-term, sustainable academic collaboration.”

A key announcement at the conclusion of the webinar secured the initiative’s future. The hosting role will rotate annually among participating universities to ensure wide engagement and shared leadership.

The hosting schedule for the coming years will see the conference co-hosted by Mahidol University from Thailand and the Language Academy UTM in 2026, followed by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) from Vietnam in 2027, Liaocheng University from China in 2028, Politeknik Pariwisata Makassar from Indonesia in 2029, and the Language Academy UTM in 2030.

The announcement was met with enthusiasm from all 241 participants, who expressed strong confidence in each institution’s ability to carry the ALLC tradition forward with excellence.

The inaugural webinar has set a high standard for future gatherings, establishing a vital annual forum for scholars to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in Asian linguistics and communication.

“We are thrilled with the engagement and scholarly exchange that took place. This webinar is a significant stepping stone towards deeper, institutionalized collaboration,” said the ALLC2025 Director.

“We now look forward to formalizing these partnerships through the signing of Letters of Collaboration and Memoranda of Understanding in the near future. Language Academy is proud to have launched this initiative and will actively support its growth in the years to come.”