Dr Elena N. Malyuga is Dr of Linguistics, Full Professor, Head of Foreign Languages Department (Faculty of Economics, RUDN University), Chairperson of the Business and Vocational Foreign Languages Teachers National Association, Editor-in-Chief of Issues of Applied Linguistics, and Joint Managing Editor of Training, Language and Culture. Her scientific interests include theory and practice of intercultural professional and business communication and sociolinguistics. Has authored over 300 publications. Most recent work includes Linguistic Pragmatics of Intercultural Professional and Business Communication – a monograph published by Springer.

Barry Tomalin MA International Liaison and Communication (University of Westminster) is a specialist in international communication, cultures, soft power and media. Founder and facilitator of the ICC-recognised Business Cultural Trainers Certificate, he teaches at Glasgow Caledonian University London, Birkbeck College University of London and International House London. Author and co-author of a number of books on international business culture. Key interests are in international communication, media and cultures.

Dr Michael McCarthy is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics in the School of English, University of Nottingham, UK. He holds/has held Visiting Professorships at the University of Limerick (Ireland), Newcastle University (UK), and Penn State University (USA). He is an Honorary Professor of the University of Valencia, Spain. Has been involved in the study and teaching of English for more than 50 years. For the last 30 years, he has worked with large, computerised corpora of English texts, investigating them to establish how the vocabulary and grammar of English are really used at the present time and how they are evolving and changing. His research has focused on everyday spoken English. He is author of more than 50 books and 112 academic papers dealing with research and teaching of the English language, especially as a second or foreign language. He has taught in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Malaysia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Robert Williams is principal lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Westminster. Teaches on the MA TESOL and is course leader for the MA International Liaison and Communication, a pioneering course training people to be the bridge across communities and between language groupings. Currently the internal quality assurance member for CoMoViWo – a project designing intercultural communication training material in English and Spanish, with a specific focus on e-communication. Has over 30 years’ experience in language education as a teacher, teacher trainer, assessor and consultant. Has been involved in many EU co-funded development projects and also chairs an annual Intercultural Masterclass through UK Trade and Industry and regularly speaks at conferences across Europe and beyond.

Dr Olga V. Aleksandrova is Full Professor and Head of English Linguistics Department at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Has authored a raft of manuals and articles devoted to the study of modern English language, its grammar, innovative trends, cognitive linguistic and cultural studies. She is a member of editorial boards in several scientific journals, a member of the Russian Higher Attestation Commission that oversees the awards of advanced academic degrees. She also holds membership in a number of professional associations of linguists and language teachers in Russia and abroad, and has participated in defining the Russian national academic standards in philology for universities.

Dr Lilia K. Raitskaya is Doctor of Education, Professor in the Department of Education and Psychology, and Rector’s Counsellor at MGIMO University Administration. Editor of the Journal of Language and Education. Has authored over 150 articles and books, 8 monographs and about 30 textbooks for university students. Research interests cover academic development, methodology of scientific research in social sciences, the discourse of international scholarly publications, science editing, rhetoric and discourse of scholarly texts.

Dr Alex Krouglov holds MA in Translation, Interpreting and Language Training, and a PhD in Linguistics. Emeritus Associate Professor, London Metropolitan University, Senior Teaching Fellow, University College London and Leading Researcher, Rezekne Academy of Technology. His main research areas are Sociolinguistics, Translation, Interpreting and Education. Author of numerous research articles, chapters and textbooks. Has been involved in teaching Translation, Interpreting, Languages and Linguistics in various countries. Has conducted many teacher training and translation/interpreting workshops and led a number of international projects in the fields of Higher Education: Tempus, Erasmus+, European Commission, United Nations. Has engaged as an expert in Higher Education for the World Bank, British Council, and many other international and national organisations. Has been involved in assignments as translator, interpreter and assessor.

Dr Igor E. Klyukanov is Professor of Communication in the Department of Communication Studies at Eastern Washington University, USA. He has authored numerous articles, book chapters, and books in communication theory, semiotics, translation studies, general linguistics, and intercultural communication. His works have been published in the US, Russia, England, Spain, Costa Rica, Serbia, Bulgaria, India and Morocco. His textbook Principles of Intercultural Communication has been adopted by over 30 Colleges and Universities in the US. His monograph A Communication Universe: Manifestations of Meaning, Stagings of Significance won the 2012 NCA Philosophy of Communication Division 2012 Best Book Award. He is also the translator and editor of Mikhail Epstein’s book The Transformative Humanities: A Manifesto. He served as an associate editor of The American Journal of Semiotics and is the founding editor of Russian Journal of Communication.

Anthony Fitzpatrick is board member, Co-Chair and former Director of the ICC, former director of the Deutsche VolkHoschul-Verband, Germany. From February 1995 was entrusted with the affairs of the International Certificate Conference (ICC) as Secretary General, responsible for co-ordination of the work of the organisation (comprising some 15 organisations of adult and continuing education in twelve European countries, many of them members of EAEA). Has been involved in language teaching for over 40 years, in particular in England, Sweden, and Germany. As former Head of Foreign Language Projects at the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE), was responsible for the development of curricula and language examinations offered in seven European languages including Japanese. As Director of the ICC (from its founding until 2006), he coordinated the work of over 40 member organisations involved in language teaching in various sectors of education in 16 European countries. Since the launch of the education programmes of the European Commission in 1989, he has been involved in over 20 EC-funded projects, chiefly as project coordinator. He has also initiated and coordinated four major projects at the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe in Graz, Austria, since its founding in 1995.

Michael Carrier is CEO of Highdale Consulting, consults for a number of educational organisations. Has worked in language education for 30 years as a teacher, trainer, author, and director. Lectures worldwide. Formerly Director, English Language Innovation at the British Council in London, CEO of International House world schools network and Executive Director of Eurocentres USA. Focuses on teacher development, intercultural awareness, and the application of digital technology to education. Most recently co-edited Digital Language Learning. He has written a number of ELT coursebooks and skills books.

Myriam Fischer-Callus is Project Manager for the ICC-Languages EUROLTA language teachers training programme. She was Director of English Studies at the Volkhochschule in Aschaffenburg, Germany and is a member of the German work group that that developed a language portfolio for adults (accredited by the Council of Europe in 2006). She has been coaching volunteer teachers in teaching German as a second language, a teacher training concept accepted by BAMF (The German Ministry of Migration).

Dr Joongchol Kwak is Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of Interpretation & Translation (GSIT), Director of the Center for Interpreting and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), and Council member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT). Holds a PhD in Journalism & Communication. Former President of Korean Association of Translators and Interpreters (KATI). Acted as Interpreting Coordinator for the US Presidential Debates in 2016. Research interests cover interpretation of diplomatic and political discourse, medical interpreting, machine translation, and training of TV news interpreters.

Dr Chai Mingjiong is Professor in Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation (GIIT), Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). Acting Editor in Chief of East Journal of Translation. Commands nationwide prestige in the field of translation.

Dr Claudia Schuhbeck is Director of EuroCsys Intenational Liaison. She has a DSc in Education at the Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria. For the past ten years has developed innovative multicultural programmes for faculty and students at universities in different parts of the world, using the latest technology and neuroscience to increase the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Currently researcher and international liaison for European Competence Systems.

Dr Enrique F. Quero Gervilla is Dr of Linguistics, Professor of Slavic Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, Head of the Department of Greek and Slavic Philology at the University of Granada.

Dr Iván Vicente Padilla Chasing is Dr of Literary Studies, Associate Professor in the Department of Literature and Literary Studies at the National University of Colombia. Has been researching the 19th century and contemporary Colombian literature. He is part of the Sociological Aesthetics Study Group led by Professor Hélène Pouliquen at the Caro y Cuervo Institute (Bogotá).