Changes in society connected to catchwords like “digitalization” and “globalization” are being increasingly incorporated into target agreements between universities and the respective ministries of science and research. In the process, the internationalization of universities has become a focal point as well. More and more universities are becoming aware of the fact that internationalization is linked with language policies, i.e. the way a university deals with languages, the way it shows their relevance within and outside the institution, the way it values languages and encourages its members to learn languages.

German science and research organizations and governing boards play an important role in this. The Federal Board of Universities (HRK) has often pointed out the issue of language politics both in recent publications (2011, 2019) and in several audits on internationalization. By taking part in the AKS conference at Weimar (2018) it has sent an important signal towards an even closer collaboration between the two institutions (AKS and HRK). The Federal Scientific Council as well has paid particular attention to languages and language politics in its recommendations on internationalization of universities (2018).

Thus, it is not by chance that the 2020 AKS conference, to take place in Frankfurt (Oder), is entitled “Languages.Politics.Language Policies”, as this stresses the close relationship between language and politics. Languages make and determine politics, politics determine languages, and university governing boards as well as other stakeholders of the scientific community are becoming increasingly aware of the power of language politics.

In this working group, experts in language politics and university language policies will report on current issues and trends. Language policies as well as the impact of a scientific approach to language politics on university practical applications will be presented and discussed. In this respect, both strategically driven top-down decisions and needs-oriented bottom-up-analyses play an important part. Even if language centers play a central role, language politics and policies affect every sector and every member of a university.