Dear TIRF Supporters & Trustees,

I am thrilled to share the remarkable success of the 1st International Conference on Applied Linguistics in Asia (ICALA), held last week at the Taipa Campus of City University of Macau, coinciding with our 45^th anniversary. This landmark event brought together over 200 scholars and researchers from more than 70 esteemed institutions worldwide, creating a vibrant platform for exploring critical issues in applied linguistics.

The theme of the conference was “Global Currents, Local Voices: Applied Linguistics Across Asia.” As its organizer, City University of Macau’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences appreciated great support from the Association of Applied Linguistics in Asia (Macao), and four prominent academic journals: Journal of World Languages (De Gruyter), Linguistics and the Human Sciences (University of Toronto Press), Studies of Applied Linguistics in Asia (Scilight), and WORD (Taylor & Francis).

During the opening ceremony, I had the honor of welcoming our distinguished guests and scholars. I emphasized Asia’s critical role in advancing applied linguistics and our commitment to fostering high-level academic platforms for research, language education, and cross-cultural dialogue. 

The conference also marked the official launch of the Association of Applied Linguistics in Asia (Macao) and the inaugural issue of its journal, Studies of Applied Linguistics in Asia (SALA). These initiatives, together with our comprehensive talent development system in applied linguistics, form a robust triad of “Association + Journal + Talent Development.” This framework aims to cultivate cutting-edge research and enhance the international presence of Asian scholars.

The conference featured a diverse program, including: two special seminars, three keynote speeches, three plenary lectures, 24 parallel sessions, and one panel discussion which centered on three core areas:

1. Frontier theories and methodologies in linguistics and applied linguistics;
2. The intersection of artificial intelligence and language education; and
3. Sociocultural and transnational identity.

Participants engaged with topics such as narrative analysis, discourse analysis, AI-assisted academic writing, multilingual contexts, and intercultural communication in the digital era.

We were privileged to host a distinguished lineup of scholars, including Prof. Martin Cortazzi (University of Warwick), Prof. Li Wei (University College London), Prof. Zhang Jun (University of Auckland), Prof. Shameem Rafik-Galea (Chair of the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics), Prof. Kornwipa Poonpon (Chair of the Thailand Association of Applied Linguistics), and many more esteemed colleagues from across the globe.

The success of ICALA 2026 has not only marked a pivotal moment for our university but also solidified Macao’s position as a regional hub for international academic exchange. We are excited about the new momentum this brings to the sustainable development of applied linguistics, both in Asia and worldwide. More importantly, I hope ICALA will serve as a platform to work with TIRF in promoting cutting-edge research in English language education towards its future.

Warm regards,

Jun Liu, PhD

TIRF President