UCO researchers discuss language as a barrier and a bridge in a San Basilio patio
A ‘Patios de Ciencia’ gathering brought together specialists in translation and bilingual education to talk about the anxiety of speaking another language, interpreting for migrants, and language teaching.
Redacción · Published on September 15, 2026
Speaking a language other than one's mother tongue can trigger a stress response in the brain, which comes to perceive the situation as a threat. This reaction affects the areas responsible for logical thinking and memory, which can cause blocks when expressing oneself. Even those who master a second language tend to fall back on their mother tongue in situations of vulnerability, as was explained at the gathering.
For this reason, translation and interpreting become especially relevant in caring for migrants, since language can act both as a barrier and as a bridge to communication.
This reflection was the focus of a new ‘Patios de Ciencia’ gathering, an activity held within the programme of the European Researchers' Night, which revives the conversational format of Cordoban patios with science from the University of Córdoba (UCO) as the protagonist. The event took place in a patio in the San Basilio neighbourhood.
The dialogue involved researchers Pilar Castillo Bernal and Carmen Expósito Castro, from the COMMINT group: Translation and Interpreting, Foreign Languages and Communication, together with Mª Elena Gómez Parra and Lourdes García Marín, from the Bilingual and Intercultural Education group. The gathering was moderated by journalist Marta Jiménez Zafra.
During the conversation, topics included the anxiety generated by speaking a foreign language, the cross-cutting nature of translation, and the question of whether artificial intelligence is truly capable of translating or merely simulates doing so. The need to change the approach to language teaching was also raised, embracing error as a necessary part of learning.
About fifteen people attended the gathering, taking part in the debate by sharing their own experiences learning other languages, the shortcomings of the education system in the face of the demands placed on teachers, and the diversity of Spanish across the different countries where it is spoken.
For this reason, translation and interpreting become especially relevant in caring for migrants, since language can act both as a barrier and as a bridge to communication.
This reflection was the focus of a new ‘Patios de Ciencia’ gathering, an activity held within the programme of the European Researchers' Night, which revives the conversational format of Cordoban patios with science from the University of Córdoba (UCO) as the protagonist. The event took place in a patio in the San Basilio neighbourhood.
The dialogue involved researchers Pilar Castillo Bernal and Carmen Expósito Castro, from the COMMINT group: Translation and Interpreting, Foreign Languages and Communication, together with Mª Elena Gómez Parra and Lourdes García Marín, from the Bilingual and Intercultural Education group. The gathering was moderated by journalist Marta Jiménez Zafra.
During the conversation, topics included the anxiety generated by speaking a foreign language, the cross-cutting nature of translation, and the question of whether artificial intelligence is truly capable of translating or merely simulates doing so. The need to change the approach to language teaching was also raised, embracing error as a necessary part of learning.
About fifteen people attended the gathering, taking part in the debate by sharing their own experiences learning other languages, the shortcomings of the education system in the face of the demands placed on teachers, and the diversity of Spanish across the different countries where it is spoken.