ISIT’s Lecturer-Researchers

A multidisciplinary and intercultural team of lecturer-researchers
See below details of our lecturer-researchers
ABDULMALEK AL-ZAUM
Head of the Arabic department
Professor of Arabic translation
With a Doctorate in Comparative Literature from the University of Tours and a Master’s degree in Translation from the Ecole supérieure d’interprètes et de traducteurs (Graduate School for Interpreters and Translators – ESIT), Malek Al-Zaum is a lecturer-researcher in Arabic translation (general, technical and website translation). He also teaches Arabic at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations – INALCO) and at Paris-Sorbonne Paris IV University.
A member of the ISIT laboratory, an associate of the PLIDAM (Plurality of Languages and Identities) research team and of the CERMOM (Middle East and Mediterranean Research Centre), he has published a number of scientific works (books, articles, essays).
His publications focus on translation and literature and more generally on teaching the Arabic language.
SARAH BORDES
Academic Director of the Conference Interpreting Department
Director of International Development and Accreditations
Sarah Bordes has an ISIT Degree in Translation and Conference Interpreting and has worked for more than 30 years as a conference interpreter, as well as for French Government Ministries (Foreign Affairs, Defense and Finance), European institutions (notably the Commission), and international organizations (OECD). She is a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) and has taught conference interpreting for initial or continuing training courses since 2002.
She headed the ISIT Master’s Degree course in Conference Interpreting between 2005 and 2016, during which time the degree was first accredited by the French Government and then given Master’s status. It was also under her leadership that the Master’s became part of the EMCI (European Masters in Conference Interpreting) consortium. She took over the helm of the Conference Interpreting Department in December 2019. Director of International Development at ISIT since September 2016, she is committed to the internationalization of the School’s students and teaching staff through the development of partnerships with leading establishments, and to the promotion of ISIT, its course and degrees, across all geographical areas and settings.
Sarah Bordes is also an expert accredited by the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (Francophone University Agency – AUF) for the Expertise Dialogue program.
AGATA DE LAFORCADE
Academic Director of the Lawyer Linguist Department
Agata de Laforcade holds a Doctorate in Private Law and a Master of Advanced Studies in French and European Legal Culture from Panthéon-Assas University, Paris. She is the author of many scientific publications on jurilinguistics, criminal law, procedural law, fundamental freedoms and international law.
Within ISIT, she is the scientific and academic director of the legal courses and teaches international law, human rights, comparative law, intellectual property and contract law. She supervises the ISIT Legal Clinic as well as different research works in the legal field.
She is also a lecturer at the Institut d’études judiciaires (Institute of Judicial Studies) at Paris II Panthéon-Assas University where she lectures on fundamental freedoms and criminal law.
JOËLLE COHEN
Academic Director of the “International Digital Strategy » department
Joëlle Cohen is a consultant in Digital communication. She holds a Master’s degree in Intercultural Management from the University of Paris-Dauphine ; she is also a graduate in graphic semiology at the Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences sociales (Social sciences institution). Her research focuses on the relationships between individuals, technologies and cultures. In particular, she is interested in the digital transformation introduced by technological innovation. Her approach combines the cognitive, semiological, experiential and cultural dimensions of data processing. As a lecturer at the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne, at INA Sup and at the Gobelins school, she provides training modules based on designing and appropriating digital interfaces. She also tutors research papers for Master’s students. Since 1 September 2022, she has been Academic Director of the “International Digital Strategy » department at ISIT.
NATHALIE LORRAIN
Academic Director of the Intercultural Management Department
With a degree in demography from INED (French National Institute of Demographic Studies), a Master’s in Economic and Social Administration with an option in global trade, and a degree in social legislation from UCANSS (French National Social Security Fund), Nathalie Lorrain has headed the Itinéraires Interculturels consultancy and intercultural management and communication training company since 1997.
She is also a part-time lecturer in intercultural management at the Paris Ecole Centrale engineering school and has been director of ISIT’s Intercultural Management Department since 2021.
CHRISTINE DURIEUX
Professor of Translation Studies and Research Methodology
Emeritus University Professor (Caen-Normandy University)
Christine Durieux, is a graduate of the École Supérieure d’Interprètes et de Traducteurs (Sorbonne Graduate School for Interpreters and Translators –ESIT), has a doctorate in translation studies and an accreditation to supervise research, and is a professor at Caen-Normandy University. As director of the Translation Studies Doctoral program, she has supervised twenty or more theses and been on many panels for the assessment of theses and accreditations to supervise research in France and abroad.
She is a member of the scientific committee of several journals and is frequently called upon to assess research work. Christine Durieux is also the creator of the joint Franco-Greek Master’s in Translation Studies and Cognitive Sciences in partnership with the Ionian University in Corfu, and co-founder and scientific director of the Franco-Algerian Doctoral School of Translation.
In addition, she has worked as an expert advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on inter-university cooperation.
PASCAL ELBAZ
Professor of Translation, Terminology and the History of Ideas
Director of ISIT Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Seminars
Associate research fellow at the Institut français de recherche sur l’Asie de l’Est (French East Asia Research Institute – IFRAE)
Member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) Research Task Force
Pascale Elbaz holds a Master’s degree in philosophy from Paris IV Panthéon-Sorbonne University, a doctorate in Languages, Literature and Societies of the World (specialty the Chinese world), defended in 2014 at INALCO (National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations), and is a lecturer-researcher at ISIT.
Her courses focus on Chinese to French translation, analysis and synthesis of the Chinese press in French, the civilizations of Europe and China, and comparative terminology.
Her research interests lie in the history of ideas from the West to the Far East, the birth of modern Chinese vocabulary and the influence of western languages in this process, multilingual comparative terminology and translation teaching methods.
She is a tutor for Applied Research Projects and 1st and 2nd year Master’s students’ Research Papers.
She also teaches on continuous training courses (Ecole Ling, Traditional Chinese Medicine) and for companies doing business in China including Thalès and the CEA (French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission).
LUDOVICA MAGGI
Intercultural Communication and Translation Research Project Coordinator
Professor of Translation and Interpreting
Ludovica Maggi has a Master’s degree in Classics and Classical Languages, and a doctorate in Translation Studies. She is a conference interpreter and translator, specializing in institutional discourse and corporate communication.
She teaches translation, translation and communication theory and the history of translation. She also trains students in research methodology and supervises the writing of dissertations. Her research interests lie in the communicative dimension of translation, translating oral discourse and the input of the past in translational and communicational discourse.
DIANA SAIZ NAVARRO
Academic Director of the International Strategies and Diplomacy Department
Professor of Spanish and Latin American Law
A graduate of the Externado University of Colombia in International Economic Law, Diana Saiz Navarro has a Political Studies DEA (Diploma in Advanced Studies) from Paris II-Panthéon-Assas University and a DEA in Bioethics and Law from the University of Barcelona. She has a doctorate in Public law from the University of Paris II-Panthéon-Assas.
She is also a lawyer at Externado University of Colombia and a barrister at the Bogota Bar.
In addition, she lectures on constitutional law and the introduction to political institutions at the Universities of Paris II-Panthéon-Assas, Paris Nanterre-Paris X and Cergy-Pontoise.
Her interdisciplinary academic career has enabled her to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the legal and political systems in Europe and worldwide while developing a particular awareness of research issues in the fields of bioethics law, biomedical ethics, fundamental rights and geopolitics, from a Latin American and European angle.
Since September 1 2018, she has held the post of Academic Director of the Master’s in International Strategy and Diplomacy at ISIT where she is also a lecturer-researcher. Her academic areas of interest center round international cooperation, especially in the region of Latin America.