"Untranslatable" and AI, with Barbara Cassin of the Académie française / Special Lecture

Conference Culture, Leisure, Student Life, Staff Life, Campus Life, Scientific and Technical Culture
June 10, 2026Saint-Martin-d'Hères - Louis Weil Amphitheater
The philosopher Barbara Cassin explores words that defy perfect translation and reveal the uniqueness of languages and cultures.

Untranslatable Words and AI: Words That Make Machines Hesitate?

An untranslatable is not what we do not translate, but what we never stop (not) translating. According to Jacques Lacan, ambiguities—traces of the history of languages—are its most visible signs. Feeding an AI with as many of these untranslatables as possible would be a novel exploration of translation: would this “learning” enrich our collective relationship with language?
In this lecture, Barbara Cassin examines the uses of translation—whether automatic or not—in dialogue with scientists from the University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA): Caroline Rossi from the ILCEA4 laboratory, Anthony Bonnemaison from IPhiG, and Benjamin Lecouteux from the MIAI AI/LIG Cluster; a cross-disciplinary perspective combining translation studies, philosophy, and artificial intelligence.

About Barbara Cassin

Barbara Cassin is a French philosopher who explores the power of words. A specialist in Greek philosophy, translation, and the connections between language and thought, she was awarded the Grand Prix de Philosophie by the Académie française in 2012 and received the CNRS Gold Medal in 2018. She was elected a member of the Académie française that same year. Through her work, she develops an original line of thought at the intersection of philosophy, the humanities, and contemporary issues of language.

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Free event; reservations required; open to everyone.

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Published on April 14, 2026
Updated on May 22, 2026