Stories in Mediation Travel to Orleans: A Linguistic, Multimodal, and Cognitive Perspective

Researcher Inés Olza, principal investigator ofthe “Vínculos, Creatividad y Cultura” (ICS) project ( group ), has completed a seven-month subject at the Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies (Le Studium), located in the French city of Orléans. For researchers, this of academic experience abroad always represents a new opportunity to gain new knowledge in their field of study and establish connections with other researchers. In this case, moreover, “the stay has been particularly fruitful because it took place framework as part of a fellowship awarded by Le Studium (Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies), one of the European Institutes for programs of study Advanced Studies (FIAS/EURIAS) that annually host cohorts of researchers from various disciplines to integrate into Departments and laboratories in the region,” explains Inés Olza. “It was, therefore, a stay integrated into a very well-established scientific framework and exchange , aimed at ensuring that experienced researchers make the most of this subject of residencies, ”she adds.

At the University of Orléans, the researcher has joined the Laboratoire Ligérien de Linguistique (LLL), one of the leading international centers reference letter for the construction, automatic processing, and linguistic analysis of spoken corpora, as well as serving as manager for the largest sociolinguistic corpus in language French (ESLO). In this context, Olza has developed his NarratIMproject , which, as he explains, “has been a perfect fit for the laboratory, as it has focused on examining narrative construction patterns in criminal and family mediation sessions belonging to the oral and multimodal corpus of our project MultiDeMe, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.” Furthermore, “the LLL team has been actively involved in providing, sharing, and discussing tools, methods, data , and results, with Prof. Biagio Ursi serving as the principal manager for my stay.”

International experiences not only enrich the “ researcher ” academically, but also have an impact on a staff level. Olza emphasizes this, noting: “I’m completely in love with Orléans, which combines a fascinating history (among other things, it’s the city of Joan of Arc) with the vibrant natural surroundings of the Loire River. One of the great advantages for Le Studium fellows in Orléans is that they are housed in renovated apartments at the Château de la Motte Sanguin, on the banks of the Loire River in the city center. Living, studying, and strolling in the setting of this château has been a privilege I’ve appreciated every day.”

In the academic sphere, Olza notes: “I have been fortunate to work with a team of fellow linguists who are outstanding in every academic and personal sense. At Le Studium—whose regular interdisciplinary meetings I have also attended—I have been welcomed into a dynamic, international community, and I will continue to be a part of its alumni network .”

The visit has been particularly productive and has included quiet time to write and finalize papers and publications and to co-organize an internationalworkshop in Orléans, as well as time to make plans for the future, including organizing a panel at the upcoming IPrA “ congress ” in Helsinki (2027).

In addition, the close connection that Inés Olza has established with LLL made it possible for two pre-doctoral researchers from the “Vínculos, Creatividad y Cultura” group — Javier Yániz and Nadia Aldunate—to be hosted by that same center as part of the Erasmus+ program’s framework . Likewise, this partnership enabled two researchers from the “ group ” and the “network ” (CoCoMInt)— Carmela Pérez-Salazar and María José Gallucci—to each undertake an Erasmus+ visit to the LLL.