{"id":325,"date":"2022-05-31T09:36:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T09:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/emodgral\/?p=325"},"modified":"2022-05-31T09:38:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T09:38:14","slug":"visiting-vaxjo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/emodgral\/2022\/05\/31\/visiting-vaxjo\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting V\u00e4xj\u00f6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Arguably, there is no better time to visit a Nordic country than late May. It\u2019s starting to get lush and green again after the long winter, and people seem to have more spring in their step. After two years of isolation due to the pandemic, it definitely felt exciting and fun to be able to travel again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Linnaeus University campus, V\u00e4xj\u00f6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I had the pleasure of visiting the Department of Languages at the Linnaeus University, V\u00e4xj\u00f6, Sweden for a week to collaborate with Prof. Jukka Tyrkk\u00f6 on EModGraL research. Originally, I was supposed to be in Sweden for several months, but the pandemic turned my mobility period into a mostly virtual one. Prof. Tyrkk\u00f6 and I have been meeting on Zoom throughout this spring, so it was nice to be able to actually visit V\u00e4xj\u00f6 at least once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Tyrkk\u00f6 and I have mostly collaborated on two topics: the quantitative methods used in the EModGraL project and the case studies related to graphic devices in early medical writing (work packages 1 and 2 of the project). During my stay in V\u00e4xj\u00f6, we gave a joint seminar paper on the EModGraL project in the Higher Seminar for Languages. I met several colleagues from the department, many of them working on topics related to translation studies or teaching\/learning English. I also learnt the basics of JMP (statistical software).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Evening walk from campus to town centre. Photo: MLV.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although it would have been nice to stay in V\u00e4xj\u00f6 longer, this experience proved that a mainly virtual mobility period can still be very useful. My previous long stays abroad have mainly consisted of working in libraries holding special collections, and in those cases, it would have been impossible to replace an actual visit with Zoom calls. This time, Prof. Tyrkk\u00f6 and I mostly collaborated on methods and joint publications, which could be done reasonably well on Zoom. We also talked about the university and how things are run there, so when I was finally able to visit, I already knew a lot about the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would definitely recommend this kind of virtual mobility for those situations where it makes sense. By virtual mobility I don\u2019t just mean a random Zoom call but rather sustained collaboration over a specific period, for example three months or a year, focusing on a specific topic or research project. Virtual mobility is also sustainable and affordable, and may sometimes be more feasible for researchers with family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n