What can we learn from the way a suicide note was written? How can police notes taken during an interview influence the witness and suspect statements used in court to determine guilt and innocence? How is EU decision-­‐making influenced by the language(s) of the international delegates? These are just a few questions that will be addressed at the Germanic Society for Forensic Linguistics 2014 Roundtable which will take place from September 5-­‐7, 2014, in Mainz, Germany.

At this special CSI event, forensic experts and students from around the world will explore the ways in which crime, language, and the law interact and impact upon our daily lives. The keynote speakers are, UK Special Crimes officer and expert in Police Interrogation expert, Detective M. Allen (UK); Dr. S. Blackwell (UK), world famous forensic linguist and private forensic consultant; Dr. B. Eisenwort (AT), clinical linguist at the Wiener Institute for Suicide Research; and Dr. F. van der Houwen (NL), forensic linguist and expert witness from the Netherlands. In addition to these keynote speakers, the 2014GSFL will feature expert speeches from Tunisia to Australia, from Germany to Brazil.

The goal of the GSFL is to promote the field of forensic linguistics and to encourage international cooperation between linguists, criminologists, interpreters, sociologists, psychologists, lawyers, and the police.

Members of the public and press are welcome. However, given the limited space and the serious and often graphic nature of the forensic topics which will be discussed, advanced permission must be granted by the GSFL administration.

For more information about the event and/or to reserve your seating, see the conference website. For any enquiries about the Roundtable, contact Dr. I. M. Laversuch Nick at mavi[dot]yaz(at)web[dot]de.