Open Access

The global population is ageing, and with it the demand for health and social care. However, the number of people working in the sector is not keeping pace with the change, and the people who have traditionally provided informal and voluntary care are under increasing pressure. This growing gap between need and resources presents a challenge to countries in Europe and beyond, and all are seeking care and support arrangements that are better adapted and prepared for the future. There is evidence from research and practice that technology can help to meet the challenge. However, it is still rare to find good matches between the technology and needs, and many potentially useful technical solutions do not find their way to those who could benefit. This policy paper is one outcome from a project which investigated these issues across a range of European countries. The key recommendations are A vision of good later life: Developments in technology and caring need to be seen in the context of a vision of good later life, as understood by those who receive care and those who provide it, and in a framework of human rights. This matters because while it is clear that technology can play an important part in improving the quality of life of older people, technological interests are sometimes prioritised over client needs. Policy coordination: Governments should aim for better coordination of public policymaking. This should include not only the most obvious Departments – health and social care services - but also digital services, housing, transport, employment, vocational training and others. This matters because technological development is taking place on a piecemeal basis, and relevant government Departments and agencies are not always involved or coordinated. This leads to inefficient use of resources. Consumer information: A service or agency is needed, ideally at European level, to undertake independent evaluation of the technologies and tools available, and use that to provide information in appropriate forms to government, organisations providing care, carers and older people themselves. This matters because although a great deal of relevant creative technological innovation is taking place in Europe, and it is difficult to establish what is available, what works, in what circumstances, for what groups of older people and at what cost. As a result, governments, care providers and older people themselves, risk making poor investment decisions, in the development of tools and their purchase, delivery and use. Digital literacy: Governments should ensure that appropriate education is available to enable older people and their carers to confidently make use of the technologies available. This matters because older people are the least likely group to have developed digital skills, although their quality of life, and the efficient use of the services available, will increasingly depend on confident use of technologies. Carers must be included because, while they can be valuable in supporting older people in the use of technologies, they can also be a barrier when they lack the necessary digital skills themselves.

This chapter (1.3) from the book "Zeugnisse der Unterbrechung von Gewalt im Krieg – Grundlegung einer Theologischen Ethik des nicht suspendierten Zweifels" Michael Schober, Hildesheim 2019 (2012) - is entitled "The Meaning of 'The Interruption of Violence'” and is a preamble to the theologian’s analysis of the Christmas Truce 1914. His thesis, examining other “interruptions of violence” in the First and Second World War and drawing on primary sources and eye witness accounts, is based on a deep belief in peace ethics and inspired by the American political theorist Michael Walzer.

This empirical study in Cognitive Translation Studies investigates whether and how translation into a foreign language (L2) differs from translation into the native language (L1) in terms of the translation process, the effort and the product. The rationale behind the study was to investigate prejudices towards translation into the L2 that persist in Translation Studies, translation training and practice despite the fact that it is widely practiced and even is the main translation direction in many language communities. The study focuses on the German-English language pair, also in view of the continually high demand for translations into English in German-speaking countries. As participants, qualified non-literary translators who are used to translating professionally both from their L1 German into their L2 English and vice versa performed two translation tasks under controlled conditions. The control groups consisted of professional translators who translate exclusively into their L1, i.e. either into German or into English. Following a mixed methods approach, the main study investigated the translation processes using methods of translation process research: keystroke logging, screen recording, retrospective verbal protocol, eye tracking and interview. From the principal process activities writing, revising, information searching and pausing, process descriptors were derived, analysed and compared. By triangulating results with data from the target text analysis, indicators of translation effort were measured. For the vast majority of the process descriptors and effort indicators, the results showed no statistically significant differences with regard to translation direction. In the substudy, intended addressees of the English target texts assessed the texts’ acceptability based on their own criteria and without resorting to the source text. The results showed no statistically significant difference in target text quality with regard to translation direction. In summary, this study showed that translation direction clearly plays no significant role in the translation process, the product quality and the translation effort. It thus invalidates preconceptions about translation into L2.

In a globally fast-changing world, dedicated conservationists play a central role in societies moving towards the achievement of sustainable development. How do people become advocates for nature? Research suggests that childhood experiences in natural places are core determinants for the development of environmental stewardship. In many developing countries, however, access to intact natural environments is limited. This study explores formative influences on individuals who actively contribute to nature conservation and environmental education (EE) in Madagascar. We conducted nine semi-structured interviews with participants in a national EE workshop. Formative experiences were reported mainly from university years, and influential persons were researchers and high school teachers, many from abroad. The media also play a considerable role, while negative experiences, familial influences, or experience of natural areas during childhood were rarely mentioned. In contrast to former studies, the results suggest that direct experiences of nature can still be decisive in determining a young person’s path as a dedicated environmental practitioner during young adulthood. Role models who are active in the conservation and sustainable development fields can compensate for a lack of familial models. These findings might require a rethinking of current educational practices in Madagascar because children might not be the only important group to target with educational interventions.

Demographic, epidemiological and societal changes are challenges to which all European countries are forced to find solutions. In addition, the so-called “digital transformation” is taking place, with digitization proceeding rapidly in all European countries, although with differing intensity and speed. With high expectations and hopes being placed on technical systems in health and social care, numerous innovations have been developed and piloted. However, for various reasons, many of these are not in regular use. Whereas technology is developing rapidly, policy, research and practice are advancing at a significantly slower pace, lagging behind the potential of technical innovations. To maximize the current and future benefits of technological innovation in the field of care, the Joint Programming Initiative “More Years, Better Lives – The Potential and Challenges of Demographic Change” has initiated a review and synthesis of knowledge, in the form of a “fast-track” project. Bringing in experts and stakeholders to collect available knowledge in a short time. This process aims to develop a common vision of care in times of digitization and explore what contribution new and emerging technologies can make to good life bearing in mind the critical role of care, health and welfare services as people age. This is designed to help guide policy development, resource allocation and research efforts in this field. Acknowledging the limited duration of the fast-track process, from March to October 2020, a pragmatic approach was taken. The project focuses on a challenge-driven perspective. The target audiences of this report are hence decision-makers in research policy, social policy and labour market policy, researchers and research funders addressing ageing, health and social care and technology, and tech companies active in that context. The coordination of the overall fast-track project has been funded by the Department of Interactive Technologies for Health and Quality of Life at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and operationally supported by its funding agency VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH. In addition, the participants and authors of Chapters are funded by their countries.