At the center of the humanities is a powerful commitment to the resources of language, which is why all IPH majors study a foreign language: to study another language is to sharpen the knowledge of one's own language. In 2006, IPH inaugurated an informal set of conversations about translation, perhaps the most athletic engagement with language. The four conversations on theory and practice were led by four distinguished translators:

Carl Phillips, Writing Program, Department of English, WU
"Sense and Sensibility: The Art and Controversies of Translation"

Michael Kandel, Modern Language Association
"Literary Translation: Are There Principles or Only Rules of Thumb?"

Ebba Segerberg
"Translating Swedish Crime Fiction"

Fatemeh Keshavarz, Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures
"Wonderous Birds Grow From the Palm of My Hand: Translating the Mystical Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi"