On the 20th anniversary of AELFE- A note from the President

The field of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) is attracting the interest of an increasing number of teachers and researchers, who respond to the growing need for the study of languages applied to a wide range of academic and professional domains in our globalized, multilingual society. From diverse situations and perspectives, LSP scholars have engaged in debates that have contributed to the development and consolidation of the discipline. In the year 2012, LSP celebrates its 50th anniversary, which Upton (2012) highlights in the past issue of Ibérica, reviewing how it has evolved over the past decades and envisaging prospects for the future. His diachronic account of central LSP issues – namely needs analysis, language, and materials and methods – attests the shift in focus towards a dynamic, socially-embedded activity that takes into account the complexities of texts, contexts, and learners ’ needs. Another recent review of the field can be found in the focus issue that the Modern Language Journal (2012) has devoted to the evolution of LSP over the past 20 years, looking at different aspects, such as contexts in which LSP is taught, specialized discourse, curriculum and assessment issues, the role of the teacher, the expansion of LSP research, and the applications of technology. It is this context of consolidation of LSP that marks the 20 years of AELFE (Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos / European Association of Languages for Specific Purposes), and this special issue of Ibérica is devoted to the celebration of our anniversary. Twenty years of intense activity and profound changes are difficult to summarize, but this issue of Ibérica reviews some of the main trends that have shaped the evolution of the field and intends to open up debates for the coming future. This combination of invited anniversary notes by recognized scholars and regular articles by active LSP researchers reflects the evolution of LSP and its good health, with a look to the future. LSP teachers and researchers are characterized by being creative, innovative, and flexible (Swales, 1985; Robinson, 1991), usually working in collaboration within an interdisciplinary and complex field, which involves greater specialization, interaction with multiple audiences and increasing academi