Category: Recent news

Boekgeselsie met Susan L

Leer ons ken deur die boeke wat ons lees!

Vandeesmaand gesels ons met Susan Lotz. Sy is ŉ taalpraktisyn en inhoudskoördineerder by die Taalsentrum. “Onder andere koördineer ek inhoud en boodskapoordrag by die Taalsentrum om ŉ bewustheid van die Sentrum se bedrywighede aan te wakker en om meertaligheid aan die Universiteit te bevorder,” verduidelik sy.

Wat is die titel van jou gunstelingboek, of ŉ boek wat ŉ diep indruk op jou gemaak het, of ŉ boek wat jy om die een of ander rede as onvergeetlik ervaar het?
Daar is baie sulke boeke omdat ek groot genot put uit lees, maar die een wat ek vandag met julle wil deel, is The Cello Suites deur Eric Sieblin.

Hoekom het hierdie boek jou só beïndruk?
Van alle musiek luister ek die heel graagste na tjellomusiek en Johann Sebastian Bach is een van my gunstelingkomponiste. Hierdie boek is enersyds ŉ ode aan die tjello en andersyds ŉ mymering oor Bach en die omstandighede waaronder sy tjellosuites (waarvan ek vreeslik hou) neergeskryf is; dit was dus vir my ŉ louter vreugde om die boek te lees! Ook het dit die Katalaanse tjellis, Pablo Casals, aan my bekendgestel, wat op sigself ŉ wonderlike ontdekking was omdat dit my nog uitsonderlike musiek gegee het waarin ek my kan verlustig. Die boek is glad nie tegnies nie, dis goed geskryf en dis boeiend – die outeur weef verskeie storielyne saam en dus is dit moeilik om dit neer te sit! Dis ŉ ware fees van ŉ musikale reis wat op ’n diep vlak met my geresoneer het.

Wie is jou gunstelingouteur(s)? Hoe só?
Ek dink dit hang af van op watter plek ek my bevind – ek het boeke deur skrywers soos Ingrid Winterbach, Lien Botha, Deon Meyer, Stieg Larsson, Laurie R King, Margaret Atwood, Jeanette Winterson, Neil Gaiman en Terry Pratchett al baie geniet. Ek het die Game of Thrones-boeke deur George RR Martin verslind, en verkies die boeke bó die verfilmde reeks. Twee Ierse outeurs na wie ek telkens terugkeer, is Niall Williams en Maggie O’Farrel.

Wat lees jy op die oomblik?
Where the Crawdads Sing, deur Delia Owens, en Skepsel deur Willem Anker (ŉ herlees omdat ek die Afrikaans waarin hierdie boek geskryf is, so geniet).

Verkies jy dit om ‘regte’ gedrukte boeke te lees, of lees jy eerder boeke op ŉ Kindle of ŉ ander elektroniese platform? Wat is die rede vir jou voorkeur?
Gedrukte boeke wen elke keer. Ek bestee soveel tyd daaraan om as deel van my werk en my lewe woorde op rekenaarskerms te lees dat dit vir my ŉ groot lekkerte is om woorde op papier te lees. Maar ek is aanpasbaar – as ek op my tablet toegang tot ŉ boek het, sal die tablet aan my sy bly totdat ek die boek klaar gelees het. Ek moet egter erken dat ek nogal hou van die idee dat minder bome afgekap word. Om dié rede koop eerder tweedehandse boeke, indien moontlik, of ek leen ŉ boek by iemand.

Watter boek het jy al meer as een keer gelees? Vertel ons hoekom?
The Cello Suites, om dit weer van voor af te geniet en omdat dit onmoontlik is om tydens die eerste lees al die inligting in te neem of te onthou; en Minoes, omdat dit so ŉ prettige boek is! Ook af en toe ŉ Harry Potter-boek (JK Rowling), om my geheue te verfris oor wie waar inpas, om terug te dink aan waar ek was toe ek hulle die eerste keer gelees het, en om met my niggies oor die stories en karakters te gesels. Four Letters of Love deur Niall Williams net omdat dit so dromerig is en dit voel asof ŉ mens saam met die karakters op die Ierse platteland is terwyl jy die storie lees. Ek soek boeke wat iets spesiaals vir my gedoen het, weer op.

Wie is jou gunsteling- literêre karakter?
Minoes (in Minoes deur Annie MG Schmidt, die Afrikaanse vertaling van die oorspronklike Nederlands). Minoes is ŉ kat en ŉ meisie – dikwels gelyktydig!

Het jy dalk ŉ lewensles by ŉ boek of ŉ karakter uit ŉ boek geleer wat jy met ons wil deel, as jy dit nog nie in een van jou ander antwoorde genoem het nie?
ŉ Karakter soos Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo inspireer my en daag my uit om dapper te wees en te hanteer wat ook al hanteer moet word, en herinner my daaraan dat dit heeltemal in orde is om eksentriek te wees.

Dit hang net af of ŉ mens ontvanklik daarvoor is – of jy dié waarhede kan absorbeer of werklik hóór.”

Watter boek of boeke kan jy by jou vriende, studente en enige iemand anders aanbeveel?

Ja, hier is ŉ paar musiekstories:
The Cello Suites deur Eric Sieblin
A Genius in the Family deur Hilary en Piers du Pré
An Equal Music deur Vikram Seth (daar is selfs ŉ amptelike kompilasie op CD van al die stukke wat in die boek genoem word en dis waarskynlik ook op musiekstromingsdienste beskikbaar)
As It is in Heaven deur Niall Williams (met baie Vivaldi)
The Concert Pianist deur Conrad Williams

En nog ŉ paar aanbevelings:
The Little Prince deur Antoine de Saint Exupéry
Four Letters of Love deur Niall Williams
My Dream of You deur Nuala O’Faolain
After You’d Gone deur Maggie O’Farrel
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-trilogie deur Stieg Larsson
The Game of Thrones-boeke deur George RR Martin
The MadAddam-trilogie deur Margaret Atwood
Folly deur Laury R King
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close deur Jonathan Safran Foer
Lighthousekeeping deur Jeanette Winterson
Forests of the Heart deur Charles de Lindt
Good Omens deur Terry Pratchett en Neil Gaiman
Die Witches-trilogie deur Terry Pratchett (en daarna sal jy ŉ slaaf wees!)

En iets in Afrikaans:
Skepsel deur Willem Anker
Die Aanspraak van Lewende Wesens deur Ingrid Winterbach
Wonderboom deur Lien Botha
Verlorenkop deur Celesté Fritze

1 June 2023Tags: Bach, Eric Sieblin, Ingrid Winterbach, Minoes, musiekstories, Neil Gaiman, Skepsel, Stieg Larsson, Terry Pratchett, The girl with the dragon tattoo, tjello, Willem Anker

Meet our English teachers!

Meet our English portfolio! Our teachers are all experts in teaching English as a second language and thrive in seeing their students reach new limits. The English portfolio aims to create a fun and engaging environment as students go on their English language learning journey.

Do you recognise one of your teachers? Tell us what you loved about them!

The SU Language Centre’s English portfolio offers certified courses for local and international students, including Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), the Intensive English Programme (IEP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Learn more here.

Fatima Halday

“My job as a coordinator is to critically plan, synchronise and execute tasks with fluidity, and to build and cultivate partnerships with key stakeholders. As a team leader I create an environment of openness and transparency overcoming complexity by communicating thoughtfully and clearly. I encourage my team to embody a spirit of adaptability. As a lecturer, I aim to create a culture of dialogic and transformative learning in the classroom promoting critical and creative thinking.”

Ammie Henson

“I am an English Second Language (ESL) teacher for the English Portfolio at the SU Language Centre, and the assistant coordinator of the Intensive English Programme (IEP). My job is to make second language acquisition an engaging and meaningful process for my students in a safe and inclusive learning environment that fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and effective communication skills. Through the implementation and use of differentiated instruction, authentic materials and interactive activities, my mission is to empower my students to express themselves confidently and accurately in English, while also appreciating and understanding different cultures and perspectives. My ultimate goal is to create lifelong learners and effective global communicators who can navigate diverse contexts with cultural sensitivity and linguistic proficiency.”

Eppie Mcfarlane

“My job is to teach English to students in the English portfolio. I train students who sign up for the SU TEFL courses to become TEFL-trained teachers. I also teach English for Academic Purposes and other courses in the portfolio, wherever I am needed, online or in person. I derive great satisfaction from seeing how new teachers or foreign students develop throughout the courses.”

Tammy Kilroe-Palmer

“My job as an English language teacher is to help my students develop their language skills through an intensive and immersive learning experience. I facilitate the learning process by providing clear instructions, modelling proper language use and creating a stimulating and supportive learning environment for my students.”

Sabrina Thompson

“My job is to assist second-language students to develop their English language skills in a fun, accessible and entertaining way. The most enjoyable part of being a teacher is enabling students to explore their own limits and being a guide to help them along the journey.”

Cynthia Slattery

“My job is to assist students to enjoy speaking English in public, with confidence and conviction. I do this by creating stimulating learning opportunities that allow students to practise their skills.”

Jacques Cilliers

“I am an English teacher working with students from all over the world, from Elementary to Advanced. My job involves being a resource to others and building bonds with my students.”

Jesse Beukes

“I am an intern in the English portfolio. In order to help the portfolio and its members with their numerous tasks and initiatives, one of the main responsibilities of my job is to maintain clear communication networks. Through several opportunities for hands-on learning, personalised guidance and discovering the various resources SU has to offer, I am learning how to function as a part of the Language Centre’s well-oiled machine.”

26 May 2023Tags: English, English as a second language, English courses, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English portfolio, English teacher, Intensive English Programme (IEP), Learning English, life is language, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Africa Day 2023: Our Africa, our future

In recognition of its wonder and multifaceted nature, the month of May is dedicated to Africa.

Africa Day itself is celebrated on 25 May – this year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (now known as the African Union), founded on 25 May 1963. On this day, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and vowed to encourage nation-building through unity and freedom from oppression.

This month, the Language Centre has chosen to highlight the important roles that interpreters have played on the African continent to overcome language barriers – from the professional linguists and praise singers of tribal African societies to the modern-day interpreters who facilitate nation-building and provide access to services by interpreting in national parliaments, conferences, courts and hospitals. And, of course, we also think of the educational interpreters who make it possible for university lectures to be understood in Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa and South African Sign Language.

The practice of interpreting from one language to another on the African continent, as elsewhere, goes back thousands of years.

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In many African societies, the professional linguists or praise singers belonged to a long line of gifted multilingual orators who devised praise songs on important public occasions to celebrate the victories and glorious qualities of the chief and his ancestors.”

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The oral art of West African griots (‘bards’) and Southern African iimbongi (‘praise singers’) continues today, with praise singers acting as modern political commentators.

The hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1996 to 1998 marked the first opportunity for many South Africans to become acquainted with the marvels of simultaneous interpreting in the eleven official languages of South Africa. Interpreters facilitated reconciliation during the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Since then, they have continued to help to build South Africa as a nation at national and provincial legislatures, municipal council meetings and conferences. Other major employers of interpreters in Africa include the African Union, Pan-African Parliament, UNON (the United Nations Office in Nairobi), SADC (the Southern African development community) and the African Development Bank.

All around the world, sign language interpreters are known for facilitating access to education for Deaf students, but what is less well known is that spoken language interpreters can do the same for hearing students. This way several South African universities make university lectures accessible to students who are not necessarily so comfortable in the language of teaching. At SU, our educational interpreters work in Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa and South African Sign Language.

We celebrate the role interpreting has played over the years to help Africa and its people connect and prosper. At the Language Centre we consider ourselves privileged to be part of that story, and also to be part of the future of Africa – our Africa.

If you’re an interpreter working in Africa, please share your story with us. E-mail us at taalsentrum@sun.ac.za.

Source:
Wallmach, K. 2015. Africa. In Pöchhacker, F. (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Interpreting Studies. London: Routledge.

Blog by Dr Kim Wallmach, Director of the Language Centre

23 May 2023Tags: Africa Day, African societies, African Union, Educational interpreting, interpreting, life is language, multilingualism, Organisation of African Unity, South African Sign Language, Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Afrikadag 2023: Ons Afrika, ons toekoms

Om die vele fasette en wonder van Afrika te erken, word Meimaand aan Afrika opgedra.

Afrikadag self word op 25 Mei gevier om die stigting van die Organisasie vir Afrika-eenheid (nou bekend as die Afrika-unie), op 25 Mei 1963 te herdenk. Op hierdie dag, 60 jaar gelede, onderteken leiers van 30 van die 32 onafhanklike Afrikastate ŉ stigtingsakte in Addis Abeba, Etiopië. Daar onderneem hulle om nasiebou deur eenheid en vryheid van onderdrukking aan te moedig.

Die Taalsentrum het besluit om vandeesmaand die belangrike rol wat tolke tot dusver op die Afrika-vasteland gespeel het om taalgrense oor te steek, uit te lig – van die professionele taalkundiges en pryssangers van stamgebonde Afrika-samelewings tot hedendaagse tolke wat nasiebou fasiliteer en toegang tot dienste bewerkstellig deur in nasionale parlemente, kongresse, howe en hospitale te tolk. En natuurlik dink ons ook aan die opvoedkundige tolke wat dit moontlik maak dat universiteitslesings in Afrikaans, Engels, Xhosa en Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal aangebied kan word.

Die gebruik om in Afrika van een taal na ŉ ander te tolk, het reeds duisende jare gelede ontstaan, soos dit ook elders die geval is.

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In baie Afrika-samelewings het die professionele taalkundiges of pryssangers tot ŉ lang linie begaafde meertalige oratore behoort wat pryssange op belangrike openbare geleenthede aangehef het om die oorwinnings en roem van die stamhoof en sy voorsate te besing.”

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Die orale kuns van Wes-Afrikaanse griots (sanger-digters) en Suider-Afrikaanse iimbongi (pryssangers) word tot vandag toe nog voortgesit, met die pryssangers wat as hedendaagse politieke kommentators optree.

Die verhore van die Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie van 1996 tot 1998 was die eerste blootstelling wat menige Suid-Afrikaners aan die wonder van simultane tolking in Suid-Afrika se 11 amptelike tale gehad het. Tolke het tydens die verhore van die Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie versoening gefasiliteer. Sedertdien het hulle gehelp om Suid-Afrika op te bou by nasionale en provinsiale wetgewers, munisipale raadsvergaderings en kongresse. Ander belangrike werkgewers vir tolke in Afrika sluit in die Afrika-unie, Pan-Afrika-parlement, UNON (die Verenigde Nasies se Kantoor in Nairobi), SADC (die Suider-Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsgemeenskap) en die Afrika-ontwikkelingsbank.

Gebaretaaltolke is wêreldwyd bekend vir die toegang tot onderwys wat hulle vir Dowe studente fasiliteer, maar wat minder bekend is, is dat gesproketaaltolke dieselfde kan doen vir horende studente. Verskeie Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite maak universiteitslesings op hierdie manier toeganklik vir studente wat nie noodwendig so gemaklik in die taal van onderrig is nie. Aan die US werk ons opvoedkundige tolke in Afrikaans, Engels, Xhosa en Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal.

Ons gee graag erkenning aan die rol wat tolking oor die jare heen gespeel het om Afrika en sy mense met mekaar te help verbind en sodoende vooruitgang te help bewerkstellig. Ons by die Taalsentrum beskou onsself as bevoorreg om deel van hierdie verhaal te wees, en ook om deel van die toekoms van Afrika te wees – ons Afrika.

As jy dalk ŉ tolk is wat in Afrika werk, deel asseblief jou ervaring met ons. E-pos ons by taalsentrum@sun.ac.za.

Bron: Wallmach, K. 2015. Africa. In Pöchhacker, F. (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Interpreting Studies. Londen: Routledge.

Blog deur Dr Kim Wallmach, Direkteur van die Taalsentrum; vertaal deur Susan Lotz

23 May 2023Tags: Afrika-samelewings, Afrika-unie, Afrikadag, lewe is taal, Opvoedkundige tolking, Organisasie vir Afrika-eenheid, Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal, tolking, veeltaligheid, Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie

uSuku lwe Afrika ka2023: IAfrika yethu, ikamva lethu

Inyanga kaCanzibe iqatshelwa njengenyanga yobu-Afrika.

Olona suku lobuAfrika lubhiyozelwa ngomhla wama25 kuCanzibe – kulo nyaka kuza kwenziwa isikhumbuzo seminyaka engama-60 sokusekwa koMbutho woManyano lobuAfrika (Organisation of African Unity) (ngoku owaziwa njengoMbutho wobuAfrika) owasekwa ngomhla wama-25 kuCanzibe ngo-1963. Ngolu suku, iinkokheli zamazwe angama30 kumazwe angama-32 ase-Afrika azimeleyo atyikitya umqulu e-Addis Ababa, eYutopiya, zenza isifungo sokukhuthaza ukwakhiwa kobuzwe ngendlela yomanyano nenkululeko kwingcinezelo.

Kule nyanga, iZiko leeLwimi likhethe ukugqamisa iindima ezibalulekileyo ezithe zadlalwa zitoliki kwilizwekazi i-Afrika ukukhawulelana neengxaki zokungavani ngokweelwimi, ukusuka kubasebenzi-ngeelwimi abaqeqeshiweyo neembongi zeentlanga ngeentlanga zoluntu lwaseAfrika ukuza kwiitoliki zale mihla ezichophela ukwakhiwa kobuzwe zize zibonelele ngofikelelo kwiinkonzo ngokutolika kwiipalamente zezizwe, iinkomfa, iinkundla zamatyala nezibhedlele. Kwaye, neetoliki zezemfundo ezenza kube nokwenzeka ukuba abahlohli abakwiiYunivesithi bavakale ngolwimi lwesiAfrikansi, lwesiNgesi, lwesiXhosa noLwimi lokuthetha ngeZandla loMzantsi Afrika.

Isenzo sokutolika intetho esuka kolunye ulwimi iye kolunye kwilizwekazi iAfrika, njengakuyo nayiphi na enye indawo, isusela kumawaka eminyaka eyadlulayo.

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Kuluntu oluninzi lwase-Afrika, abasebenzi-ngeelwimi abaqeqeshiweyo okanye iimbongi zazikuludwe olude lwezithethi ezinesipho sokuthetha iilwimi ezahlukahlukenyo nezazisenza imibongo kwimisitho yoluntu ebalulekileyo ukubhiyozela izenzo zoloyiso neempawu zobungangamsha kwinkosi nezinyanya zayo.”

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Ubugcisa bomlomo bee-groits (‘iimbongi zesintu’) zaseNtshona Afrika neembongi (‘praise singers’) zaseMazantsi Afrika busaqhubekeka nanamhlanje, nalapho iimbongi zisebenza njengabasasazi kwezopolitiko.

Ukuviwa kwamatyala kwiKomishoni yeNyaniso noXolelaniso (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) ukususela ngo-1996 ukuya ku-1998 kwaba lithuba lokuqala lokuba abemi boMzantsi Afrika abaninzi baqhelane nemimangaliso yokutolikwa kwentetho ngaxesha-linye nokwenziwa kwayo ngeelwimi ezilishumi elinanye ezisemthethweni zoMzantsi Afrika. Iitoliki zazichophela uxolelaniso ngelixa lokuviwa kwamatyala kwiKomishoni yeNyaniso noXolelaniso. Ukususela ngoko, ziye zaqhubekeka ngokuncedisa ekwakhiweni koMzantsi Afrika njengesizwe kuwisomthetho lwesizwe nolwamaphondo, iintlanganiso zamabhunga oomasipala neenkomfa. Abanye abaqeshi abakhulu beetoliki eAfrika baquka uMbutho wobuAfrika (African Union), iPalamente yama-Afrika oMthonyama, i-UNON (iOfisi eseNairobi yeZizwe eziManyeneyo), i-SADC (uPhuhliso loLuntu lwaseMzantsi Afrika) neBhanka yoPhuhliso lweAfrika (African Development Bank).

Kwihlabathi lonke jikelele, iitoliki zolwimi lokuthetha ngezandla zaziwa ngobuchule bokufikelela ngemfundo kubafundi abanokhubazeko lokungeva, kodwa into engaziwa kangako kukuba iitoliki zeelwimi ezithethwa ngomlomo nazo zinakho ukwenza okufanayo ngokujoliswe kubafundi abevayo. IiYunivesithi eziliqela zoMzantsi Afrika zenza ukuba izifundo zaseyunivesithi zifikeleleke kubafundi abangaziva bekhululekile kulwimi ekufundiswa ngalo. ESU, iitoliki zethu zezemfundo zisebenza ngesiAfrikansi, isiNgesi, isiXhosa noLwimi lokuthetha ngeZandla loMzantsi Afrika.

Siyayibhiyozela indima edlalwe ziitoliki kwiminyaka edlulileyo ukunceda iAfrika nabantu bayo ukuba baqhagamshelane futhi baphumelele. SiliZiko leeLwimi sizithatha njengabanenyhweba njengoko siyinxalenye yelo bali.

Ukuba uyitoliki esebenza eAfrika, nceda wabelane ngebali lakho. Sithumele i-imeyili kule dilesi taalsentrum@sun.ac.za.

Umthombo: Wallmach, K. 2015. Africa. In Pöchhacker, F. (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Interpreting Studies. London: Routledge.

NgoGqr Kim Wallmach, uMlawuli weZiko leeLwimi; ulwimi luguqulwe nguSipumeze Mrwetyana noZama Bekeweni

23 May 2023Tags: Africa Day, African Union, Educational interpreting, IKomishoni yeNyaniso noXolelaniso, interpreting, Kuluntu oluninzi lwase-Afrika, life is language, multilingualism, ULwimi lokuthetha ngeZandla loMzantsi Afrika, UMbutho woManyano lobuAfrika

So many kinds of freedom

“I never even knew that that kind of personal freedom existed, because I had never experienced it before …”

Liselotte Voets, a Belgian exchange student from KU Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven) who visited SU last year as part of her studies towards a master’s degree in philosophy, attended the Language Centre’s Afrikaans course for Dutch-speaking students while she was in South Africa.

In celebration of Freedom Day on 27 April, she shares her thoughts about freedom with us, originally in Afrikaans, but translated into English below.

My exchange visit of five and a half months in Stellenbosch kicked off in February 2022. Choosing South Africa was obvious to me: the cultures, the people, the scenery, the history, the mountains and the climate appealed to me. All these aspects naturally made a huge positive impression on me. One result of my visit I had not expected, is the new way in which I now look at the concept of freedom. If I had to explain in an intuitive way how I experienced freedom in South Africa, I would first of all mention the landscape. In my opinion, the vastness of the country represents in a very symbolical way what it means to be free in South Africa. There are still so many open spaces that can be filled. The possibilities seem to be endless. If one compares it with Belgium, where I am from, you have to conclude that most of Belgium has been built up. It really is a challenge to find a piece of open land from where one can see the horizon across an open expanse; where everything is not covered with walls, houses, streets, towns and cities.

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It feels as if one is being watched – always and everywhere – and as if you can’t escape and commune with nature.”

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Now that I’m back in Belgium, I find it even more difficult to endure, and I miss South Africa so much more. Of course, in Belgium we have more (a feeling of) safety and security. The price we have to pay for it is our personal freedom. However, I never even knew that that kind of personal freedom existed, because I had never experienced it before. Perhaps it is also typical of Europeans to regard the kind of freedom we know as the only kind of freedom and not to leave room for other interpretations. But this is actually a contradiction in terms. I should have known that ‘freedom’ can’t be encapsulated in a single viewpoint. I’ve also noticed this kind of personal freedom in the South Africans I’ve met: they are not being lived (their lives are not being ruled and regulated), but they live on their own accord; they welcome others with open arms and start each day courageously. This great personal freedom in South Africa seems to come at a price, though, and is something that should absolutely not be underestimated: many people are left to their own devices – to fend for themselves. They need to survive on their own. Seen from that perspective, my impression was that some South Africans see the South African landscape more as a kind of emptiness than an open future. I think, and sincerely hope, that this can still change.

Blog by Liselotte Voets; translated by Ingrid Swanepoel

26 April 2023Tags: Afrikaans, freedom, Freedom Day, hope, life is language, mother tongue, multilingualism, nature

Resources for advancing a multilingual mindset in SU environments

The Language Centre’s mandate to the University is to promote multilingualism and provide language support. We therefore strive to embody a multilingual mindset and to share this mindset with the rest of the University. At the same time, we acknowledge that the whole of the SU community shares responsibility for creating an inclusive and multilingual environment, and we’d like to inspire both staff and students to find practical ways to implement multilingualism.

This document contains practical information to help you along on the way to a multilingual mindset in your environment at SU – from brochures to links to websites, videos, podcasts and blogs.

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Brochures on a multilingual mindset are available in the three languages used at the University:

A multilingual mindset (English)

A multilingual mindset (Afrikaans)

A multilingual mindset (isiXhosa)

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Visit the Language Centre’s trilingual terminology portal for subject terminology in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa here.

There are also a multitude of language resources available here, among others, an Afrikaans-English translation equivalents list curated by the Language Centre’s Language Service.

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Quick contacts for assistance with multilingualism

The Language Centre is here to support you:

Make a conference multilingual (interpreting): Nanette Nortje, nanettevdb@sun.ac.za
Have material translated and/or edited: Marguerite van der Waal, mvdwaal@sun.ac.za
Learn IsiXhosa for staff members: Stembele Johnson, ssjohnson@sun.ac.za
Learn Afrikaans for staff members: Helga Sykstus, hbuys@sun.ac.za
Learn isiXhosa or Afrikaans for students (Language Learning Hub survival courses): Helga Sykstus, hbuys@sun.ac.za
Contact the lecturers involved with academic and professional literacies offering courses in collaboration with the faculties. Academic literacies focus on bridging the gap between secondary and tertiary education, and professional literacies focus on the transition to the world of work: Faika Haroun, faika@sun.ac.za
Get assistance with all aspects of professional communication, from presenting an inaugural lecture to report writing (Comms Lab courses or one-on-one coaching): Michelle Pieters, mpieters@sun.ac.za

For broader discussions about implementing multilingualism in a space or environment, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Dr Kim Wallmach, kimwallmach@sun.ac.za, Susan Lotz, slotz@sun.ac.za or Sanet de Jager, sdejager@sun.ac.za.

5 April 2023Tags: multilingual mindset, multilingualism, tips

Book chat with Juanli T

Get to know us through the books we read!

This month we chat to Juanli Theron, head of the Interpreting Service of the Language Centre. The Interpreting Service delivers real-time educational interpreting in class, or online, if the class or interpreting is conducted via MS Teams. Interpreting can be in Afrikaans, English or isiXhosa, depending on the pedagogical need. In addition, they offer conference interpreting too.

What is die title of your favourite book, or a book that is memorable for some or other reason?
I’m sure that this is something everyone says, but it’s simply too difficult to choose one favourite book! The one book that I do read over and over, however, and which I enjoyed once again at the beach during the recent holidays, is the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur.

Why did this book make such an impression on you?

I’ve read this collection of poems all the way through a few times now, going on the journey with Rupi through the themes of wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming – her vivid metaphors for life and love. Every time I reach the other side, I feel lighter. It’s good for my soul!

I enjoy the no-nonsense style of her poetry – short and sweet, with colourful metaphors, and she always gets directly to the point.”

Who is (are) your favourite author(s)? Also tell us why?
I have a few. Besides poetry, my favourite genre is fantasy. I enjoy Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Erin Morgenstern, Terry Brooks and others who are able to create worlds and spin tales that transport me out of the mundanity of the everyday.

What are you reading at the moment?
I’m between books at the moment, which is a very boring place to be … but I’m on the lookout for the next great one …

Do you have a preference: reading physical books with paper pages or on a Kindle or other electronic platform? Why do you say so?
I like both for different reasons: The feel of a book between my fingers when I have time to relax on holiday AND the convenience of having my books with me anytime, anywhere on my Kindle. I’d rather not choose!

Who is your favourite literary character?
Vivian Morris in Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls.

What book/books would you recommend to your students, friends or anyone else?
I will always recommend fantasy books, especially to creative people or type A personalities who can use the break and escapism fantasy offers. If they can laugh and relax with the characters along the way, that’s a win to me.

3 March 2023Tags: City of Girls, Elizabeth Gilbert, Erin Morgenstern, fantasy, Neil Gaiman, poetry, Rupi Kaur, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett, the sun and her flowers

Boekgeselsie met Juanli T

Leer ons ken deur die boeke wat ons lees! Vandeesmaand gesels ons met Juanli Theron, hoof van die Taalsentrum se Tolkdiens. Die Tolkdiens verskaf intydse opvoedkundige tolking tydens lesings, of aanlyn, as die lesing of tolking via MS Teams geskied. Tolking kan in Afrikaans, Engels of isiXhosa gedoen word, afhangend van die pedagogiese behoefte. Verder bied hulle ook konferensietolking aan.

Wat is die titel van jou gunstelingboek, of ŉ boek wat jy om die een of ander rede as onvergeetlik ervaar het?

Ek is seker ons sê dit almal, maar dis hopeloos te moeilik om een te kies! Die een boek wat ek wel gereeld wéér lees, en hierdie vakansie veral weer op die strand geniet het, is the sun and her flowers deur Rupi Kaur.

Hoekom het hierdie boek jou só beïndruk?

Ek het hierdie digbundel nou al ŉ paar keer van voor tot agter gelees en saam met Rupi op reis gegaan deur die temas van wilting, falling, rooting, rising en blooming – haar sprankelende metafore vir die lewe en die liefde. Ek voel telkens ligter wanneer ek anderkant uitkom. Dit doen my siel goed!

Ek geniet Rupi Kaur se digstyl – kort en bondig met kleurvolle metafore, en altyd direk op die punt af.”

Wie is jou gunstelingouteurs? Hoe só?
Ek het ŉ hele paar. Afgesien van die digkuns, is fantasie my gunsteling-genre. Ek geniet die werk van Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Erin Morgenstern, Terry Brooks en ander wat wêrelde kan skep en verbeeldingryke verhale kan vertel wat my wegvoer uit die doodgewoonheid van die alledaagse.

Wat lees jy op die oomblik?
Ek is tans tussen boeke, wat ŉ baie vervelige plek is om te wees, maar ek is op soek na iets wat verfrissend nuut en boeiend is …

Verkies jy dit om ‘regte’ gedrukte boeke te lees, of lees jy eerder boeke op ŉ Kindle of ŉ ander elektroniese platform? Wat is die rede vir jou voorkeur?
Ek hou om verskillende redes van albei: Die gevoel van ŉ boek in my hande wanneer ek tydens ŉ vakansie tyd het om te ontspan EN die gerief daarvan om my boeke te alle tye en op alle plekke op my Kindle by my te hê. Ek sal maar eerder nie kies nie!

Wie is jou gunsteling- literêre karakter?
Vivian Morris in Elizabeth Gilbert se City of Girls.

Watter boek of boeke kan jy by jou vriende, studente en enige iemand anders aanbeveel?
Ek sal fantasieboeke altyd aanbeveel, veral aan kreatiewe mense of mense met A-tipe persoonlikhede wat kan doen met die wegbreek en ontvlugting wat fantasie bied. As hulle saam met die karakters kan lag en ontspan, des te beter.

3 March 2023Tags: City of Girls, digkuns, Elizabeth Gilbert, Erin Morgenstern, fantasieverhale, Neil Gaiman, Rupi Kaur, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett, the sun and her flowers

Mother language, heart language

Mother Language Day: A day dedicated to the language in which our very first thoughts were verbalised – that’s a world we can believe in. We’re so different, but this is something that we all share.

Our mother language is regarded as the language we hear most as a baby and toddler, and it’s usually the language of the mother figure who was responsible for us when we were very little. It’s also the language in which we would have said our first words, and the language that has, while we were acquiring it, established the blueprint for all the languages that we may learn later in life. Some people may even have two languages as mother languages, particularly when they come from a multilingual household.

Mother Language Day creates a space for us to reflect on that very foundation of our language repertoire – something that also influences how we interact with the world around us. It’s about a very deep emotional connection with our own language instinct, yes, but it’s also about where language can take us. When we connect with others, we bring our own language repertoire to the table. Our mother language becomes intertwined with the languages we use in other spaces, for instance in the workplace. One could choose not to acknowledge this multidimensionality and suppress parts of oneself – however, recognising the richness of different experiences, ways of expression and points of view makes for much stronger and more agile individuals and teams that can communicate better with each other and with those they serve.

In celebration of this unique strength and sense of possibility within each of us, some Language Centre staff shared something of their connection to their mother language:

The connection with identity

[us_cta title=”” color=”light” btn_label=””]“I like to think of isiXhosa as my identity. I grew up loving my language without even realising it. That reflected in my essay writing or book analysis in high school. I even had a book where I would write isiXhosa poems. I remember my teacher showing off to her colleague about a book I had analysed while I was doing Grade 11. I would say it was all of this that inspired me to want to know and learn more about my language, as I ended up majoring in isiXhosa even at university. And at that time, I didn’t even know that there are several jobs other than teaching that one could do with language, but I continued to study isiXhosa because of my love and passion for the language.”
– Asiphe Sogiba, isiXhosa interpreter[/us_cta]

The joy of sharing it

[us_cta title=”” btn_label=””]“I am proudly Afrikaans. I grew up with a West Coast father who taught me words like ‘snoek’, ‘bokkoms’ [salted and dried mullet or harder, also known as Cape biltong] and ‘galjoen’ [galleon]. Today I still use his favourite expression, ‘Siesa Skipper!’, when someone has done something well.
I am now a lecturer with the privilege of teaching international students Afrikaans. The enthusiasm with which they learn my mother language astounds me time and again. And everything is ‘LEKKER’ [very enjoyable] to them! Nelson Mandela’s words, ‘If you talk to a man in his language, that goes to his heart’, are so true. I regard it as my calling in life to touch people’s hearts by introducing them to my mother language.”
– Dr Vernita Beukes, Afrikaans lecturer
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A reflection of its speakers

[us_cta title=”” color=”light” btn_label=””]“My mother language is English, and my father language is English too. That makes me different in my home country South Africa, where only around five per cent of the population have English as a first language.

Language has been a passion for me since I was very young. I first started my language journey paying extra attention to convoluted English spelling and pronunciation, and just loved trying to wrap my head around its difficulties. Very soon, though, as I began to learn French, Afrikaans and a bit of isiZulu, English became my guide in mapping out how languages differ from each other.

I slowly began to understand the richness that learning many languages brings; that the Englishness of beating around the bush and being polite had its origins in the French spoken in the royal court in England until a century or so ago, and left its traces in words like ‘courtesy’, ‘liberty’, ‘fraternity’, ‘equality’ and ‘university’, and many more words relating to civilisation, education and the law. I learned that the blunt Celtic earthiness of words like ‘quaff’, ‘drink’ and ‘sit’ were part of English’s Germanic roots and were echoed in the directness of Germanic languages like Afrikaans and German. And, to my surprise, words of isiZulu origin like ‘indaba’ (conference, news) and ‘donga’ (a dry gully formed by the eroding action of running water), ‘babbelas’ (hangover, from the Zulu ibhabhalazi), ‘bonsella’ (surprise gift) were also part of the fabric of my variety of English, spoken at the southern tip of the African continent. My English, learned in my hometown of Johannesburg, also reflects the many immigrant cultures attracted to this mining town, where hustling is still the name of the game. So for me, Yiddish words used in SA English like ‘chutzpah’, ‘schmuck’, ‘kugel’, ‘bagel’, ‘shabbat’, ‘platz’ and ‘meshugge’ add a richness to my vocabulary and are like treasures waiting to be discovered.”
– Dr Kim Wallmach, Director of the Language Centre [/us_cta]

A sense of coming home

[us_cta title=”” btn_label=””]“Afrikaans is something I learnt from my mother. She had a voice like a bell, and she spoke Afrikaans with the unpretentiousness and honesty of the Sutherland Karoo where she grew up – the Afrikaans of NP van Wyk Louw. During a recent family holiday in Swakopmund I was struck by how different it was there and how much I felt at home, all at once. One hears Afrikaans everywhere: in the street, in a conversation between two Herero women clad in traditional garb; from the Ovambo barista in the coffee shop: ‘Is mevrou al gehelp … wat gaan dit vandag wees?’ [‘Have you been served yet … what will it be today?’]. A woman ordering her coffee stands next to me and spontaneously starts chatting. Later she sits next to me and shows me photos of the Spitzkoppe. She says she grew up in Namibia, but lived in the Republic for most of her adult life. She has now returned and would soon start teaching at a school in Windhoek. Her words echo my own experience: ‘It feels like I’ve come home … I can breathe here.’ In my case, this feeling had a lot to do with the fact that I could hear my language everywhere; spoken spontaneously and unselfconsciously: beautiful – mooi – Afrikaans.

While on a cycling tour through the Tsauchab river, I remarked to the Damara tour guide and my family how pretty the tamarisk trees in the riverbed were. In Afrikaans, a riverbed is a ‘rivierloop’, and the word ‘loop’ also means ‘to walk’ or ‘to flow or run’, in the case of a liquid. One of my children replied: ‘Hier is nie water nie, hoekom sê Mamma die rivier loop? [‘There is no water here – why do you say the river is flowing?’] The tour guide stopped everyone and got off his bicycle. He spoke to the children: ‘Your mother speaks Afrikaans beautifully – mooi Afrikaans. That is something you children should never lose.’ When I asked him about his linguistic background, he replied that his family spoke Damara and English, and even a little German. ‘Maar ons praat Afrikaans as ons lus is om Afrikaans te praat, as ons móói wil praat.’ [‘But we speak Afrikaans when we feel like speaking Afrikaans; when we want to speak beautifully.’]

To me, that Damara man was one of the highlights of our holiday. In his company, there was a general relaxed feeling, a sense of friendship, of familiarity and of mutual understanding; and even a sense of happiness. As I watched him cycling energetically ahead of me along the dusty path, I knew this: My beautiful – mooi – language is flourishing, just like the delicate, tough tamarisks in the dry riverbed of the Tsauchab.”
– Dr Carmen Brewis, interpreter and researcher
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The language within

We also have a poem to share, and we chose not to translate the poem, but rather share it in its original Afrikaans form. This poem is about language as one’s heritage and how one’s language mentors (parents, teachers) also have a profound influence on what one regards as your own.

My taal, my erfenis

Afrikaaps is nie my taal nie.
Sommige woorde kan ek nie verstaan nie.
My taal
het ek geleer van kindsbeen af
saam met die klingel en tongklap
van die aksent
wat my streek rojaal kweek.

Daar het ek begin verstaan
en geleer my ma en pa se taal.
Met my Afrikaanse onnie
wat berispend die spelreëls aanhaal,
nie tjent nie, maar kind,
nie tjy nie, maar jy.
Idiome sou ek goed onthou:
Iemand wat hard werk
is ŉ werkesel,
anders was dit die rottang vir jou.

My taal kom uit die boeke wat ek lees.
Tussen die blaaie
kon ek kies om iemand anders te wees.
Daar in die stilte van my drome
sonder die kletterende lawaai
in ŉ omgewing sonder energie belaai,
kry my taal sy lêplek
daar sonder die tjy en tjou,
daar lewe ek.

My komvandaan is eenvoudig,
tog is alles volop rondom en binne my.
Daar teen die Weskus het ek my asem gekry.
Daar is taal in my erfenis gebrei.
Nou kruip en klou
die wortels van my taal
diep en welig
sonder ophef of kabaal
lewe dit uit my pen
koester dit die erfenis wat ek ken.

– Anne-Mari Lackay, Writing Lab consultation coordinator

At the Language Centre we believe that it is language that brings us together, and we will keep on connecting people by improving communication and understanding.

Blog by Susan Lotz and Dr Kim Wallmach; translated by Ingrid Swanepoel

20 February 2023Tags: International Mother Language Day, life is language, mother tongue, multilingualism