We provide great online language support and guidance to undergraduate and postgraduate students, wherever you are on your academic journey. Have a look here to see what’s on offer.
We’re just a click away.
Writing support
Writing consultations
Discuss your own writing with a trained consultant through the Writing Lab. You can make an appointment on the Writing Lab booking system for a free, online writing consultation via MS Teams (you will receive a Teams meeting request after you have made the appointment), or e-mail us for an appointment – we could also arrange a Skype appointment if necessary.
Contact Anne-Mari Lackay | Vinelene Hartley | Rose Richards
Writing workshops and marathons
Attend a tailor-made online Writing Lab workshop to help you write your research proposal, literature review, thesis or journal article. Or join an online writing marathon for concentrated writing energy and progress in a supportive environment with a facilitator on hand. You could even form a writing support group through the Writing Lab.
Contact us for our list of scheduled workshops: Selene Delport
Reading consultations and workshops
Get to read more strategically and competently. In addition to free reading consultations and one-on-one coaching, our Reading Lab also offers access to ReadTheory, an online comprehension solution, which provides reading comprehension practice to students of all levels, to optimise your reading. All of these services are available in a suitable format for online and remote learning.
Contact Marisca Coetzee
English courses
Boost your academic English with us. Our online English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Programme, which offers a choice of either or both EAP modules: Reading & Writing and Speaking & Language, will help take your English to the next level. Two hours a week per module for a semester.
If you’re set to study or work abroad in an English-speaking country that requires IELTS (International English Language Testing System) certification, we can help you prepare for the exam. Enrol for our online IELTS preparation course and develop the strategies to write the IELTS exam.
You could also do a blended learning TEFL course (for teaching English as a foreign language) with us if you plan to travel and teach. Or maybe you want to revamp your teaching style or earn an income from the comfort of your own home. For all English courses, email us at iep@sun.ac.za.
Language editing and translation
Use our Language Service to edit and translate your abstract, research questionnaires and consent forms. We translate into 15 languages, including isiXhosa.
Contact Cobus Snyman
Academic literacies and professional communication modules
Equip yourself for strategic communication – in an academic setting and in your occupation and industry – with our credit-bearing academic literacies and professional communication modules which we run within faculties. Modules focus on professional, business and scientific communication, writing skills and skills for academic discourse.
Contact Jeanene Olivier
Interpreting
Lecture podcast translation
While our interpreters can’t always do real-time interpreting for online classes, we do translate lecture podcasts in collaboration with lecturers: in either Afrikaans or English, depending on the language of learning and teaching, and sometimes in isiXhosa. If you’d like benefit from this service, speak to your lecturer, or contact Christine Joubert.
Research interview interpreting
Work with one of our interpreters to interview your research participants. We work in Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa and SASL, so if your participants speak one of those languages but you don’t, we could interpret for you.
Contact Nanette Nortje
Transcription
Get a professional transcription of your research interviews so that you can get on with the research itself. Simply complete the quick online request form to get the ball rolling, or contact Marguerite van der Waal.
Afrikaans and isiXhosa courses
Deepen your connection with people by learning their language. For social language skills, try tandem learning with a buddy, survival sessions or group learning through our Language Learning Hub. Please contact us for our schedule of online offerings. We also offer semester courses for international students.
Afrikaans courses: Vernita Beukes
isiXhosa courses: Stembele Johnson
Language Learning Hub: Helga Sykstus
General enquiries: Jeanene Olivier
Terminology
Try our trilingual terminology portal for subject terminology in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa here.
This post is also available in: English
