The School of Languages and the Language Directorate at the North-West University (NWU) are collaborating with the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) to host a Multilingual Symposium.

This symposium, taking place on 29 August, will be the main event at the NWU’s Language Awareness Week that will take place from 26 to 30 August.

The theme for the Language Awareness Week and the symposium is "Multilingualism: Reaching new academic frontiers through linguistic resources". The purpose of these events is to encourage discussions on utilising various languages in academic settings to enhance learning and teaching.

Dr Johannes Tsietsi Mahlasela from the Language Directorate says the symposium will contribute to the implementation of the university's multilingualism policy, which encourages the use of the NWU’s four official languages in classes: Afrikaans, English, Sesotho and Setswana. He adds that the symposium will also address challenges within the fields of language and education, and the practical application of multilingualism in teaching and learning.

Featured speakers at the symposium include Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy, Prof Evangeline Bonisiwe Zungu and Prof Leketi Makalela. Additionally, response speakers Prof Esther Ramani and Prof Michael Joseph will lead the discussions.

"The symposium holds great significance for the Language Directorate and the CTL as it aligns with our mission of promoting a multilingual policy, fostering language awareness, and effectively implementing the university's language strategy. This initiative is crucial in ensuring that the university's community is fully knowledgeable about and engaged in these language awareness activities," adds Dr Mahlasela.

"With the evolving nature of this field, the symposium serves as an avenue to discuss the available resources and the training needed for academics to effectively implement multilingual pedagogy. “This event will not only promote language awareness and multilingualism, but will also serve as a platform to address the practical challenges associated with implementing a multilingual policy within an academic environment," he says.

Don’t miss this event – the Multilingual Symposium will take place from 10:00 to 13:00 at the Vanderbijlpark Campus on 29 August.