International Day of Education
Education is not only a basic human right, but also a civic and governmental responsibility. This is because education is a public good which plays a vital role in…
International Dictionary Day
International Dictionary Day (ITD) is celebrated annually on the 16th of October and celebrates the birth of Noah Webster, an American writer who was born in 1758. Webster is best-known…
Meet Robin Hendrikse, our new intern from Stellenbosch University
I am currently pursuing my honours in translation at Stellenbosch University and it has been an eventful year. I have learnt a lot and my perspective of what translation really…
Meet Anita Moretti all the way from Osimo in Italy
I have never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life after school. I have always been a girl of many interests: from science…
International Indigenous People Day
The 9th of August marks International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This occasion is dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging recognition of indigenous identities, rights, and traditions. Although indigenous…
WORLD POETRY DAY
The 21st of March marked World Poetry Day – an internationally eminent day dedicated to supporting and celebrating linguistic diversity through poetic expression. This observance also aims to provide increasing opportunities for endangered languages to be heard through the promotion of the reading, writing, publishing, and teaching of poetry.
INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY 2022
International Mother Language Day was established to raise awareness of the importance of multilingualism, and linguistic and cultural diversity. Inspired by the 1952 Bengali Language Movement, which sought recognition for the Bengali language, this annual observance is part of the United Nations’ larger initiative to “promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world”[1].
Meet our new intern: Anje-Mari le Roux
Like many others in this line of work, my love and appreciation for language started at an early age. As a child, I was an avid reader and the highlight of my days was going to the library with my mother. I would write short stories for my friends to read, and this inspired me to pursue a career working with words. My younger self assumed the only way to do this was to become a journalist. For some reason, they seemed to be the only people allowed to have fun with language and proofread stuff (something I delighted in doing for my friends and family). I was not yet aware of the exciting opportunities waiting on the horizon.
Why Deaf SASL interpreters
South African Sign Language (SASL) has been included in the Bill of Rights since 1996 as an indigenous language to be protected. In 2015 a brave Deaf learner initiated a court case against the Department of Education, demanding that SASL should be a subject in school. The result was that SASL would be offered as a home language subject for the first time and in 2018 the first matriculants completed their schooling with SASL as a subject. But while talks of SASL becoming the twelfth official language have been in the works for much longer, progress in terms of Deaf access, recognition, and empowerment has been slow. One of the chief means in which upliftment is being enacted, however, is through the increased presence of Deaf and hearing SASL interpreters in the spaces where they are needed most.
RoboRose rises to the ranks
The two most memorable gifts I’ve ever received were an alphabet picture book for my 4th birthday and a South African Oxford School Dictionary when I turned 8. Both were given to me by my father, who sought to instill both my brother and me with an appreciation for words from an early age. For my brother that manifested as a love for novels and poetry, whereas my literary love took shape through writing and translation.