MULTILINGUALISM HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024

UFS Language Policy in all UFS languages

The UFS Language Policy has been made available in Sesotho, Afrikaans, isiZulu, and English since the beginning of 2024 in order to make this important information available to staff and students in the languages they best understand and/or prefer.

International Mother Tongue Day celebrations

In February, the UFS Academy for Multilingualism hosted International Mother Tongue Day celebrations, which included a Sesotho Short Story writing competition, acknowledging all the languages (local and international) represented by its diverse student and staff bodies.

Hosting Translanguaging in the Global South Symposium 2024

Great strides have been made towards sharing knowledge and expertise with local and international universities in the field of translanguaging pedagogies and practices in higher education, as the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State hosted the Translanguaging in the Global South Symposium in March, attracting expert local and international keynote speakers.

Development and intellectualisation of Sesotho terminology

An innovative project bringing together subject specialists, Sesotho linguists, terminologists, and translators, did groundbreaking work in 2024 to develop Sesotho terminology in the fields of accounting, mathematics, law, psychology, agriculture, research, and social work.

Development of South African Sign Language (SASL) as an academic language

The UFS has started with a process of standardising and verifying SASL terminology for interpreters in various disciplines, to avoid confusion and ensure uniformity and quality learning and teaching for Deaf students.

Publication and launching of academic books written in African languages

In order to encourage research outputs in African languages, the university has embarked on a process to publish academic books that showcase the capacity of African languages to express empirical and conceptual research findings in various African languages, such as Sesotho, isiZulu, Sepedi, and Tshivenda.

Translation of PhD abstracts

During 2024, 48 PhD abstracts from the seven faculties were translated by the UFS Academy for Multilingualism and made available in Sesotho, isiZulu, and Afrikaans, in order to enhance exposure and understanding for the wider UFS community.

Training of academic staff on multilingual pedagogies

In mid-2024, academic training workshops were launched to engage academic staff in the current issues and debates on multilingualism in higher education and to empower them with theoretical knowledge and practical strategies of teaching in multilingual classrooms.

External funding for multilingualism projects

Funding from the Department of Higher Education and other institutions was applied for and secured in 2024 to boost multilingualism practices at the university, with a specific focus on the development of Sesotho and South African Sign Language as academic languages.

UFS Multilingual Mokete 2024

This celebration of language and culture has become a popular annual event on the UFS calendar and was hosted this year on the Qwaqwa Campus, featuring various local artists.

Multilingual collaborations for societal impact

In 2024, the UFS initiated and sustained a number of successful partnerships with other institutions of higher learning, such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Walter Sisulu University, and the University of Cape Town, sharing knowledge and expertise in the development of Sesotho, isiZulu, and isiXhosa.

Research on multilingualism

Various research publications on the impact of multilingualism at the UFS have been produced for DHET-accredited journals.

The UFS supports the United Nations General Assembly’s proclamation of the decade from 2022 to 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and will continue to show its commitment towards multilingualism with bold and innovative strategies.