Our next guest is Stefanie Dose, a lecturer from the Department of Linguistics at the University of Johannesburg. Our interview revolved around the Department, South African languages, local identity and finding work in South Africa as a linguist.
Hello Stefanie,
could you please introduce yourself to us?
I have been a lecturer at the Department of Linguistics since
January 2012. At undergraduate level, I teach a first-year module in
linguistics as well as the interpreting section of our third-year module. At
postgraduate level, I teach three honours modules: Translation Theory,
Interpreting, and Research Methodology. I love working with our first-year
students, most of whom are entirely new to the field of linguistics, but my
real passion is all forms of interpreting. (Some people believe that
“obsession” is a more adequate description...)
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| Bursary
holders with Linguistics t-shirts |
Before joining the Department of Linguistics, I worked as
an (educational) interpreter at a South African university for six years, where
I interpreted academic lectures from Afrikaans into English. During that time,
I also completed an MA in Applied Linguistics with a dissertation on – of
course – interpreting. I’m originally from Germany and my mother tongue therefore
is German, but I have been living in South Africa, with minor interruptions,
since 2001, when I came to the country as an au pair. My stay in the country
was so much fun that I decided to complete my studies here as well and am now –
after more than ten years – still working in South Africa. I have, in the
meanwhile, learned some South African languages as well: I speak Afrikaans
fluently and have some knowledge of Zulu.
How old is the
Department of Linguistics at the University of Johannesburg? What courses and
languages does it offer?
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| Departmental
staff at the university's 2013 open day |
The Department of Linguistics is the host department of the
undergraduate course BA Language Practice. This course aims at training editors,
translators and interpreters. Students who are enrolled for the course have to
take three majors modules up to third-year level: Language Practice and
Linguistics, both offered by the Department of Linguistics, and a language of
their choice, offered by the relevant language department. The Language
Practice module aims to instil the necessary practical skills required by the
editing, translation and interpreting professions. (Our course includes
training in the use of the translation memory software Wordfast.) More
theoretical concepts (such as sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics) are dealt
with in the Linguistics module. The languages offered up to third-year level at
the University of Johannesburg currently include Zulu, Northern Sotho, Afrikaans, English, French, and Modern Greek. The Linguistics and Language
Practice classes are taught in one group but students’ practical assignments
(such as translations) are marked by translators with the relevant language
combinations.
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| Depart.
staff and student at uni's 2013 open day |
We furthermore started an exciting internship programme for
our undergraduate students this year: During their winter holidays in June/July,
third-year students complete a three-week internship as a language
practitioner. Students have the choice between any of the three language
professions to which they have been exposed thus far, i.e. editing, translation
or (court) interpreting. The internships started last week Thursday and I can’t
wait to hear about students’ internship experiences after the holidays!!
At postgraduate level, students can study (full- or
part-time) towards a BA Honours degree in Applied Linguistics. This year, we
offer the following modules, of which students must choose five in order to
complete the honours degree: Research Methodology (compulsory); Translation
Theory, Criticism and History; Language in Practice; Interpreting; Multilingualism
in Training and Education; Linguistic Theories and Applications. Masters and
doctoral degrees are also offered.
The Department of Linguistics has existed at the University
of Johannesburg (then the Rand Afrikaans University) since the early 80s.
However, it only became the “Department of Linguistics” in 2012 and was, before
then, the “Department of Linguistics and Literary Theory”. Since 2012, we have
become more specialised and now focus on linguistics only.
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| Research project on language & identity in
Overwacht |
How many
languages are spoken in South Africa?
South Africa has eleven official languages: Afrikaans,
English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, South Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda,
Xhosa, and Zulu. These languages are given official status in South Africa’s
Constitution, which states that “[r]ecognising the historically diminished use
and status of the indigenous languages of our people, the state must take
practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of
these languages” (Act 108 of 1996, section 6(2)), and that “all official
languages must enjoy parity of esteem and must be treated equitably” (Act 108
of 1996, section 6(4)).
It’s interesting that many of these languages are not, in
fact, spoken in even distribution across the entire country, but instead often concentrated
in certain regions of the country. Zulu, for example, is mainly spoken in the
provinces KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, and Xhosa speakers mainly live along the Eastern
Cape. Furthermore, the Constitution stipulates that the use of official
languages may, amongst other things, be based on considerations of
practicality, and most South African provinces have therefore
selected three or
four “provincial languages” as working languages from the official languages,
depending on the demographics of the relevant province.
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| Auckland
Park Kingsway Campus |
Of course, these official languages are not the only ones
spoken in the country or provided for in its Constitution. Languages commonly
used by communities in South Africa (such as Greek and German), used for
religious purposes (such as Hebrew and Sanskrit), South African Sign Language, as
well as those languages usually lumped together under the label Khoi San are
supposed to be promoted and further developed.
Sadly, in practice we often find that not all languages do
in fact enjoy parity of esteem and often, English is considered the language of
success.
Do minor
languages play an important role in South Africa? (eg. can you get a job
speaking one of those languages?)
Yes, South African institutions employ language
professionals for South Africa’s indigenous languages.
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| A poster advertising studies at UJ |
For finding work outside the language industry, it will
often not be considered sufficient if you speak only an indigenous South African language. Normally, either English
or Afrikaans, or both, are required.
What does the
Department of Linguistics do to preserve and protect South Africa's minor
languages?
We are currently trying to promote South Africa’s indigenous
languages by offering an internship that aims to train editors, translators and
interpreters in these languages. The internship is sponsored by South Africa’s
Department of Arts and Culture and pays students’ full tuition fees and study
material for the three-year undergraduate course if students choose an African language as their third major. (The
African languages offered at UJ are Zulu, Northern Sotho and Afrikaans.) This
bursary condition ensures not only that the relevant indigenous languages are
being studied at tertiary level, but also that professional editors,
translators and interpreters in the indigenous languages will be available to
assist the government and other institutions in complying with the
Constitutional requirements of promoting their use by communicating through
them.
Are there a lot
of native South Africans enrolled in your courses?
Yes, most students in our course are native South Africans.
Our current third-year group consists of an exciting mix of different students who
represent almost all of South Africa’s official languages: We have native
speakers of Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, South Sotho, Swati, Tsonga,
Tswana, Xhosa and Zulu in this class.
We also have a few postgraduate students who come from
other African countries, such as an honours student from Zimbabwe and an MA
student from Cameroon, and we sometimes have students from overseas such as
Germany or the USA in our first-year modules.
What are some of
the career choices native South Africans have after graduation?
After graduation, students can work as editors,
translators, interpreters, language planners, copy writers, copy editors, or
language teachers. Possible employers are:
For editors:
·
The South African government, for example the
Government Communication and Information Service, the Department of Education,
the Department of Arts and Culture, Statistics South Africa, employs editors.
·
Parastatal organisations, such as Eskom Language
Services, require the services of editors.
·
Statutory bodies, such as the South African Bureau
of Standards, employ editors.
·
Some editors work for the major South African
banks, such as Absa, Nedbank, and Standard Bank.
·
Editors also work in the higher education sector
(i.e. for language units at universities).
·
NGOs and civil organisations, such as Afriforum and
the Solidariteit Kommunikasieafdeling, employ editors.
·
Private language agencies employ editors on behalf
of their clients.
·
Many editors work for publishers such as Oxford
University Press, or for newspapers, magazines, and in the online environment.
·
Finally, many editors work as freelancers, which
means that they do not have a fixed employer but determine their own work load
and income.
For translators:
·
The South African government, for example the
Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Agriculture, and the
National Language Service, employs translators.
·
Parastatal organisations also require the services
of translators. These organisations include Eskom Language Services.
·
Statutory bodies employ editors.
·
Some translators work for the major South African
banks, such as Absa, Nedbank, and Standard Bank.
·
Translators also work in the higher education
sector (i.e. for language units at universities), for example at the University
of Johannesburg.
·
NGOs and civil organisations, such as Afriforum and
the Solidariteit Kommunikasieafdeling, employ translators.
·
Private agencies, such as Dilicom and ST
Communications employ translators.
·
Many translators work for publishers of literary,
academic or other material, or for magazines such as the Huisgenoot and the
You, as well as in the online environment, including the translation of web
sites.
·
Finally, many translators work as freelancers,
which means that they do not have a fixed employer but determine their own work
load and income.
For interpreters:
·
The South African government, for example the
Department of Justice, which employs a large number of court interpreters, as
well as the South African Police Service’s Language Management unit.
·
The provincial legislatures, such as the Gauteng
legislature, require the services of interpreters to conduct their sessions.
·
Interpreters also work in the higher education
sector, i.e. for language units at universities. These units employ
interpreters to facilitate a multilingual teaching environment, such as at
North-West University and Stellenbosch University.
·
NGOs and civil organisations, such as Afriforum and
Solidariteit, employ interpreters at their meetings.
·
Interpreters may work at major state-organised
conferences.
·
Parliaments, such as the Pan-African Parliament,
employ interpreters on a full-time and on a part-time basis.
·
Private agencies, such as Bohle Language Services,
employ interpreters on behalf of their clients.
·
Finally, many interpreters work as freelancers,
which means that they do not have a fixed employer but determine their own work
load and income.
Could you please
tell us a few things about the Department's current and future projects?
The head of our department, Prof. Anne-Marie Beukes, is currently
involved in a fascinating research project that looks at a community of native
Afrikaans speakers living in Overwacht (near Pretoria). Although Afrikaans has
traditionally been considered a “white” language, these Afrikaners happen to be
black speakers of the language. The project focuses on the intricate connection
between language and identity.
Thank you Stefanie!
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