The Institutional Language Unit is primarily a language service and support unit for CPUT students and staff. Since its inception in 2012, the Language Unit has been providing language services in the regional languages of the Western Cape, i.e. isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English. In this regard, it houses language specialists in these languages. In their pursuit to promote multilingualism through various initiatives and activities, the Unit also receives support from the six faculty language coordinators, PanSALB, Xhosafrika and other outside private language practitioners.
Mission
The mission of the Language Unit is to ensure the implementation of the CPUT’s Language Policy in various teaching and learning domains. In this regard, it aims to:
- provide advice and support on matters relating to language support services for the university community at large;
- advocate initiatives that are central to language development and multilingualism;
- contribute to teaching, learning and research development with regard to the production and repository of knowledge within the language domain; and
- formulate monitoring/evaluating and/or collaborating strategies that would highlight the challenges of the language situation at CPUT.
Objectives
The Language Unit facilitates the implementation of the CPUT Language Policy by highlighting the following imperatives:
- Academic, by developing coursework materials in the regional languages of the Western Cape, multilingual glossaries, developing conversational and subject-specific language courses in isiXhosa and Afrikaans for staff and students, and assisting with intervention programmes to make academic discourse accessible to students, and doing collaborative research on teaching and learning issues;
- Administrative, by translating key documents: policies, multilingual switchboard and way finders, and providing interpretation during meetings,
- Ceremonial, by translating booklets/pamphlets and facilitating sign language interpretation during graduation ceremonies,
- Symbolic, by developing multilingual websites and implementing multilingual signage.
The Language Unit, under the auspices of the Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development, is a policy implementation structure of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). It is accountable to the Senate Language Committee (SLC). In discharging its functions and responsibilities, as per the mandate of the SLC, the Unit is duty-bound to coordinate all language related policy implementation processes across the entire institution, taking into account all relevant administrative and academic activities at CPUT.
TEAM
HOD (vacant)
isiXhosa Language Specialist
Afrikaans Language Specialist
Administrative Assistant
Lab Technician
Fundani Centre for Higher Education
Language Unit, IT Centre (2nd Floor,
Room 3.13), Bellville Campus
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Tel: +27 21 959 6762