Stellenbosch University Language Centre

05/06/2026

Clear communication saves time, reduces misunderstandings and helps teams get work done with fewer unnecessary back-and-forths.
The SU Language Centre is hosting an online Plain Language Writing Workshop for professionals who draft or review internal policies, compliance documents, HR updates, public-facing messages and other workplace communication.

This interactive, online workshop offers a practical approach to structuring information clearly, cutting unnecessary jargon and writing documents that readers can understand on the first read.

The workshop will be led by Liezl van Zyl, co-founder of Hey Plain Jane and co-creator of the . She brings extensive practical experience in transforming complex regulatory and legal content into clear, accessible and useful communication.
Join us to sharpen your writing and make your documents work better for the people who need to use them.

Choose your workshop:
30 and 31 July (apply by 9 July), or
22 and 23 October (apply by 1 Oct)
⏰ Time: 09:00 - 12:00
💻 Format: Online via MS Teams

👉 Apply here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Azv6pjwKWEKEM6Eg3_zTSKbNVXqMFe1KjmcgnG0D9FFUNDBZWjU0OU5LRlpTVkVVTkkyOUhEVFJVMi4u&route=shorturl

📘 More information:https://languagecentre.sun.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/WPLA-Plain-Language-Writing_Eng.pdf

📩 Questions? Contact Michelle Pieters at [email protected] or call 021 808 2812.
Design Sandbox

04/06/2026

Jade Andrews has been a writing consultant at the SU Language Centre’s Writing Lab since 2024. Jade was awarded her doctorate in March, and we caught up with her to tell us a bit more about her academic journey. 🎓

“I’ve recently completed my PhD in Agricultural Sciences, with my research exploring the feasibility of conservation agriculture in vegetable systems focusing on biophysical dynamics, farmer perspectives and financial implications. My academic journey has been shaped by a strong interest in understanding complex, socio-ecological systems, particularly in the context of adapting to climate change.

Alongside my research, working as a consultant at the Writing Lab for the past two years has been incredibly rewarding, as it has allowed me to support students in developing their own academic voice and confidence in writing.

Looking ahead, I hope to continue in academia through postdoctoral research, contributing to interdisciplinary work that supports more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.”

🌟 We’re proud of you, Jade, and wish you everything of the best!

The Writing Lab supports academic writers at SU to reach their full potential. Book a free writing consultation here: https://apex.sun.ac.za/apex/apex5/f?p=210

03/06/2026

Have you always wanted to write creatively, but never knew how or where to start? A poem, a short story, a novel… or perhaps some life writing?

Now you can do exactly that in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa, with gentle in-person guidance to find your voice and gain the confidence to let it be heard.

The SU Language Centre’s brand-new Creative Writing Workshop will support you to start writing creatively in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. Step into a creative writing space with us for two afternoons a week for ten weeks.

Join lead facilitator Jonathan Amid in this non-judgmental environment to explore what you have to say, start expressing yourself and learn from four visiting guest writers: Barbara Boswell (fiction), Danie Marais (poetry), Alistair Mackay (short stories) and Máire Fisher (life writing). Write and interact in the language of your choice.

With participants’ consent, written contributions will eventually be compiled into a book, and each participant will receive a copy.

The workshop will be offered in person at the SU Language Centre in Stellenbosch. Places are limited, so register sooner than later!
📅 Course dates: 30 June to 1 September
Course format: 10 weeks | Two 2-hour sessions per week

Register by: 19 June
👉 To register, complete this form: https://forms.office.com/r/ChNpWJE7UZ

More information available here:https://languagecentre.sun.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WCRE-Creative-Writing_ENG.pdf
📩 Or, if you’d like to find out more, email Michelle Pieters at [email protected].

02/06/2026

We’re looking back on the past semester, and we must say, the Intercultural Communication 113 module that the Language Centre’s Academic and Professional Literacies focus area offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering to first-year engineering students was a run-away success. Congrats to all first-year engineering students who completed the module!

In the first semester of the 2026 academic year, all first-year engineering students worked in groups to investigate a local example of a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) using engineering graduate attributes to frame their investigation. They compiled a group report during term 1, and in term 2, pitched their project with posters to prospective “investors” on a few “investor days”.

Investigating real-world challenges was the perfect opportunity for students to put what they’ve learnt in the Intercultural Communication module into practice, which encompassed communicating engineering concepts and activities effectively with their peers and society at large. Working in diverse groups, they had to navigate linguistic, cultural and learning differences to successfully communicate and negotiate ideas with each other and, eventually, with external stakeholders.

On investor day, we visited the many groups and their posters and listened to their pitches (some very compelling!) as prospective investors. It was clear that the first-year engineering students really applied inclusive and clear communication as foundation for their projects, thereby ensuring successful and impactful projects. The conversations were passionate and convincing, and we’re proud of them for keeping open minds and embracing their differences to work towards the same shared goal.

Well done also to the team behind this module: Module leads Angela Govender and Karin Wolff; facilitators Marisca Coetzee, Taneha Hans, Lauren Van Breda, Asambese Mkumatela, Wade Cafun, Cyle Wilson, Ian Mararo and Kudakwashe Pasipamire; and Faculty of Engineering demis (student assistants) Consolata Nsanzubuhoro, Yanik van Alphen and Eddie Mutizwa.

👀 Keep an eye out for our blog post to read more about the Language Centre’s approach to modules like these, and to find out more about the students’ poster presentations and ICC 113!

Curious about academic and professional literacies? Read more here: https://languagecentre.sun.ac.za/academic-and-professional-literacies/

01/06/2026

How successful you are in an academic environment often depends on how well you communicate. This workshop helps you find your footing in a flexible setting and sets you up for success in the classroom.

The SU Language Centre’s online English for Academic Purposes Workshop is designed to help you take part in academic discussions with confidence. This course focuses on practical, day-to-day academic tasks presented in a workshop format. You will focus on breaking down complex texts, structuring your writing logically and presenting your research ideas to fellow students.

The sessions also cover the basic principles that keep your work organised, including structured note-taking, accurate referencing and leading group discussions.

As the workshop takes place in an interactive online format, you have the unique opportunity to apply these techniques directly in your current research or coursework between sessions.

Workshop details:
📅 Dates: 28 & 30 July; 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 & 27 August; 1, 3, 8, 10, 15 & 17 September 2026
💻 Format: Online, 8 weeks (32 hours total)
⏱ Schedule: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00 - 12:00

Apply by 7 July 2026!
👉 Apply here: https://forms.office.com/r/SSDU92P2HP

📩 For more questions, contact Michelle Pieters at [email protected] or call 021 808 2812.

29/05/2026

Ever wondered whether a language model could complete a cloze test (a fill-in-the-blank test), and if so, how its performance would compare with that of humans?

On 12 May, Susan Lotz, researcher, language practitioner and content coordinator at the SU Language Centre, presented a paper asking the same question. She attended the 2026 Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (LREC) in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and two of its co-located workshops: READIxTSAR, which dealt with readability research, and the 7th Workshop on Resources for African Indigenous Languages (RAIL), where she presented a paper.

The research is part of Susan’s joint PhD with Stellenbosch University in the Department of General Linguistics and the University of Groningen in the Center for Language and Cognition Groningen.

“My co-authors were Rik van Noord and Gertjan van Noord, and we found that of al the encoder-only language models that we experimented with, the performance of a small language model trained on Afrikaans only, afRoBERTA, correlated best with the performance of the humans who completed the same cloze tests. We also established that the moderate correlation was not accidental, that the humans and the language model found the same word classes difficult, and that, where both the language model and humans gave wrong cloze answers, the language model was further off with its answers than the aggregated humans.”

“Why did we even investigate this? We’re working towards finding a new means of readability assessment for Afrikaans – this is also my PhD research topic. Cloze tests can be used to establish how readable a text is, so if we could find a language model that could serve as a reliable proxy for human participants, it could make a very resource intensive task easier. More work needs to be done before a language model can be used in this way, but the experiments were really interesting!” The paper is available in the RAIL@LREC proceedings:http://lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2026/workshops/rail/2026.rail-1.0.pdf

Attending such a large international conference was a bit daunting, but the spirit of the conference was one of connection and sharing. It had a multilingual focus in the sense that many smaller (often lower resourced) languages were represented in the research shared, not only the usual prominent ones. It was also interesting to see how Mallorca balances communication with its multilingual population: most notices are available in Spanish and Catalan as well as in English, and sometimes even in German, as Mallorca is a popular destination for particularly German tourists.

There wasn’t much time for sightseeing, but Susan did manage to experience the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, which was magnificent, and visit a little mountain town, Valdemossa, with amazing mountain views. Valdemossa is also home to the 14th-century complex that was first a palace and later a Carthusian monastery. Chopin spent a winter there in 1838/9, composing some of his best work. After the conference she visited Barcelona for two days for a “Gaudí immersion”, as she put it.

28/05/2026

We’re so happy to share this contribution for workers’ month about Marguerite van der Waal, Head of the Language Service at the Language Centre. Featuring Marguerite is an excellent choice, as her role is integral to the language support the Language Centre offers to the University.

Language implementation funding is managed through the Language Service, with funds available to all faculties and other entities for language editing, translation and other language-related services. The Language Service is also taking on regional work from other universities in the Western Cape to develop isiXhosa and maintain Afrikaans.

Read more about Marguerite and the Language Service below!

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗮𝗹, 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗨 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆.

From coordinating language services under tight deadlines to supporting effective communication across faculties and divisions, Marguerite and her team help ensure that information is accessible, accurate and impactful.

“At its core, our work is about helping people say what they want to say clearly, accurately and with the right impact.”

Through her collaborative approach, eye for detail and commitment to practical solutions, Marguerite contributes to building understanding across languages and communities. 💫

28/05/2026

AI is a constant topic in higher education conversations.

Like many others involved in higher education, Angela Govender, Head of the Academic and Professional Literacies focus area at the Language Centre, is also increasingly interested in how AI tools can be used to deepen students’ critical and ethical engagement, rather than treating the matter as something to solve.

During her Erasmus mobility visit to the University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV) in Spain in December last year, she had the opportunity to engage with lecturers on this very question. She was invited to teach a first-year class on AI use, and what became clear is that, across contexts, we are all still working towards meaningful approaches.

“What stood out in my experience with the students there was not uncertainty, but readiness,” Angela recalls.

When students were invited into the conversation, they quickly shifted from being users of AI to being authors of the ethical boundaries of the AI usage. Working in groups, the students co-created their own guidelines for responsible AI use within their learning context and university. The result was a shared practice grounded in strong collective judgement, which their lecturer could take forward beyond the session.

This experience reinforced a simple idea: ethical AI use in higher education can be shaped not only for students, but with them.

The question now becomes: What is stopping us from positioning students as co-authors of ethical AI practices? Let us embrace their readiness.

27/05/2026

At our recent staff meeting, SU Language Centre colleagues had the opportunity to connect and to share and showcase the amazing work that is being done in our various focus areas, from academic literacies and multilingual learning, academic reading and writing, translation and interpreting, to terminology management and research, as well as some exciting new projects on the horizon.

The gathering also provided the context for a broad and insightful conversation about GenAI and how we approach and use it in our work and daily life. Facilitated by Dr Sonja Strydom from the SU Centre for Learning Technologies, the conversation broadly explored the relationship between knowledge and learning and how that translates into our conceptual positioning with regard to GenAI.

Staff members generally expressed a positive and possibility-focused attitude towards GenAI, particularly its potential to support creativity, teaching, learning and professional practice. At the same time, there was strong awareness of the need for caution, critical reflection and responsible use, including attentiveness to overreliance on AI tools and the importance of continuously monitoring and evaluating one’s own engagement with them.

Equity in GenAI was raised as a particular concern in our context. African languages and local knowledge systems and perspectives are acutely underrepresented in AI-generated content, while unequal access to digital resources and infrastructure also has a limiting effect on who benefits from these technologies. The discussion therefore highlighted the urgent importance of approaching GenAI in ways that promote inclusion, multilingualism, fairness, and greater representation of African voices and knowledge in digital spaces.

27/05/2026

Did you know that you can learn Afrikaans online on EdX?

Would you like to know how to introduce yourself, how to share details about your profession and hobbies, and how to order food at a restaurant in Afrikaans? There’s a way to learn all that at your own pace and have fun in the process!

This self-paced online EdX short course is designed for anyone interested in learning the basics of the Afrikaans language and culture. Apply today to learn key vocabulary and phrases enabling you to have simple conversations in Afrikaans.

The course forms part of a larger whole introducing you to isiXhosa, South African Sign Language and the concept of having a multilingual mindset, so you don’t have to stop with Afrikaans – there is even more to explore.

🔗 Join here: https://www.edx.org/learn/language/stellenbosch-university-afrikaans-language-and-culture-beginners