Polyglot blog

What better way to spend the summer than to learn a language in the country where it is spoken? Immerse yourself not only in the language, but also in the culture of the country, travel around and meet people from all over the world.
This list focuses exclusively on language courses offered by universities and higher education institutions (excluding private language schools) in the country where the language is spoken.
 
 
Arabic

Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon – Summer Institute for Intensive Arabic Language and Culture
Dates: 28 June – 6 August 2010
Language courses: Arabic language and culture courses at elementary, upper elementary, intermediate and advanced levels
More information on the Lebanese American University’s website

American University of Beirut, Lebanon – Summer Arabic Program
Dates: 30 June – 13 August 2010
Language courses: Introductory Arabic / High introductory Arabic / Low intermediate Arabic / Intermediate Arabic / High intermediate Arabic / Advanced Arabic / Superior Arabic
More information on the American University of Beirut’s website

American University in Cairo, Egypt – Summer Program
Dates: June – July
Language courses: Modern Standard Arabic / Egyptian spoken Arabic
More information on the American University of Cairo’s website

Al Akhawayn University, Morocco – Arabic and North African Studies Program
Dates: 31 May – 23 July 2010
Language courses: Beginning Arabic / Intermediate Arabic / Advanced Arabic / Journalistic and literary Arabic / Moroccan colloquial Arabic
More information on the Al Akhawayn University’s website
 
 
Bulgarian

St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria – International Summer Seminar
Dates: 1 – 15 August 2010 / 1 – 22 August 2010
Language courses: Bulgarian language and culture courses
More information on the University’s website
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Using Corpora in Contrastive and Translation Studies
Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, UK
27 – 29 July 2010

The 2010 conference is the second in the biennial Using Corpora in Contrastive and Translation Studies (UCCTS) series, launched to provide a forum for exploring the creation and use of corpora in contrastive and translation studies.

The UCCTS 2010 conference covers, but is not confined to, the following themes:
- Design and development of comparable and parallel corpora;
- Processing of multilingual corpora;
- Using corpora in translation studies and teaching;
- Using corpora in cross-linguistic contrast;
- Corpus-based comparative research of source native language, translated language and target native language;
- Corpus-based research of interface between contrastive and translation studies;
- Bilingual terminology, lexicology and lexicography.

The event is jointly organised by Edge Hill University, the University of Bologna, and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

More information on Edge Hill University’s website

The Fourth Asian Translation Traditions Conference
Appropriation and transformation in Asian translation traditions
Chinese University of Hong Kong
15 – 17 December 2010

The Fourth Asian Translation Traditions Conference, jointly organized by the Research Centre for Translation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, will be held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 15-17 December 2010. [...] the fourth conference aims to challenge the Eurocentric bias of Translation Studies by exploring the richness and diversity of non-Western discourses and practices of translation. The focus will be on translational exchanges among non-Western languages and change and continuity in Asian translation traditions.

More information on the conference website

Norms in translation and the translation of norms in European institutions and businesses
Strasbourg, France
23 – 25 June 2010

The conference aims to bring together translators, linguists, translator trainers, experts working in the European Institutions, as well as people working in the business sector, to discuss the practices and the demands which [the] European multilingualism generates.

Presentations can focus on any of the following topics:
- Harmonising translation practice in businesses and institutions.
- The use of terminology in a multilingual context, both in the public and private sector.
- Multilingual strategies in business communication and translation.
- European minority languages and translation issues.
- The impact of majority languages on translation norms.
- Problems of source text quality linked to the use of global English.
- The implicit and explicit diffusion of translation norms.
- Norms in translator training.
- Norms in translation as applied by the audiovisual industry and in publishing.

More information on the conference website

The Author-Translator in the European Literary Tradition
Swansea University, 28 June – 1 July 2010
Confirmed keynote speakers include:
Susan Bassnett, David Constantine, Lawrence Venuti

This conference seeks to reassess the importance of translation for European writers – both well-known and less familiar – from antiquity to the present day. It will explore why authors translate, what they translate, and how they translate, as well as the links between an author’s translation work and his or her own writing.

More information on Swansea University’s website

INTERPRETING IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
6th International Conference
26-30 July, 2010
Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom

The School of Languages and Social Sciences at Aston University is proud to host the 6th International Critical Link Conference, which will bring together representatives from every sphere of the public service interpreting community. Academics, interpreting practitioners, employers, trainers, policy makers, service providers and service recipients will have the opportunity to participate in a lively and stimulating international exchange of information, knowledge and skills.

The main theme of Critical Link 6 will be ‘Interpreting in a Changing Landscape’, exploring political, legal, human rights, trans-national, economic, socio-cultural and sociolinguistic aspects of public service/community interpreting.

More information on Aston University’s website

The African Union is currently looking to recruit:
- an English interpreter
- a French interpreter
- an Arabic interpreter
- a Portuguese interpreter
- an Arabic reviser
- a French reviser
- an Arabic translator
- a French translator
- an English translator
- a Portuguese translator

Application deadline: 9 April 2010
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

More information on the African Union’s website.

To see more jobs for translators and interpreters, visit the Language and Translation Job Board.