Language Centre
‘Akademia represents a hope-inspiring alternative for Afrikaans speakers within the South African scenario of universities,’
Akademia is increasingly becoming a beacon as an Afrikaans higher education institution – not only in the South African context but also on the international stage. The institution’s foundations document is also an inherent instruction to Akademia academics and staff to develop Afrikaans at all levels.
Akademia’s Language Centre was founded in 2024 and aims to support the institution particularly in this task. The Language Centre, which is located in the Department of Languages and Cultural Sciences of the Faculty of Humanities, is therefore primarily tasked with the following:
- To promote Afrikaans as a foreign language – locally and abroad;
- To develop the academic language skills of Akademia students to the highest level, so that they can complete and practise their studies and professions in the workplace with great success; and
- To promote Afrikaans as an academic language by offering Akademia staff support with research, teaching and learning activities.
Projects
Academic language skills
The Council on Higher Education’s study published in the report Vital Stats Public Higher Education (2010-2019) found that students were not equipped for the academic literacy demands at tertiary institutions. Good language skills are ultimately central to academic literacy, excellent teaching and the successful delivery of graduates. Language skills are about more than just basic reading and writing skills but also encompass critical thinking, research skills and the ability to deal with complex academic texts.
Akademia – in collaboration with the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA) – has tested the academic language skills of all first-year students of the institution since 2024 to determine whether they were ready for the demands of the higher education environment. Students whose language skills are not at the appropriate level receive support through an online short course on academic language skills. The course is developed in collaboration with the Write It project of the South African Centrin for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR)
In addition to the tests and short course at first-year level, the Language Centre also plans an advanced language skills course in Afrikaans and an English in Practice course for senior students. With these courses, the Language Centre wants to equip the institution’s alumni not only to use Afrikaans’ high functions par excellence but also to function successfully in English-language work environments.
Afrikaans as a foreign language
Afrikaans is already offered at various centres and language schools in Europe and elsewhere in the world and Akademia will henceforth be the institution that manages the quality of the process and its certification. From 2025, Akademia will issue language certificates to those who successfully complete language proficiency exams in Afrikaans. The certification is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ranges from communication level (A1 and A2) to academic level (C1 and C2). Other well-known institutions that issue language proficiency certificates according to this framework are the Alliance Francaise and the Goethe Institute.
With this project, Akademia will promote Afrikaans as a foreign language in the following ways:
- Akademia is the main centre where language proficiency in Afrikaans is tested according to the international framework.
- Akademia offers interested parties the opportunity to learn Afrikaans as a foreign language through online courses.
Akademia trains people to teach Afrikaans as a foreign language. (This compares to the TEFL certificates in the English context.)
With this project, the Language Centre further contributes to the institution’s success with exchange programmes and the development of international networks because exchange students and guest lecturers have the opportunity to master Afrikaans as a foreign language to a certain level before they join Akademia.
Afrikaans as an academic language
Akademia is one of the few higher education institutions that focuses on research and teaching and learning exclusively in Afrikaans. It is therefore essential that the institution, via the Language Centre, also offers academic staff sufficient support to carry out these tasks in outstanding academic Afrikaans.
With this project, the Language Centre now works with the various faculties, among other things, to carry out needs assessments, develop subject and research terminology lists, offer support with the translation of terms and concepts with a view to teaching and learning, as well as language advice for research conducted in Afrikaans.
Staff
DR. ALÉ STEYN
Coordinator: Language Centre
Head of Department: Languages and Cultural Sciences
Programme coordinator: BA (Communication and Journalism)
DR. ANNELISE DE VRIES
Coordinator: Academic language proficiency
Lecturer: Professional Studies
Karien Brits
Coordinator: Afrikaans as a foreign language
Senior language practitioner
Co-workers
Dr. Rina Loader
previously lecturer: Linguistics at the University of Vienna
Prof. Tobie van Dyk
Coordinator: Write It-projek at SADiLaR
Prof. Albert Weideman
Chair: ICELDA
DJ Cloete
Lecturer: Professional Studies at Akademia
Sarita Blignaut
Language practitioners: Akademia
Dr. Nic de Jager
Lecturer: Professional Studies at Akademia
Enquiries
Send any enquiries about the Language Centre to taalsentrum@akademia.ac.za.
REGISTREER VIR ONS NUUSBRIEF EN BLY OP HOOGTE MET AKADEMIA SE NUUS EN GEBEURE
