Lingua Franca

¿Qué pasa? Quoi de neuf? Novità? Department News Abounds (11.1)

Departmental Autumn Soirée. Thank you to all who helped to organize and attend our fall “Autumn Soirée” at Finz Seafood and Grill in September! Faculty members donated their time, auction items and culinary expertise in order to make the evening a memorable one! We enjoyed desserts from many parts of the world, world music and dance, and were successful in raising around $2,000 for our departmental gift fund. The funds raised will be used for student scholarships, research, travel and academic enrichment activities. See pictures of the Soirée here.

New Languages. The department continued to expand this year, adding intermediate German and Latin courses to our daytime curriculum which now includes elementary and intermediate language courses in seven languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish.

It’s all Greek to us! Also, the WLC department, in collaboration with the History department, will offer a special course in Spring 2014 in Ancient Greek. The course will be taught by Prof. Erick Jensen is Assistant Professor of History and specializes in Ancient Greek and Rome. Look for WLC 500 Directed Study in Ancient Greek in the spring schedule.

New major concentrations. We also welcomed new French and Italian majors to our BA in World Languages and Cultures this fall, as our Spanish major continues to thrive! To our new students: Bienvenues! Benvenuti! ¡Bienvenidos!

New Course. A new course will be offered in Spring 2014: Introduction to Translation (WLC 300)! Open to students who have completed FRE 201, ITL 201 or SPN 201, this course offers an overview of the profession and practice of translation. Created for majors and minors, this course can count as one of the interdisciplinary course options on the BA in World Languages and Cultures French, Italian or Spanish concentrations. The Intro to Translation course will also be the cornerstone of a new “Certificate in Translation” which we hope to launch in 2015. Students in any undergraduate program may enroll in the certificate; language majors and minors can use their language courses towards the major/minor as well as towards the certificate. The certificate will also be open to non-matriculated students who are simply interested in acquiring the language proficiency and professional skills needed to become translators.

Salem Public Schools Translator Resource List: The department will again collaborate this year with the Salem Public Schools to provide a listing of students, faculty, administrators and staff who are willing to be called for interpreting jobs in the Salem schools. Last year, we helped to send interpreters in eight different languages: Arabic, Chinese, Albanian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian. If you are a member of the SSU community and are fluent in a foreign language and in English, are interested in helping new immigrant families navigate the public school system, and would like to be included in the resource list, please send your contact information to Prof. Blood (eblood@salemstate.edu). Interpreters are hired directly by the Salem Public Schools and paid at a competitive rate.

Study Abroad. Start planning now for Summer 2014! The department will again be offering 6-9 credit summer programs in French (Québec), Italian (Florence) and Spanish (Costa Rica) during the summer. Applications and information sessions will be held in early Spring 2014 semester. Check our website for more information: www.salemstate.edu/languages.

Congratulations. Congratulations to Spencer Wolf – who received the ISE Language Matters Award and the MA German Educator of the Year Award at the Annual Business and Awards Luncheon at the 46th Annual MaFLA Conference on October 19, 2013.

Language Laboratory. Starting this fall, the Language Lab, also known as Language Resource Center, has moved to a new location in the Sullivan Building’s first floor.  We’re excited to have it closer to our classes.  So far it is has proved to be a lively place with the lounge area proving particularly popular for students looking for somewhere comfy between classes.  Come by and visit in Sullivan 117.

Language tutoring. The languages peer tutoring service at the Language Lab is busier than ever this semester. Students are strongly encouraged to seek help if they fall behind or simply feel a bit lost. Remember: Spending time with a tutor is invariably more efficient than studying on your own, especially if you’re feeling a bit lost and confused. Make an appointment with a tutor here: lrc.salemstate.edu/tutors.