Faculty of Languages and Translation

Translation Unit at FLT has subtitled into English three YouTube videos about recent national topics (the Saudi Founding Day, the difference between the Saudi Founding Day and National Day, and Aseer Strategic Development Plan), aiming to provide much-needed information for non-Arabic audience locally and globally and familiarize them with the remarkable national developments in Saudi Arabia. Enjoy watching!  قامت وحدة الترجمة في كلية اللغات والترجمة بترجمة ثلاثة مقاطع من اليوتيوب إلى اللغة الإنجليزية حول مواضيع وطنية حديثة (يوم التأسيس السعودي، والفرق بين يوم التأسيس السعودي واليوم الوطني، وخطة التنمية الاستراتيجية لمنطقة عسير). وتهدف الترجمة إلى توفير المعلومات اللازمة للناطقين بغير العربية محليًا وعالمياً واطلاعهم على التطورات الوطنية الرائعة في المملكة العربية السعودية. مشاهدة ممتعة نرجوها لكم! Click the links below to view the videos. Founding Day Founding Day vs. National Day Aseer Strategic Plan Date: 2/15/2022 Source: Translation Unit Director, Dr. Eisa Asiri

  On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 8 pm, four Bachelor of Arts in English program rising seniors, and student representatives of the King Khalid University 2021 Online Summer Program with Monash University, delivered an Alumni Unit webinar entitled "Summer Course Experience: Monash University".   Beginning the webinar as the moderator, Rayan Hassan Alfaifi, a student at the Faculty of Languages and Translation's 4-week 2021 online summer program titled "English Across Cultures and Intercultural Awareness" that ended on 19 August 2021, explained that the program translated into a deeper understanding of the English language and culture. Rayan said: "We thought that why wouldn't we make a full summary of this program and give it to all students through this webinar. This is the whole idea of this webinar." He then introduced the thematic points of the webinar, including fun facts about Monash University, Australian culture & language, language and culture, teaching and learning culture, cultural awareness, intercultural information, bilingualism, native speakerism, pedagogy and fairness, and research tips.   "We were thrilled to offer this opportunity to our top students, especially during the pandemic," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, Dean at the Faculty of Languages and Translation. "What's remarkable about the online summer program is how KKU's and Monash's high-caliber faculty collaborated to design a curriculum that fit the needs of our students," said Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, Vice Dean of Academic Development & Quality at the Faculty of Languages and Translation   Hind Mufleh Abudaser, Jana Muneer Saeed, Rayan Hassan Alfaifi, and Faisal Mohammad Asiri then began the informative part of the webinar. They introduced participants to the origins of Australian culture, the colorful vocabulary of Australian English, examples of diminutives, the intersections of language and culture, language as a code, language as a social practice, approaches to learning culture, the four categories of cultural awareness, the concepts of interculturalism and the spaces they are defined in, steps to becoming an intercultural learner, bilingualism, multilingualism, fractional and holistic views, code-switching, translanguaging, the myth of ambilingualism, English as an international language (EIL), the fallacies of native speakerism, pedagogy and fairness, equality vs. equity, and research tips.   The Summer Language Program is a recent development managed by the Faculty of Languages and Translation and its international partners. It serves to enrich gifted and talented students with extracurricular activities in a variety of fields to develop their abilities and skills. Special thanks go to the Alumni Unit for communicating and involving alumni in events and activities. To watch a recording of the event, please see the embedded video below. Summer Course Experience: Monash University Date: 2/13/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation For a related story, click here.

  Dr. Abdulwahid Al Zumor of the Faculty of Languages and Translation attended a three-day training for international experts in Higher Education Quality Assurance (31/01/2022, 1 & 4/02/2022) by the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN). Day 1 was an Introduction to ASIIN and its International Network of Quality Assurance in Higher Education. The participants were also introduced to the Accreditation Procedures and the Peer Review Principles, how reviewers should behave as expert peers, and the associated tasks, objectives, and challenges. The last training topic of Day 1 was content and interpretation of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) I-II for external and internal quality assurance.   Day 2 program focused on Self-Evaluation Report and the Accreditation Criteria: how to analyze and assess HEI’s self-evaluation, the accreditation criteria and typical pitfalls, procedural guidelines for the accreditation of degree programs, subject-specific criteria; defining and assessing learning outcomes. The program of Day 3 was practically oriented. The participants were involved in the discussion of the practical task assigned to them between the 1st and 4th of February. They received individual feedback from the consultants on the analysis and formulation of questions using an exemplary self-evaluation report. The last part of the program was a role-play and simulated audit activity with possible scenarios for on-site discussions.   At the end of the training, Dr. Al Zumor was awarded a certificate of completing all training requirements for an international expert in Higher Education Quality Assurance.   ASIIN is a global leader in Quality Assurance in Higher education based in Germany and has contributed to the accreditation and evaluation of 5669 study programs in 304 HE institutions in 44 countries worldwide, including Saudi Arabia. Date: 2/11/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  At the beginning of the Spring 2022 semester, E-Learning Supervisor, Mohsin Raza Khan, delivered an e-learning practitioner certification course open to all faculty members. The importance of instructional design training and an enhanced learning environment for students is well known to all colleges of the university. "The focal point of the two-week practitioner course was to ensure alignment between assessments and learning outcomes. Fifty-eight faculty members registered in the course, and nearly half were able to complete it on time successfully. E-Learning Deanship Training Manager, Ali Alaosi, was instrumental in ensuring smooth delivery of the course, and we thank him for his support," said Khan.   The primary objectives of the course were to improve student learning, engagement, interaction, and quality learning. These objectives were solidified by the core foundation of the program that participants would be able to: Create content items to present a variety of learning activities to enhance student learning. Deliver authentic assessments to evaluate student knowledge in a variety of meaningful ways. Use Blackboard communication tools to promote interactions between the student and instructor, the student and course content, and the student and peers. Effectively utilize Blackboard Collaborate™ tools to increase student engagement by providing a means to share and create knowledge. Date: 2/9/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

أقام نادي The English Club بكلية اللغات والترجمة بأبها بالتعاون مع عمادة شؤون الطلاب لشؤون الطالبات فعالية Old Games are Back.  وذلك في يوم الأحد الموافق ١٤٤٣/٦/٥ هـ من الساعة ٩-١٢.  حيث قام النادي بتجهيز ألعاب يدوية وإلكترونية للطالبات في مكتب النشاط ليكون محطة للترفيه بين المحاضرات وكذلك فرصة للتطبيق العملي و استخدام اللغة الإنجليزية في بعض المسابقات التنافسية كمسابقة البحث عن الكنز والتي نُفذت على جولتين: الجولة الاولى زُودت الطالبات بألغاز باللغة الانجليزية متسلسلة في البهو الداخلي بحيث أن حلها يوصِلهم إلى مكان الكنز وهو عبارة عن قسائم شرائية من جرير.  أما الجولة الثانية فكانت في الفناء الخارجي مستخدمين الاعمدة الملونة بمثابة خريطة للمتسابقات، بحيث يتم حل الالغاز على تسلسل الالوان، وبذلك تصل الطالبة الأسرع إلى العمود الأخير حاصلة على الكنز. حضر الفعالية ٤٨ طالبة.  مشرفة النادي: أ. مرام المالكي رائدة النادي: هند أبو داسر

  In January 2022, His Excellency the President of King Khalid University, Prof. Falleh Al-Solamy, recently issued a decision to establish the Translation Unit (TU), under the supervision of the Faculty of Languages and Translation. In addition to the remarkable developments that King Khalid University has witnessed in academic, scientific, technical, and societal areas, to name a few, TU is another of the university’s initiatives aligned with the Kingdom’s Saudi Vision 2030. This unit was established with the aim of enhancing the university’s role in sharing knowledge, scientific and otherwise, by making it accessible to other cultures and languages. It also highlights the remarkable status of the Arabic language and reinforces its role in a global civilization.   Dean Abdullah Al-Melhi commented that “the university seeks through this unit to contribute to achieving the goals and expectations of Asir region development strategy, and spreading the original culture of the Asir region, thus enriching the translation content locally and internationally and highlighting the Saudi identity.”   Translation Unit Director, Dr. Eisa Asiri, stated that “TU is an important milestone initiative towards achieving the long-awaited objectives of this unit, including but not limited to, progressing all forms of translation and advancing their vital roles in enriching and disseminating knowledge among languages and cultures, contributing to the achievement of the strategic development plan for the Asir Region by disseminating its authentic culture regionally and globally via translation, and building up community partnerships aimed at achieving the university's mission to provide outstanding community services." If you wish to contact the Translation Unit, please choose any of the following options: By tel: +966 53 327 4414 (Sunday - Thursday 9 am to 2 pm) By email: ealeisa@kku.edu.sa Date: 2/1/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On 15 November 2021, Dr. Eisa Al-Eisa Asiri, who recently returned from Macquarie University in Australia, delivered a webinar to 107 participants organized by the Alumni Unit of the Faculty of Languages and Translation under the coordination of Mohsin Raza Khan. The webinar — titled "The transition from a classroom to a workplace: professional skills for translation students" — introduced participants to the most important professional skills in translation (henceforth TRN) and interpreting (henceforth INT). The webinar was developed to provide students and alumni with additional activities for their professional development, consistent with the intended learning outcomes and labor market developments.   Dr. Asiri began by inquiring of the student participants how to gain advanced TRN and INT knowledge. There was a wide variety of interesting responses. One student said that the best way is to study for a degree in TRN or INT. Dr. Asiri agreed but explained that one must be an avid consumer of source text and target text materials. He emphasized that one must be a good writer and have in-depth cultural knowledge.   Dr. Asiri highlighted several practical terms as a starting point, explaining that translation memory is parts of or complete sentences that have been translated before that can be consulted while translating. In addition, tapping into one's translation memory is helpful when using technological tools for translators and interpreters. He related that most professional translators work with computer-assisted translation tools, and they test as many programs as they can.   Then, Dr. Asiri admonished the students to have an entrepreneurial spirit while showing the pros and cons of working with agencies, working with direct clients, and using portals. He noted that resumes should be ready and updated regularly. He concluded that networking and attending events, conferences, and expos, whether related to the translation industry or not, can play a significant role in finding clients and continuing one's professional development.   At the end of the webinar, Dr. Asiri thanked all alumni, undergrads, and grads who participated, noting that learning doesn't stop on graduation day. Please click here to view a recording of the event. Date: 11/16/2021 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On Monday, November 8, 2021, King Khalid University celebrated the seventh anniversary of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's ascension to the throne. As a part of the celebration, a talk was held on leadership and achievement in theater 6. His Excellency the President of King Khalid University, Prof. Fallah Al-Solamy, led the discussion, which was open to the public.   Representing the Faculty of Languages and Translation — and all programs within — were Vice Dean for Academic Development & Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, and Dr. Mona Al-Shehri, who is now the General Supervisor of the Student Training Unit. Of note, Dr. Almosa moderated the event and began by recalling the remarkable development and unprecedented achievements we have witnessed at all economic and social levels. Dr. Al-Shehri echoed Dr. Almosa's sentiments by explaining how the exceptional women empowerment reforms have led to an inclusive approach in their participation in national development.   Also participating in the event were Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Ahmed Al-Faya, General Director of the Human Resources Operations Department, Muhammad bin Shaya Al-Nahari, and student Reham Al-Shawal. They all highlighted the substantial improvements made in local governance, urban policy, and youth empowerment stemming from Vision 2030.   All programs in the Faculty of Languages and Translation are committed to implementing its role in the community partnership plan of King Khalid University. Please click here to view a recording of the event. Date: 11/15/2021 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  During the week of November 7, 2021, 3 faculty members participated in a series of webinars — supervised by the Vice Presidency of Graduate Studies and Academic Research and organized by the Scholarship Department — designed to prepare teaching assistants and lecturers for the intense responsibilities and schedule of a doctoral program. On a daily basis, nearly 150 participants engaged in robust and engaging conversations with a team of leading researchers and experienced faculty from King Khalid University.   Representing the Faculty of Languages and Translation were Dr. Munassir Alhamami, Dr. Abdul Wahed Q. Al Zumor, and Dr. Fakieh Alrabai. Dr. Alhamami led off Monday's session with a presentation on research methods, and he highlighted the importance of forming a coherent picture of the research techniques used. Following closely after, Dr. Al Zumor complemented Dr. Alhamami's session by introducing participants to the specific rules, flow, and structure of academic research writing. Concluding the Faculty of Languages and Translation's participation on Wednesday was Dr. Alrabai. He led participants through research methodology and the process of visualizing the implementation of a research project.   Faculty members in all college programs are committed to regularly participating in research-based academic activities to improve our programs' and institutional performance. Date: 11/13/2021 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  Mr. Mohammad Adil conducted a very effective workshop focusing on stress management which was titled A Professional Approach to Reducing Stress Involved in Course Report Writing, on November 10, 2021. The workshop was organized by the Language Research Center. The trainer, along with some basics of course report writing, particularly emphasized how to lessen stress many teachers experience before course report submission. He also emphasized that a professional approach to handling this course report task can easily reduce stress to a great extent.   The session included some brainstorming tasks for the participants. The tasks were based on the relationship between a course coordinator and instructors and how a wrong approach to designing an examination or a quiz could lead to unnecessary stress. In response to the tasks, the participants shared some thought-provoking ideas that every teacher must think of. For example, changing our mentality helps a great deal. We all should avoid downplaying the course report writing job and therefore consider it as an important one.   The trainer emphasized being proactive and working on the report ahead of time, preferably during the semester, not after the final examination. He also showed some examples of how tests, quizzes, and tasks could be aligned with the course learning outcomes in advance and how it could help design tests in a more effective way, eventually reducing stress most teachers experience at the end of every semester.   As regards Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) measurement, the trainer primarily emphasized the "Values" domain, which many instructors have experienced difficulties with. He showed a sample of a survey form that could be used in class to measure the CLOs under "Values".   Adil concluded that we, the instructors, especially the coordinators, work ahead of time by being proactive by designing and aligning. The coordinators should avoid burdening the instructors with tasks they can do easily alone. Also, the instructors should cooperate as well by being available to the coordinator.   The workshop was very engaging and a great success. Please click here to view the workshop booklet. Date: 11/12/2021 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation