Spring 2022

  On 17 May 2022, the Translation Unit invited Mr. Ahmad Assiri, a Ph.D. candidate in Translation Studies at Macquarie University, to deliver a special translation webinar available to all King Khalid University students. The webinar, entitled "Translation in a Clear & Correct Arabic Language", stressed key aspects of the Arabic Language that translators/interpreters should consider in order to produce a clear Arabic translation/interpretation when conveying English texts to Arabic, including stylistic, grammatic, orthographic aspects. The webinar also highlighted a number of issues that help translators post-edit their work.   "It was a pleasure speaking to KKU’s students during this amazing webinar organized by the Translation Unit. The number of attendees, as well as their interactive engagement with the content, reflects an outstanding understanding of the key concepts presented," said Mr. Ahmad Assiri.   Of noteworthy mention, attendance at the webinar was high, with nearly 100 participants actively participating in practical training exercises related to the aspects discussed throughout the session. Thank you to everyone who participated live. If you were unable to attend, you can view a recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/AVOH20MhNdA Date: 5/20/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On 17 May 2022, the Translation Unit invited Mr. Ahmad Assiri, a Ph.D. candidate in Translation Studies at Macquarie University, to deliver a special translation webinar available to all King Khalid University students. The webinar, entitled "Translation in a Clear & Correct Arabic Language", stressed key aspects of the Arabic Language that translators/interpreters should consider in order to produce a clear Arabic translation/interpretation when conveying English texts to Arabic, including stylistic, grammatic, orthographic aspects. The webinar also highlighted a number of issues that help translators post-edit their work.   "It was a pleasure speaking to KKU’s students during this amazing webinar organized by the Translation Unit. The number of attendees, as well as their interactive engagement with the content, reflects an outstanding understanding of the key concepts presented," said Mr. Ahmad Assiri.   Of noteworthy mention, attendance at the webinar was high, with nearly 100 participants actively participating in practical training exercises related to the aspects discussed throughout the session. Thank you to everyone who participated live. If you were unable to attend, you can view a recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/AVOH20MhNdA Date: 5/20/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The English Department recently hosted an exciting Public Speaking Competition. The audience of over 100 attendees were treated to a magnificent display of talent by the participants. Because of the high standard of all the competitors' presentations, it was extremely difficult for the judges to choose outright winners.   The Dean will be hosting a small prize-giving event for these fantastic competitors in the near future. The Mountain Top Magazine's student journalists will publish a more comprehensive article, and provide related video links about this historic, world-class event, in the next issue. Date: 4/6/2022 Source: Azad Hayat

  The English Department recently hosted an exciting Public Speaking Competition. The audience of over 100 attendees were treated to a magnificent display of talent by the participants. Because of the high standard of all the competitors' presentations, it was extremely difficult for the judges to choose outright winners.   The Dean will be hosting a small prize-giving event for these fantastic competitors in the near future. The Mountain Top Magazine's student journalists will publish a more comprehensive article, and provide related video links about this historic, world-class event, in the next issue. Date: 4/6/2022 Source: Azad Hayat

  On Monday, March 28, 2022, the accreditation team celebrated news of the Bachelor of Arts in English Program, one of the leading programs at King Khalid University, being awarded full accreditation for the first time by the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, represented by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA) for 7 years beginning in the first quarter of 2022.   The new accomplishment cements BAEP's position as a prestigious language and translation program offering an excellent quality of education centered on preparing students to be future leaders in the fields of English language studies and translation and contributing to the overall development and economic growth of the Kingdom.   "We are grateful to the entire senior leadership team of King Khalid University at the level of the president, vice president, vice rectors, and deanships. Without their support, this achievement would not be possible. We would also like to thank all internal quality consultants, whose dedication to the program and enthusiasm for its success made this possible. Finally, we thank all faculty members and staff who worked together to accomplish this feat. We strive to uphold the highest standards in teaching, learning, research, student support, curricula, learning resources and community service. This is an accomplishment for all of us," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation.   "I want to express my tremendous gratitude to the quality team for their tireless efforts. Working day and night, their efforts have helped us continuously improve our quality assurance system. It was not an easy task for all of us, and now it is time to celebrate," said Vice Dean for Quality and Development, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa. He then congratulated all faculty and staff and mentioned that BAEP is aligned with Vision 2030 and the Aseer Strategic Plan in that we aim to graduate students who can contribute positively to the national economy and development being witnessed on all levels all across the Kingdom, especially the Asir region. Date: 3/30/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On Monday, March 28, 2022, the accreditation team celebrated news of the Bachelor of Arts in English Program, one of the leading programs at King Khalid University, being awarded full accreditation for the first time by the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, represented by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA) for 7 years beginning in the first quarter of 2022.   The new accomplishment cements BAEP's position as a prestigious language and translation program offering an excellent quality of education centered on preparing students to be future leaders in the fields of English language studies and translation and contributing to the overall development and economic growth of the Kingdom.   "We are grateful to the entire senior leadership team of King Khalid University at the level of the president, vice president, vice rectors, and deanships. Without their support, this achievement would not be possible. We would also like to thank all internal quality consultants, whose dedication to the program and enthusiasm for its success made this possible. Finally, we thank all faculty members and staff who worked together to accomplish this feat. We strive to uphold the highest standards in teaching, learning, research, student support, curricula, learning resources and community service. This is an accomplishment for all of us," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation.   "I want to express my tremendous gratitude to the quality team for their tireless efforts. Working day and night, their efforts have helped us continuously improve our quality assurance system. It was not an easy task for all of us, and now it is time to celebrate," said Vice Dean for Quality and Development, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa. He then congratulated all faculty and staff and mentioned that BAEP is aligned with Vision 2030 and the Aseer Strategic Plan in that we aim to graduate students who can contribute positively to the national economy and development being witnessed on all levels all across the Kingdom, especially the Asir region.   Date: 3/30/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  Ms. Anjum Mishu conducted a presentation titled "Language of the Professionals: How to Write Academic English (International Tests, Research Papers or Journals)" at a webinar organized by the female Alumni Unit on 23 March 2022. She highlighted the problem faced by students when they want to take competency tests and write research papers as a part of MA and Ph.D. programs. She stressed the fact that students find it challenging to jump from the casual day-to-day style to the very high standard expected of them at the tertiary level.   Ms. Anjum offered a solution to this problem by showing them that through the application of strategies at the syntax level, they can transform simple and plain sentences into formal and academic ones. Attitude adverbials, fronting, cleft sentences, quantifying differences, generalizing and distancing, referencing, etc., are to name a few of the strategies.   The presenter also emphasized that academic tone can be improved through the proper use of affixes at the lexical level. She added charts of useful affixes so that they could come in handy for the students. Date: 3/25/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The Language Research Center organized a webinar on March 23, 2022, that included a presentation titled "Analyzing the Efficacy of the Teaching Approaches Implemented by the Literature Teachers for EFL Students: Undergraduate Learners' Perspective", which was delivered by Dr. Najmus Sarifa and Ms. Rakhshinda Jabeen.   Sarifa and Jabeen spoke about different approaches to teaching literature, highlighting the fact that we should never ignore the significance of the extent to which learners learn when a particular teaching method or a technique is implemented in class. In other words, the researchers emphasized the learning methods rather than the teaching ones. The study explored the effectiveness of certain teaching approaches employed by teachers in a literature classroom.   Literature, the researchers added, is beyond what is commonly believed. This is even beyond learning about "people, culture, ethics, behaviours and other social norms" (Mustakim, Mustapha & Lebar 2018). Literature courses, they said, are indispensable for enhancing the learning scope of the language. A variety of characters with certain literary diction takes language learning to another level.   The researchers highlighted the fact that technology and innovation have given rise to a dramatic change in learning skills. They pointed up the inclusion of a profound range of literary works in the course curriculum. The dual benefit of including literature in the curriculum at the tertiary level, they said, is the fact that the students can develop an insight into the culture and characters of the English society and increase their imaginative power.   Sarifa and Jabeen explained in detail certain approaches to teaching literature such as teacher-centered approach, stylistic approach, learner-centered approach, paraphrastic approach, and culture-based approach by comparing them.   The speakers concluded that literature teachers need to be creative and trained enough to choose a teaching method that provides maximum benefits to the learners.   The webinar was very informative and a great success. Date: 3/25/2022 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Ms. Anjum Mishu conducted a presentation titled "Language of the Professionals: How to Write Academic English (International Tests, Research Papers or Journals)" at a webinar organized by the female Alumni Unit on 23 March 2022. She highlighted the problem faced by students when they want to take competency tests and write research papers as a part of MA and Ph.D. programs. She stressed the fact that students find it challenging to jump from the casual day-to-day style to the very high standard expected of them at the tertiary level.   Ms. Anjum offered a solution to this problem by showing them that through the application of strategies at the syntax level, they can transform simple and plain sentences into formal and academic ones. Attitude adverbials, fronting, cleft sentences, quantifying differences, generalizing and distancing, referencing, etc., are to name a few of the strategies.   The presenter also emphasized that academic tone can be improved through the proper use of affixes at the lexical level. She added charts of useful affixes so that they could come in handy for the students. Date: 3/25/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The Language Research Center organized a webinar on March 23, 2022, that included a presentation titled "Analyzing the Efficacy of the Teaching Approaches Implemented by the Literature Teachers for EFL Students: Undergraduate Learners' Perspective", which was delivered by Dr. Najmus Sarifa and Ms. Rakhshinda Jabeen.   Sarifa and Jabeen spoke about different approaches to teaching literature, highlighting the fact that we should never ignore the significance of the extent to which learners learn when a particular teaching method or a technique is implemented in class. In other words, the researchers emphasized the learning methods rather than the teaching ones. The study explored the effectiveness of certain teaching approaches employed by teachers in a literature classroom.   Literature, the researchers added, is beyond what is commonly believed. This is even beyond learning about "people, culture, ethics, behaviours and other social norms" (Mustakim, Mustapha & Lebar 2018). Literature courses, they said, are indispensable for enhancing the learning scope of the language. A variety of characters with certain literary diction takes language learning to another level.   The researchers highlighted the fact that technology and innovation have given rise to a dramatic change in learning skills. They pointed up the inclusion of a profound range of literary works in the course curriculum. The dual benefit of including literature in the curriculum at the tertiary level, they said, is the fact that the students can develop an insight into the culture and characters of the English society and increase their imaginative power.   Sarifa and Jabeen explained in detail certain approaches to teaching literature such as teacher-centered approach, stylistic approach, learner-centered approach, paraphrastic approach, and culture-based approach by comparing them.   The speakers concluded that literature teachers need to be creative and trained enough to choose a teaching method that provides maximum benefits to the learners.   The webinar was very informative and a great success. Date: 3/25/2022 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique