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  On February 5, 2020, under the supervision of Vice Dean for Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, E-Learning Supervisor, Bachelor of Arts in English program, Mohsin Khan, delivered a university-wide webinar titled 'Using Blackboard to Build Online Courses'. The webinar, organized by the Tamkeen team at the Deanship of E-Learning, aimed to explore the effective use of Blackboard and expose participants to the important tools of Blackboard. Approximately 170 faculty members from the numerous faculties registered for the webinar.   Mr. Khan provided an introduction to and the best practices of: Blackboard course management tools; The Fundamentals of building online courses using the QM Rubric; Creating quizzes, tests and assignments; Using the discussion board, announcement and start here content areas; Creating online sessions using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to providing specialized training and services to all faculties. The webinar was an overall success and will continue successively in future webinars as a part of the Tamkeen Team efforts. Special thanks to E-learning Deanship Training Manager, Mohammed Jarallah, for his holistic support. Date: 2/8/2020 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation  

  Vice Dean of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, sponsored a training seminar for the Bachelor of Arts in English program titled 'Creating and Assessing Learning Outcomes' on Saturday, February 8, 2020. The event was co-sponsored by the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality. In attendance were nearly 50 course coordinators from numerous campuses. It is worth noting that both male and female team members attended the event at Saudi German Hospital.   Dr. Abdul Wahed Al Zumor began the event by presenting on the purposes and requirements of developing course learning outcomes and the relevance of this move to the educational aspirations of the Kingdom, as stated in Vision 2030. He stressed the need to shift the focus from content-based education to outcome-based education. When comparing both forms of education, Dr. Al-Zumor explained that content-based learning is dependent mainly upon mastery of course material content. In contrast, outcomes-based education goes beyond mastery of content and into constructing knowledge and skills by the students themselves with guidance from instructors. "Outcomes-based education is part and parcel to the SAQF Level 7 Descriptors and the three domains in which they are in," he said. There was a call to action at the conclusion of his presentation to align course learning outcomes and the program learning outcomes with the SAQF framework.   Dr. Eman Alzaanin, Supervisor of the Academic Development and Quality Unit, expounded upon the fundamentals of outcomes-based education. Dr. Alzaanin emphasized the need to create an aligned curriculum where the intended learning outcomes, the learning activities and resources, and the assessment tasks and criteria are all aligned to enhance students' attainment of the intended learning outcomes at the course and programme level. She walked the participants through an exercise designed to activate the ability to spot the extent of alignment between course intended learning outcomes and written assessment tasks. "We do not want students just to learn what they think they will be tested on. By ensuring that assessment tasks mirror intended learning outcomes, the curriculum will be accurately reflected," she noted. Dr. Alzaanin also introduced a checklist to evaluate and ensure the quality of assessment in three phases: designing of the assessment, marking and verification, and review and recommendations. "This will ensure that the teaching activities of the instructor and learning activities of the student are heading in the same direction," she concluded. The end of Dr. Alzaanin's session was quite active, with a proposal put forward towards modifying the assessment structure in use.   The FLT is grateful to the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality for its co-sponsorship of the event and Quality Consultant, Dr. Ahmed Farid, for his brief explanation of benchmarking and measuring course learning outcomes along with assessments. "Thank you all for giving up part of your weekend to attend this most important event. We will begin the process of revising course learning outcomes in the near future," said Dr. Almosa.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to providing excellence in all aspects of its educational offerings.   Date: 2/8/2020 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The Women's Scientific Research Committee of the Bachelor of Arts in English program organized a seminar entitled "Publishing in Peer-Reviewed Journals: Challenges and Solutions" on Monday, February 3, 2020. The presentation, which was conducted by Dr. Mazeegha Al- Tale', focused on highlighting the significance of publishing in peer-reviewed journals, necessary steps, and techniques. At the beginning, Dr. Al-Tale' thanked the Scientific Research Committee for giving her the chance to give that presentation. She extended her thanks to the outstanding researchers Dr. Fakieh Alrabai and Dr. Munassair Al-Hamami for providing her with valuable information about international publishing.   "As faculty members, we strive to publish in peer-reviewed journals. After the hard work of thinking about appropriate topics, designing our studies, collecting the data and going through other steps of writing, we all are eager to see our works in good scientific journals", said Dr. Al- Tale’. Dr. Al- Tale' illustrated that there are five steps that researches have to follow in their journey towards publishing their work in authentic reliable journals. These are: reading towards topic selection, writing the research paper, selecting a journal, editing, and submission. She further explained in detail how each step could be accomplished perfectly towards publishing in peer-reviewed journals.   Dr. Al-Tale' also highlighted the importance of checking the impact factor of a journal before correspondence. Additionally, Dr. Al-Tale' provided a list of good publishing houses and explained the journal selection tools. She also visited some useful websites during the session in order to show the audience how to know if the target journal is listed in Scopus or not, to know whether a target journal is predatory or not, and to make sure that the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is a real one.   The seminar was attended by Dean's Assistant, Dr. Salma Alqahtani, Vice Dean, Dr. Mona Alshehri, teaching staff, and students. The seminar was very informative, engaging and such a great success.   Date: 2/4/2020 Source: Dr. Amal Metwally, Scientific Research Committee

  Dr. Adel Bahameed spoke on the subject of Translating Songs and Poems at a seminar organized by the Language Research Center for the Bachelor of Arts in English program on January 29, 2020. The presentation centered on the challenges involved in translating songs and poems.   The main objective of his research, Dr. Bahameed says, was to refresh translation studies with regard to the possibility of translating songs and poems.   Dr. Bahameed, based on his research, describes 'translating songs and poems' as a challenging task. "There has been a long controversy over whether songs and poems can be really translated or not", states Dr. Bahameed. He mentions a famous Arab singer Abu Bakr Salem and a famous Arab poet Hussein Al-Mihdar and how their works have been translated. While translating a song, he adds, the translator must pay attention to rhythm, rhyme, prosody, music and the culture. Some translators, while translating, only focus on forms, and some, on the other hand, give priority to content over form. He states that the translator should preferably be a poet so that he/she can appreciate the poetic text in hand.   Dr. Adel Bahameed concluded that Arabic poems are translatable, but the translation process is complicated. However, Arabic songs are untranslatable because of the extra dimension of music, which is beyond the translator's control.   The seminar was very interactive, engaging, and a great success. It is worth mentioning that King Abdullah Road Campus also attended the seminar. Date: 1/30/2020 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Under the auspices of Asir Gov. Prince Turki bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz, the Sports Governance Forum was held on Jan. 20, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Abha Palace Hotel. The main purpose of the two-session forum, hosted by Abha Sports Club, was to gather key stakeholders from around the Kingdom and from abroad to learn the unique challenges of sports governance, drive new initiatives, and implement coordinated solutions. Faculty of Languages and Translation Dean, Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, and Dr. Eyhab Bader Eddin, MITI, were provided with a special invitation. Dr. Bader Eddin was tasked with providing simultaneous interpreting in the two language combination, i.e. English and Arabic. He translated for the Arab guests what was said by the 2 English guest speakers who in turn got the English translation of what speakers said in Arabic, all done simultaneously. At the end of the Forum, Dean Al-Melhi provided consecutive interpreting for the questions posed to the English speakers before the lens of a TV channel.   Dr. Bader Eddin first provided simultaneous interpretation for Director of Risk and Governance at Everton FC, Paul McNicholas. Mr. McNicholas generated a lot of interest with his vast background in the Premier League, the top tier of English Football. Specifically, he manages all of the processes in place to protect Everton FC, a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. Mr. McNicholas's presentation was titled 'The English Experience in the Governance of Sports Clubs'. After, interpretation was provided for Real World Academies Managing Director, James Tucker. Mr. Tucker emphasized the importance of governance in education and sports clubs, citing examples from different academies from different parts of the world like Spain, etc. His presentation was titled 'The Importance of Governance in Education and Training in Sports Clubs'.   The event included a notable selection of speakers that included: Advisory (Shura) Council member Dr. Muhammad Al-Abbas; Dr. Marea Al-Habbash from King Khalid University; Dr Ahmed Al-Hadithi, President of Abha Sports Club; Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of the General Authority for Sports, Abdulaziz Al-Masaad; Director of the Internal Audit Office at Dubai Sports Council, Khaled Al-Shezawi; Dr Muqbel bin Jdei, Professor of Sports Marketing and Development; Lawyer Fahad Muhammed.   Dean Al-Melhi recognized Dr. Badder Eddin for his community service commitment and asserted that the Faculty of Languages and Translation was honored to receive the task to interpret to a live audience and national broadcast for the guest speakers. It is worth mentioning that simultaneous interpreting is considered a type of interpreting that tops the list of other modes or types of interpreting in terms of difficulty. This is so because the simultaneous interpreter has to master the faculty of splitting senses in that he listens, understands, analyzes and then encodes the source text message in the other language, all in real-time. Simultaneous interpreting is seen as very hard because it involves 3 layers of problems: A) speed with which an interpreter must make decisions regarding lexical choice, grammar usage, etc, B) enormous tension and pressure to keep up with the rapid flow of spoken language, and C) the background knowledge necessary for instant recall, Dr. Bader Eddin mentioned. Last but not least, it is worth mentioning that Dr. Bader Eddin has provided and continues to provide simultaneous interpreting at high-profile events for high-profile dignitaries in Syria, European Union, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Dr. Bader Eddin is technically called 'FREE Simultaneous Interpreter' in that he has NO access to the text or speaker's notes, and the interpretation he provided was performed with NO look-ahead, under severe time pressure and with no safety net. The difficulty of the interpreting mode stems from the fact that the interpreter has little or no chance to look things up or go back on what he has said: the first pass is final. The interpreter has to tune in to the speaker's train of thought, expressing it precisely and as naturally as possible. Although the listeners do not need to know how this process works, they still expect clear and faithful running speech. All in all, the simultaneous interpreter's job is demanding, high-pressure and high-risk. Date: 1/24/2020 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On September 1, 2019, we reported that Dr Eyhab Abdulrazak Bader Eddin was named a Qualified Member (Translator) by the United Kingdom's Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) in the English to Arabic combination. ITI aims to enhance and continually develop the translating and interpreting profession between government, industry and commerce, the media and the general public. It was founded in 1986 and has grown to 3,000 members and is considered a resource in the industry.   Dr. Bader Eddin is one of only 28 holders of the MITI designation worldwide in the English to Arabic language combination. Considered Sui Generis in his field, Dr Bader Eddin reached new heights by adding a highly coveted ITI qualified combination status. On November 25, 2019, Dr Badder Eddin entered an elite Arabic to English class after his magnum opus portfolio assessment. Of noteworthy mention, there are only three holders worldwide who are certified by ITI in the Arabic to English combination.   For more information on ITI or details published in our story on September 1, 2019, please click the link below.   https://flt.page.link/Institute-of-Translation-and-Interpreting Date: 1/22/2020 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The Women's Scientific Research Committee of the Bachelor of Arts in English program organized an 'EndNote Workshop' on Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Ms. Jalila Alghamdi tailored the workshop and its objectives to both faculty members and graduate students. Ms. Alghamdi started her discussion by defining EndNote, saying that it is "software for managing bibliographies and references." Ms. Alghamdi explained that "EndNote management software does not only free a researcher from the tedious work of manually collecting and formatting research materials and curating bibliographies, but also gives a researcher greater ease and control in managing references in research groups through providing coordination for the researchers' who are sharing a research paper."   Ms. Alghamdi explained that "EndNote is a tool that allows researchers to organize and keep track of their references." She highlighted the steps for easily inserting references into research documents as in-text citations, or a bibliography in any of a large number of citation styles (i.e. APA, MLA, etc).   The workshop was an orientation to the software's latest X9 version. Ms. Alghamdi provided screenshots of different processes that could be accomplished using EndNote X9. Some of these tasks are inserting references manually into EndNote, inserting author names according to the rules of EndNote, sorting and arrange references in easily searchable groups, activating the EndNote toolbar in Word, and changing the citation style of a research document with a few clicks.   During the interactive Q&A session, Ms. Alghamdi noted that this session will be followed by another practical session in cooperation with the Scientific Research Committee. For the practical session, attendees will need to download EndNote on their laptops to be able to work on the software following her guidance.   Of noteworthy mention, the workshop was attended by faculty members from the College of Science who showed their appreciation to the invitation sent by the Women's Scientific Research Committee to all university faculty members. The workshop was a big success and really made a difference by familiarizing researchers with the use and manipulation of such a significant tool for writing scientific research papers.   Date: 12/3/2019 Source: Dr. Amal Metwally, Scientific Research Committee

  Dr. Ahlullah Siddiqui, Bachelor of Arts in English program, delivered a presentation titled Interpretive Reading at the seminar organized by the Language Research Center on November 27, 2019. The presentation was based on a research paper titled "Interpretive reading as a strategy to construct meaning in EFL Reading Comprehension: A case study at KKU EFL Classroom ", conducted by Dr. Ahmad Ismail Assiri and Dr. Ahlullah Siddiqui.   The presentation focused on how effective interpretive reading is in reading comprehension. Dr. Siddiqui highlighted some previous studies conducted by Alsamadini (2009), Al-Jarf (2007), Carrell (1989) and Cooper (1984). The studies, he stated, emphasized the positive correlation between language competence and being able to understand written texts, and how reading helps in vocabulary building.   Dr. Siddiqui related that interpretive reading is the effective communication of thoughts and or feelings of an author to the listener. He then stated the research objectives: to determine whether interpretive reading has a significant effect on students' reading comprehension; to investigate the efficacy of interpretive reading in employing various types of texts; to compare the effect of interpretive reading to that of silent reading and reading aloud respectively; and to suggest ways in which teacher can go about using interpretive reading in their teaching. He, while explaining the methodology, also compared the statistical data of the control group and the experimental group. Finally, he explained in detail the research outcomes. Two video clips were also played, which demonstrated two examples of interpretive reading.   The seminar was very interactive and a great success. It is worth mentioning that the King Abdullah Road Campus also attended the seminar. Date: 11/30/2019 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Dr. Amal Metwally delivered a presentation titled 'Linguistic Markers of Metaphor in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān towards a Computational Identification' that was based on her Ph.D. thesis at a seminar organized by the Language Research Center on November 20, 2019.   Her study, she said, attempted to establish the appropriate criteria for the computational identification of metaphors, and propose computer software for identifying metaphor candidates in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān. The study was based on Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) cognitive theory of metaphor, Goatly's (1997) research on metaphor in the Qur'ān, and computational studies of metaphor in general. It also focused on the early research by Arab rhetoricians and grammarians on metaphor.   Dr. Metwally's study explored linguistic markers of metaphorical candidates and identified linguistic markers of lexical items that were likely to be metaphorical. It also explored the use of such markers to create a computer application that could identify metaphors in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān in the selected Sūrahs (Sūrat Hūd, Sūrat Yūsuf, and Sūrat Ar-Rā'd). She then explained in detail the corpus used, the methodology adopted in her study, and the overall structure of her research. Dr. Metwally then explained the cognitive theory of conceptual metaphor and computational linguistics.   Dr. Metwally's study concluded that it represented a novel direction for computational linguistics research on metaphor. Computer software for processing an entire corpus (selected Sūrahs from the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān) that could yield a list of potential metaphors would thus seem to be a welcome addition to the set of tools currently available to metaphor analysts.   The seminar was very interactive and a notable success. It is worth mentioning that Al-Samer Women’s College and the main campus for the Bachelor of Arts in English program also attended the seminar via teleconference.   Date: 11/21/2019 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Under the patronage of Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation, the English Club of the Bachelor of Arts in English program held a special closing award ceremony on November 19, 2019, at 11 a.m. in Auditorium 5. The ceremony marked the end of activities carried out during the first semester of the current academic year. The ceremony was attended by Vice Dean of Academic Development & Quality, Dr. Yahya Asiri, Department Chairman, Dr. Munassir Alhamami, Vice Dean for Academic Development & Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, and a number of the faculty members and students.   The ceremony was commenced with a stirring recitation of the Holy Quran by student Saeed Al-Qahtani, and was followed by a short speech, given by Dean Al-Melhi and English Club Director Faisal Alfadhil. A 5-minute video of the activities that the English Club had carried out was shown to the audience via big screen on the stage. A recitation of a poem was given by Ali Al-Jaser.   In his speech, Dean Al-Melhi praised the efforts exerted by the English Club members and the participants throughout the semester to make it a success. On behalf of the English Club, Saud Al-Shahrani delivered a speech, hailing the coordination efforts shown by all English Club members, including their meeting on weekends to arrange for the conducted activities.   Elegant memorial shields were handed over to Dean Al-Melhi, Vice Dean Asiri, and Chairman Alhamami as a token of gratitude for their keenness on providing all that is needed for facilities and encouragement to the English Club to help it achieve its goals.   A ceremony of handing over certificates of appreciation to the faculty members who had given presentations or workshops ensued. Dr. Eyhab Abdulrazak Bader Eddin received a certificate of appreciation for his workshop, titled 'Translation: A Broad Overview Weaving Its Threads Together'. Dr. Karem Abdelatif Ahmed received a certificate of appreciation for the workshop he gave on time management, while Dr. Ahlullah Siddiqui got a certificate of appreciation for his presentation on figurative language.   Many students were honored for their achievements in competitions at the level of the University, including Ali Al-Jaser (poetry), and Ahmed Al-Shehri (Karate). Abdulrahim Al-Qahtani (who came first), Abdulkarim Suleiman (who came second), and Mohamed Hamed (who came third) were all honored for mustering up the courage to stand on stage in previous competitions and for their outstanding performance. The ceremony was concluded by announcing the names of the unsung heroes who had been working assiduously behind the scenes to help the English Club achieve its goals. They are as follows:   Faisal Al-Dossari; Tamim Mohammed; Saud Al-Shahrani; Fawaz Al-Qahtani; Saeed Al-Qahtani; Abdulrahman Al-Amer; Abdulrahim Al-Qahtani; Ali Al-Jaser; Muhsari Al-Qahtani; Saad Al-Shahrani; Mohammed Al-Qahtani; Mohammed Al-Yami; Abdulkarim Al-Shahrani; Faisal Al-Shahrani. Date: 11/19/2019 Source: Dr. Eyhab Abdulrazak Bader Eddin