The Department of Communication Sciences at Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) hosted Prof. Frieda Steurs, Dean of the Subfaculty of Language and Communication from the University of Leuven in Antwerpen, Belgium on 8 February 2013.

As a visiting professor at the University of Angers in France, Steurs holds a PhD in Linguistics and full professorship in terminology and translation technology.

CUT considers her visit as an opportune moment to expose students, as well as to promote a wider cooperation in an array of communications disciplines for teaching staff.

She addressed language practice students on the current trends and developments in the language practice landscape. Also on the agenda was a lecture on terminology and specialist communication to deal with basic aspects of specialist communication and translation.

“Society is getting more complex; we are being bombarded with more and more information in a multi-lingual environment,” said she. She spoke on the importance of text analysis, translation and interpreting, as well as intercultural competencies.
She said that translation is not about translating a text word for word, but rather an analysis of the text, audience for whom the text is intended, and the kind of environment in which the source text functions. A session was also held on new media, such as audiovisual translation and the challenges it poses to linguists from all over the world.