Eutopia Languages Week 2026

• Monday, 2 March, 8:00-10:00 CET, I.0.01: Como agua para chocolate (Spanish)
• Monday, 2 March, 14:00-16:00 CET, D.3.07: The Farewell (Chinese)
• Tuesday 3 March, 18:00-20:00 CET, I.1.03: Lady Bird (English)
• Wednesday 4 March, 14:00-16:00 CET, D2.18: Das schweigende Klassenzimmer (German)
• Friday, 6 March, 12:00-14:00 CET, D2.15: Augure (2023, French)

No registration needed, just drop by.

Welcome Address by Professor Jan Danckaert (VUB), Chair of EUTOPIA.

'Life in a New Language' by Professor Ingrid Piller (Macquarie University and Universität Hamburg).

New International migration is at an all-time high as ever more people move across national borders for work or study, in search of refuge or adventure. Regardless of their motivations and whether they intend their moves to be temporary or permanent, all transnational migrants face the challenge of re-building their lives in a different cultural and linguistic context, far away from family and friends, and the everyday routines of their previous lives. Established populations in destination countries may treat migrants with benign neglect at best and outright hostility at worst. How then do migrants make a new life? I will address this question based on Life in a New Language (Oxford University Press, 2024). The book examines the language learning and settlement experiences of 130 migrants to Australia from 34 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America over a period of 20 years. Reusing data from six separate sociolinguistic ethnographies, the book illuminates participants’ lived experience of learning and communicating in a new language, finding work, and doing family. Additionally, participants’ experiences with racism and identity-making in a new context are explored. In the presentation, I will also reflect on the challenges and affordances of ethnographic data-sharing.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Students can join the international corner for a themed lunch in one of the following languages: Spanish – German – Italian – English – French!

• Español: Monday 12:00-13:00 CET
• Italiano: Tuesday 13:00-14:00 CET
• Deutsch: Wednesday 12:00-13:00 CET
• English: Wednesday 13:00-14:00 CET
• Français: Wednesday 16:00-17:00@PILAR CET

No registration needed, just drop by.

Discover the basics of isiXhosa. You will learn functional isiXhosa and get some insight into isiXhosa culture in a bite-sized lesson from an experienced presenter with over 20 years of know-how. Start your isiXhosa journey here and get ready for a fun and informative experience.

Event booking linkLink opens in a new window.

Interested to know how involving citizens can enhance your research and create exciting opportunities?

Join our training to learn about the citizen science basics and to become acquainted with inspiring examples from the L&L field!

Event booking linkLink opens in a new window.

Discover the basics of Afrikaans. You will learn functional Afrikaans and get some insight into Afrikaans culture in a bite-sized lesson from an experienced presenter with over 20 years of know-how. Start your Afrikaans journey here and get ready for a fun and informative experience.

Event booking linkLink opens in a new window.

This session, led by Dr. Annelie Bachmaier (Research Associate at the Institute of Slavic Studies, TUD), offers an introduction to Yiddish, a language with deep historical roots and a rich cultural tradition. Closely related to German yet clearly distinct, Yiddish developed over centuries as a key language of Jewish life in Europe and beyond. The lecture will provide an overview of the origins and historical development of Yiddish, its linguistic characteristics, and its social and cultural functions. Participants will gain insight into how Yiddish has been used across regions and why it remains relevant today. The event is designed as an accessible introduction and does not require any prior knowledge.

Event booking linkLink opens in a new window.

• Café multilangues (Anglais/Espagnol/Japonais/Chinois)
• Lectures orales de poèmes ou passages de romans

Local time: 17:00-19:00 CET

Join us for an unforgettable karaoke experience where staff and students have the exciting chance to sign up in advance to showcase their vocal talents! Join in the fun as participants take the stage to belt out tunes in languages that resonate with them. This engaging event not only celebrates linguistic diversity but also creates space for the art of performance, fostering a sense of camaraderie and cultural appreciation. So, join in, support the one behind the mic and let the multilingual melodies sound!

12:30 - 14:00 SAST

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

The specifics of publishing data are among the most frequently asked questions that data stewards receive when working with researchers in the fields of Humanities. What exactly is my research data, and how and why should I publish it? Would it be relevant to other researchers? Linguistics and Literature studies are no exception.

The lecture will first address the importance of making research data openly available. Furthermore, it will showcase examples of what data in these disciplines consist of, with the goal of providing attendees with general information about the different types of data publications that research in these fields can produce, as well as offering ideas on how to plan new data publications.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Interested in learning a language with the Language Centre? Come talk to our staff to see what options we offer. You can also join on of our taster sessions

Get a taste of a new language through a short session led by one of the language centre instructors.

Drop in session.

Come try a new language with the Language Centre!

The Language Centre offers 10 different languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. You can study languages at a range of levels, from beginners to advanced, as part of your degree or alongside your degree.

Get a taste of a new language through a short session led by one of the language centre instructors.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Calligraphie arabe

Local time: 16:00-17:00 CET

Join us in exploring the relationship between language and belonging at Stellenbosch University. Presented as a special Languages Week edition, this workshop uses storytelling, discussion and creative reflection as an opportunity for connection, reconnection and reflection.

18:00-19:30 SAST

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Come and watch the battle of man vs AI live on stage! One human professional translator takes on the combined power of some of the world’s most advanced technologies. Who will be faster, better and more creative? Will technology replace the human translator right there and then, or will the human touch and approach win the day? Two contestants on stage will compete over two rounds, dealing with translation tasks involving French, German and English, and then discussing their work with each other and the audience.

Host: Christophe Fricker. Human Translator: Lloyd Bingham. Machine Operator: Martin Percy.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Students from the UPF course “Intercultural Spaces, Languages and Identities,” taught by Prof Mireia Trenchs at the UPF, will present the original research they carried out as their course project. Through this project students have developed their understanding of (1) socialization spaces that are shared by interlocutors from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and (2) how to investigate such spaces. They have done so by conducting an original piece of research whose results may be transferred to society. The exploration of these spaces has been undertaken from a transdisciplinary perspective that includes concepts and methods from (critical) discourse analysis, (educational) sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and social psychology. Each presentation is followed by a brief Q&A time.

10:30-12:30 CET

No registration required.

Discover the basics of South African Sign Language (SASL) in this online session. This is your chance to explore the world of SASL in a fun and interactive environment. You are bound to learn at least one sign and get some insight into a whole new world. Join us and start your sign language journey today.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Jo Angouri and Lia Litosseliti are organising a reading circle in memory of Debbie Cameron, as a space for reflection on her scholarship and its lasting relevance. The session will centre on the discussion of two selected papers, which Jo and Lia will introduce, followed by an open discussion with those who wish to take part. The aim is to look back at Debbie’s work while also considering how it continues to inform and (will) inspire current and future research. The reading circle is open to all, students of all levels, colleagues and friends. To allow us to plan the session and manage time effectively, those interested are asked to RSVP in advance. Further details, including the readings and structure of the session, will be shared with registered participants.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

This roundtable aims to raise awareness about different career paths in languages, translation, and the language industries at large in times of AI. In particular, we will discuss future prospects in the industry and what current students can do to develop a sustainable career.

Speakers:

• Erin Boggs (In-house translator in Luxembourg)
• Tommaso Rossi (Spotify)
• Roberto Silva (Workday)
• Sarah Elizabeth Waller (CERN)

Host: David Orrego-Carmona.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Local time: 17:00-18:30 CET

Language learners unite! You are invited to join an evening of games and connection to informally practise the language you are learning with other language learners and first-language speakers. The languages represented at the Language Café will include all those languages that are taught at Stellenbosch University, through degree programmes or partner institutions. Currently, this list includes English, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, German, French, Dutch, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.

18:00-19:30 SAST

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Join us for a fun, linguistically very diverse evening with classics such as Scrabble, Taboo and other board games, but also a quiz, a cockroach xylophone, silly games where you have to jump, run and twist to win. There will also be pizza and playful introductions to different languages if you‘re up for a challenge.

Event booking link.Link opens in a new window

Corée à l'honneur : venez découvrir l'histoire, la culture et la langue coréenne

Local time: 18:00-19:30 CET

Students from the UPF course “Intercultural Spaces, Languages and Identities,” taught by Prof Mireia Trenchs at the UPF, will present the original research they carried out as their course project. Through this project students have developed their understanding of (1) socialization spaces that are shared by interlocutors from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and (2) how to investigate such spaces. They have done so by conducting an original piece of research whose results may be transferred to society. The exploration of these spaces has been undertaken from a transdisciplinary perspective that includes concepts and methods from (critical) discourse analysis, (educational) sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and social psychology. Each presentation is followed by a brief Q&A time.

10:30-12:30 CET

No registration required.

Table ronde sur la mobilité étudiante.

Local time: 17:00-18:30 CET

Event booking link coming soon.