Who taught you to read and write? No doubt a teacher!  Who encouraged you to keep on walking or brought you back on track? No doubt a teacher!

For 2018, the UNESCO adopted the theme: "The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher.”

SAALT salutes all teachers who — often under difficult and very trying circumstances — carry out their professional duties.  We appreciate the importance of what you do and how you inspire the learners and students of our country! 

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." — William Arthur Ward

"Education is the most powerful tool we can use to change the world." — Nelson Mandela
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On behalf of all members of our Association, we express our deepest sympathy with the family, friends and colleagues of Brenda. Her contribution to academia cannot be underestimated and her legacy lives on in the numerous projects and persons she guided kindly and expertly over many years. 

​Our sincere condolences!
SAALT Exco 2017-2019
 
Also see:  A tribute to Brenda Leobowitz. 

Two FIPLV Conferences are lined up for 2018. The Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes, founded in Paris in 1931, is the only international multilingual association of teachers of languages. Don't miss registration and early bird deadlines!

​The 2018 ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) will be held November 16-18 with pre-convention workshops on Thursday, November 15 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year it will be incorporating the FIPLV World Congress as part of the convention, appropriately called Where Language Educators Meet.
Conference website: https://www.actfl.org/convention-expo
EARLY bird deadline: 11 July 2018 (huge discount applies)

​It isn’t too late to register for the FIPLV Nordic-Baltic Region Conference, which will take place in the beautiful city of Vilnius.  Please see below for further information.
Conference website: http://www.conference.uki.vu.lt/
​Abstract and registration deadline: 15 April 2018. 
Important dates: http://www.conference.uki.vu.lt/important-dates/

The following attachment was sent to the SAALT chairperson, Rinelle Evans. The update includes an invitation to consider hosting the World Congress 2021!

The International Language Testing Association (ILTA) now wants its Code of Ethics to be translated into Afrikaans. The Code consists of 9 fundamental principles, each elaborated on by a series of annotations. The Code also endeavours to reflect the ever changing balance of societal and cultural values across the world.

The ILTA request for translation into Afrikaans is good for multilingualism, good for Afrikaans, but above all, it bears testimony to the fact that the scholarly work of South African language testers is recognised far beyond its borders.

The Network of Expertise in Language Assessment (NExLA) has put a team together for the execution of this worthy endeavour. NExLA was recently established during the 2017 SAALT Conference. 

Further reading:

1. ILTA Code of Ethics to be translated into Afrikaans (on the NExLA website).
2. The ILTA Code of Ethics (on the ILTA website)​ ​

Our former president Mr. Nelson Mandela had a dream for sustainable transformation through the integration of all the diverse cultures in the bounds of South Africa. He attempted, with great success, to instill a culture of integration through his carnal politics. When I refer to carnal politics I liken it to Carnal Hermeneutics. Carnal Hermeneutics  is a notion, conceptualized by a philosopher Richard Kearney , which refers to a person’s ability and necessity to interpret the world through sensation: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Conversely, the sciences, philosophy included, has for the last couple of centuries over-emphasised the mind as the epistemological center of the universe. Currently, the science is becoming more aware of the carnal properties of embodied life and research. Awareness of embodied life has empowered researchers to better understand discriminatory factors in research and practice.

This is the second blog in our HOW TO .... series, compiled by the SAALT chairperson, Professor Rinelle Evans. 

With the recent announcement of the SAALT/SAALA/LSSA/ALASA/AFRILEX joint conference in June 2017, the SAALT chairperson, Professor Rinelle Evans, gives some useful tips on how to prepare an abstract for a conference or seminar presentation.  

During the recent 2016 LSSA/SAALA/SAALT Conference, the SAALT life time award for language teaching was bestowed on Professor Johan M. Lenake. In her tribute to him, Professor Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy gave a brief overview of Professor Lenake’s achievements. 
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Click 'Read More' lower down to see the full address.

Also read the NWU news item:

Taalveteraan word vereer vir ʼn leeftyd van onderrig

This year, the joint annual conference of LSSA, SAALA and SAALT took place at the University of the Western Cape and a total of 175 delegates registered. 

"We wish to congratulate the conference organizing committee under the guidance of Professor Charlyn Dyers (photo left), Department of Linguistics host department and Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) on a well-organised and informative conference. Your hard work was greatly appreciated", says Prof. Rinelle Evans, newly elected  SAALT chairperson.