This event combines a guest lecture and discussion about citizen sociolinguistics in the first hour, with a workshop on practical techniques for using translation to build a more multilingual campus, neighborhood, and city.

From 2:00 to 3:00, Professor Betsy R. Rymes from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania will introduce and give a practical orientation to citizen sociolinguistics, which is an approach to language that shows how everyday people can work together to document and build knowledge about how people actually use language, and thus challenge pre-existing stereotypes about what's considered 'standard' or 'correct'. Then, from 3:00 to 4:00, participants will apply what they learned to a creative challenge: using translation as a lens into language, culture, and society, while developing outlines for projects that would enhance SJSU's identity as a multilingual place. 

This event is part of the yearlong Translate San José project, which is supported by the College of Humanities & the Arts’ Artistic Excellence Programming Grant. Contact: David Malinowski, Associate Professor, Linguistics and Language Development: david.malinowski@sjsu.edu. 

You can read an interview with Professor Rymes and learn about her work here.