Multilingual SFU

February 26 - March 1, 2024

You are invited to celebrate the SFU community's linguistic diversity in a week-long series of events, including speakers and socials; panels, roundtable discussions, and workshops; a keynote to kick it off, and a symposium to conclude.

Message from the organizer

Melek Ortabasi, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programming, SFU's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

"Multilingual SFU is a vibrant weeklong festival that brings together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the myriad languages spoken at the university and in our surrounding community," says Melek Ortabasi, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programming in FASS, the organizer of Multilingual SFU 2024.

"When institutions prioritize and embrace multilingualism, they begin to dismantle language barriers that can otherwise impede full participation and understanding. Multilingual SFU provides a platform for a wide variety of units and programs on campus to share their contributions to our multilingual landscape, promoting cross-cultural understanding and highlighting the invaluable contributions that diverse languages bring to the university and our wider community."

Multilingual SFU proactively fosters an inclusive environment, where everyone - regardless of their native languages - feels valued and heard. This festival is about highlighting the ubiquitous presence of multilingualism in the university and contributing to a more equitable and inclusive campus where everyone can thrive.

2024 event schedule

Everything is free and everyone from the SFU community - students, faculty members, and staff - are invited to attend!

All events occur at SFU's Burnaby campus unless noted otherwise.

Monday, February 26

12:00-1:30pm - Discussion
Multilingual Instructors Community of Practice
On Zoom. Please register.
2:00-3:00pm - Talk
Tuning your ears and your tongue to a new language: The phonetics and phonology of second-language learning
Hybrid, RCB 7402. Please register.
2:30-4:00pm - Student panel
Multilingualism in the Classroom
In person, AQ 5118. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.
5:30-7:30pm - Reception & keynote talk
Multilingual SFU keynote with Stsmél̓qen, Dr. Ronald E. Ignace
Hybrid, AQ 3150. Please register.
6:00-8:00pm - Workshop
Sustainability language: Nordic and multilingual starting points
In person, Vancouver campus, Harbour Centre. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.

Tuesday, February 27

10:30am-12:30pm - Social
Multilingual Pronoun Button Making
In person, GSWS lounge. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.
11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents The Lyre
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
Your options in French at SFU by the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
12:00-3:00pm - Booth
Embrace Your Linguistic Superpowers!
In person, Burnaby & Surrey campuses. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.
1:00-2:00pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents Japanese language exchange
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.

Wednesday, February 28

10:00-11:30am - Panel
Writing Matters at the Multilingual University: Perspectives and Possibilities
Hybrid, EDUC 8260. No registration required for in-person guests. Online guests, please register to receive the Zoom link.
11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
Everyone can be multilingual: Igniting the Multilingual and Multicultural sparks in you (Exploring Multilingual and Multicultural Education at SFU)
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents language exchange in Chinese
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
12:00-3:00pm - Booth
Embrace Your Linguistic Superpowers!
In person, Burnaby campus. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.
12:30-1:30pm - Social
Multilingual Snack and Prizes Hour
In person, Fraser International College, room 2340. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.
12:30-2:30pm - Roundtable discussion
Claiming our Voices as Multilingual Writers
In person, Bennett Library, room 7200. Please register.
1:00-2:30pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents language exchange in Spanish
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.

Thursday, February 29

11:00am-12:15pm - Reading
SLC Writing Contest Plurilingual Prize Winners
In person, Bennett Library, room 7100. Please register.
11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
SFU's Department of Linguistics
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
Your options in French at SFU by the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
12:00-1:00pm - Talk
The Psychology of Multilingualism: Perspectives on accents, student adjustment, and supporting diversity
In person, AQ 3150. Please register
12:00-3:00pm - Booth
Embrace Your Linguistic Superpowers!
In person, Burnaby & Surrey campuses. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.
12:30-1:30pm - Social
Multilingual Trivia and Prizes Hour
Full details. On Zoom: Link.
12:30-2:00pm - Booth
French Conversation Club
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
2:00-3:00pm - Workshop
On Artificial Intelligence
In person, AQ 6106. No registration; everyone invited.
4:45-6:15pm - Alumni talk
Are multilingual and intercultural skills valuable assets in career development? Experiences, challenges and tips
In person, AQ 5118. No registration; everyone invited. Full details.

Friday, March 1

9:00am-4:30pm - Symposium
Défis, opportunités et enjeux actuels dans l’enseignement à l’université / Current challenges, opportunities and issues in university teaching
In person, Vancouver campus, Wosk Centre for Dialogue. Please register.

FAQs

Need help finding event locations? Use SFU's Campus Maps + Directions webpage. Select your campus first, then type in the room number. You can also download the SFU Snap app; it has a room finder, too. Download for iOS and Android.

Participating SFU units

We'd like to thank the SFU community for coming together to make this event happen. Without everyone's collaborative contributions, this "potluck" of an event couldn't have happened.

Thank you

We'd also like to extend the warmest and largest thank you to SFU's Centre for Educational Excellence (CEE) for birthing Multilingual SFU in 2022. CEE carried it through 2023, and as FASS continues the work in 2024, we recognize that multilingualism is a superpower of a great population of the university - students, faculty members, and staff - and this is something to celebrate every week of the year. We appreciate the support and enthusiasm shared by everyone at the university to take the time to commemorate the importance of multilingualism.

Alexander Obuo Owusu, master's student, SFU School of International Studies. "I am excited about the initiative to devote an entire week to promoting multilingualism on SFU campuses."

Carol Suhr, PhD student, SFU Faculty of Education. "Being able to use multiple languages is a strength that deserves to be celebrated because languages become the road to people, culture, and multiple perspectives."

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Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences