Introduction
The language and Translation Center (LTC), at Palestine Polytechnic University, is one of the most vibrant centers, for it provides the university, its students and local community with pivotal support and many great services. The work of LTC is essential for the development of the students' lifelong skills such as language proficiency, and other academic skills.
The Center offers service courses in English, Arabic, Hebrew, French, Islamic Culture, and Contemporary Palestinian History. Alongside these, the Center offers a course in Integrity, Transparency and Combating Corruption, and another course, entitled the Prisoner Movement. Every term, about 40% of the university students enroll in the LTC courses which in turn places a great responsibility on the Center staff and its administration. In addition, the Center is further working on procuring accreditations for specializations related to languages in the near future.
The History of the Language and Translation Center.
The language Center at Palestine Polytechnic University was established in 2008. It is being managed by the director, who is administratively affiliated to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The primary goal of the Center is to promote students and teachers’ academic, administrative and social development. The Center family highly aims to ensure the fulfillment of its mission in preparing rather distinguished students who can professionally serve as positive ambassadors of their University in every respect.
Vision
LTC vision is to develop the academic learning process through the implementation of educational policies that are characterized by flexibility, quality and diversity leading to strengthening the students' entrepreneurial personality. Through this integration, we quest for preparing students socially and academically for the future. The Center also seeks to make/establish/maintain contact between the students and the local community and to make connection with different cultures by teaching students a number of languages that are important for the interaction with the market and its needs.
Mission
The Center's mission is to prepare graduates who are capable of effective linguistic, social and cultural communication in every aspect. In addition, the Center strives to prepare graduates who are ready to meet the needs of the local and global market; graduates who can pursue their postgraduate study at local and overseas universities where mastering language(s) such as English, French, German and Turkish is a must to further their potentials.
LTC Activities Highlights
Alongside the delivery of the main courses, the Center is on the move in serving the University and the local community. The Center is responsible for preparing and conducting the placement test in English language, providing services in translation and editing, and hosting ceremonies. Further, the scope of LTC reaches other activities including offering developmental workshops, making connections with other centers and units at the University, networking with local institutions such as municipalities and directorates of education, and activating voluntary work for both teachers and students. Above all, the Language and Translation Center makes contact with international organizations and expertise in order to establish a language laboratory and foster the development of its staff and students.
The Center also seeks to expand its capacities by introducing other languages such as German, Spanish and Turkish, planning to offer two interdisciplinary courses in English and other areas, holding language conferences, teaching courses for non-speakers of Arabic, activating the language societies, and inviting native speakers of the languages taught at the University. It also aims to promote excellence by holding curricular and extracurricular activities that would be of great benefit to the students during their study at the University and beyond; these activities aim to enhance the students' verbal and written abilities and equip them with all the necessary skills which enable them to manage and interact well with the communities of the labor market.
