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Protection Services enhances student safety

17 May 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

Shining the light on the darkness, which is crime.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Protection Services works around the clock to safeguard students in order to reduce risks of crime on and around the three UFS campuses. On 12 May 2023, the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Brandwag Sector Community Policing Forum (CPF), and Protection Services organised a safety awareness campaign from 19:00 to 21:00, which is the peak period for crime incidences in the neighbourhood.

“Continuous awareness to enhance student safety in the Brandwag area highlights the commitment of the UFS, SAPS, and the community through the CPF structure towards student safety,” said Jacobus van Jaarsveld, Deputy Director: Threat Detection, Investigations, Compliance and Liaison in Protection Services.

Mitigating risks and maximising safety

Students and staff are the most valuable assets of the UFS. Protection Services has various initiatives and a dedicated team that ensures the physical safety of all who study and work at the institution. The safety, health, and well-being of the university community remains the university’s priority. Off-campus safety and security are at the top of the list, hence Protection Services, in collaboration with external stakeholders, remains steadfast in its attempts to create a safe environment.

Continuous awareness campaigns

On 16 May 2023, Protection Services continued to spread safety awareness in the Universitas neighbourhood (with the assistance of students), where many UFS students live – first in Badenhorst Street and then in Stofberg Street. Throughout the year, these patrols and awareness initiatives will continue, expanding to the South and Qwaqwa campuses.

The UFS value framework includes compassion as a core virtue. As a result, we as a university take pleasure in our dedication to fostering environments that are not only favourable for excellent teaching, learning, and scholarship, but also emphasise the well-being and happiness of the campus community. Vision 130, an expansion of the strategic purpose to reposition the institution for 2034 when the university will celebrate its 130th anniversary, demonstrates our value of care.

Contact details:

If you need any assistance, call Protection Services on its toll-free number 0800 204 682, which is available 24/7.

Off-campus security liaison vehicle spotted in the safety convoy

Off-campus security liaison vehicle spotted in the safety convoy

The SAPS Visible Policing Unit present to raise awareness about safety

The SAPS Visible Policing Unit present to raise awareness about safety

Present in the fight to build safer neighbourhoods was the Sector 2 CPF

Present in the fight to build safer neighbourhoods was the Sector 2 CPF

Students living off campus engaged with the team during the anti-crime drive

UFS Protection Services together in arms with the SAPS and members of the CPF

Ensuring that students who live off campus remain a priority

Keeping the neighbourhood safe and secure is of the utmost importance

Keeping the neighbourhood safe and secure is of the utmost importance

Targeting crime hotspots and conducting a needs analysis of the students living in those areas to ensure their well-being

Working around the clock to serve and protect the lives of students living off campus

Promoting a crime-free off-campus environment

News Archive

The science of translation

2015-09-16

What is the relationship between a translator, information, and an audience? Professor Christiane Nord explored the connection in a series of lectures hosted by the Linguistics and Language Practice Department and the Department of Hebrew of the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus.

Since 2007, the professor for Translation Studies has been a research associate and professor extraordinary in the department, assisting translation and interpreting students in gaining a global perspective on their disciplines.

The world-renowned German scholar and trained translator for Spanish and English is also an author, with over 200 published articles on the so-called Skopos Theory, which formed the basis of the lectures on 7 and 8 September 2015. The addresses were centered on the functionality and limitations of translations.

Translation as a purposeful activity

According to Prof Nord, all translations should be geared towards conveying messages which the audience understands. This communicative purpose involves taking into consideration the cultural background of the recipient.

As a seasoned practitioner, Prof Nord has been guided by Skopos Theory in her teaching endeavours. Hence her firm stance: “If you do not have a theory, you cannot justify your translational decisions.”

Within the context of the Skopos Theory, she explains that, in order to produce a functional translation, the translator must analyse the purpose of the translated text, which includes the questions for whom, when, where, and through which medium will it reach the intended audience.

How to deal with doubt in functional translation

“Doubt is something we are accompanied by when we’re translating.” Such doubt may be caused by “insufficient proficiency with regards to source and target languages and cultures, domain and terminological knowledge, and knowledge in translation theory and methodology,” said Prof Nord. However, the top-down approach offers a solution to overcome uncertainty, at least to some extent. This approach considers, first and foremost, the target audience for which the translation is tailored. Based on this consideration, the translator is able to determine the approach that is most suitable for the audience, hence eliminating doubt.

In sum, the extraordinary professor asserted that there are no rules for translation, contrary to popular belief. According to Prof Nord, the main focus of a translator or interpreter should be to produce texts in the target language and culture which meet the requirements of the translation brief set by the client or commissioner.

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