UNews - translator

A Window to the World

david.kirby — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 15:57:22 +0000

The Dalai Lama once wrote, “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.”

It’s a timeless quote with universal relevance, and one that is particularly meaningful to students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge who have travelled to Africa as part of the Malawi Field Study program.

Since the Faculty of Health Sciences began offering the field study in 2008, 48 U of L students have taken their learning to Malawi and 14 more are registered to go this spring. Their objective: to conduct culturally relevant health-promotion activities in Malawi in relation to the diseases of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS, and to explore the complexities that arise in such an endeavour due to cultural differences, traditional practices and societal beliefs.

“The program is designed to help students learn about global health and how populations achieve health in other parts of the world,” says U of L nursing professor Dr. Jean Harrowing (BSc ’78), who along with U of L fine arts professor Lisa Doolittle, established and now co-ordinate the program. “The students come to understand that global is local, and local is global – that some of the challenges people face in a place like Malawi aren’t necessarily all that different than some of the challenges people face here.”

The Malawi program is one example of the Faculty of Health Sciences’ aim to provide transformational education, nurture intellectual curiosity, engage with diverse populations and promote responsible global citizenship. The Faculty’s dean, Dr.Christopher Hosgood, says that instilling a global perspective in students is every bit as important to the Faculty as providing solid clinical knowledge.

“We offer very different kinds of programming. Some of it is very practice-ready in terms of focus, and some of it is a lot broader with an emphasis on learning how to support populations or individuals on the path toward health and wellness,” he explains. “In either case, our primary goal is to graduate health-care professionals who understand that health is multifaceted and affected by many different factors related to location, culture, history, politics and more.”

Photos submitted by Mandy Pack (BA '09), Stacy Peleskey (BN '08) and Anuva Pradhan (BN '09)

The Malawi program is open to U of L students from all disciplines, and instils lessons in community building and cultural understanding.

“The program helps students understand how complex the world really is, and to see that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to any issue,” Harrowing says. “It offers an ongoing, broad-spectrum type of learning that’s applicable in many ways.”

When U of L alumna Stacy Peleskey (BN ’08) went to Malawi, she connected with Malawian children and delivered important health messages in ways she never anticipated.

“Song and dance are integral to Malawian culture, so it was important that we share some of our Canadian culture in that way,” says Peleskey. “I did the ‘moose song’ in almost every classroom we went into. The kids loved it. It gave us an immediate connection and helped break down any barriers getting in the way of the teaching and learning we were there to do.”

Animal antics aside, the Malawi field study was a deeply moving experience for Peleskey, one that changed the trajectory of her life and continues to resonate with her today.

“The Malawi trip was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. It impacted my life at the time and continues to do so even now five years later,” says Peleskey, who works as a nurse in public health. “The opportunity to experience such a diverse culture was unbelievable. It fuelled my nursing career, gave me skills I use today and helped me grow as a person.”

Peleskey’s feelings about the program are shared among her classmates.

“We hear it again and again – the program changes a student’s way of thinking,” says Aaron Maluwa, director of Education Services with Museums of Malawi.

Maluwa is the U of L’s key contact in Malawi, laying all the groundwork for each trip. In addition to the innumerable logistical details he hammers out, Maluwa plays host, translator and mentor to the student travellers. Simply put, the program wouldn’t be possible without him.

Maluwa met Harrowing in 2007 when he visited the Galt Museum in Lethbridge as part of a Commonwealth Association of Museums tour, and played a key role in establishing the program that would benefit U of L students and the people of Malawi alike. In recognition of his work, Maluwa received the 2013 Friend of Health Sciences Award, an annual honour given by the Faculty of Health Sciences that recognizes an individual or agency who has made a significant contribution to health education and research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

While he is honoured to be recognized, his focus remains on the program and the difference it makes in the lives of those affected.

“Through the fundraising efforts of U of L students, more than 3,000 mosquito nets have been distributed and given to children and pregnant women. This is one of the most reliable methods of malaria prevention,” Maluwa says. “As well, through education and health promotion 4,000 people have been tested for their HIV status, which is an entry point to HIV prevention and management.”

U of L students have also donated soccer balls, sugar, clothes, schools supplies and even a wheelchair to children and HIV-positive individuals. And once they return to Canada, the U of L students are expected to give a public presentation as a way of sharing their experiences and acknowledging the privilege of participating in the service-learning project.

“The U of L students have had a tremendous impact. By delivering messages of health promotion in a culturally relevant way, the Malawian students and communities can adopt and incorporate them into their systems of learning,” says Maluwa. “The Malawi program positively affects everyone involved, not only the people of Malawi, but also U of L students – who are ambassadors of global health promotion at the local and international level. There’s tremendous learning on both sides.”

Morgentaler brings Rosenfarb's work to surface

trevor.kenney — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:01:43 +0000

After discovering unpublished poetry translations of her own poems by her late mother - internationally recognized Yiddish novelist and Holocaust survivor Chava Rosenfarb - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professor Dr. Goldie Morgentaler is sharing these poems, along with previously published poems, in a new book entitled Exile at Last.

In her lifetime, Chava Rosenfarb was recognized internationally for novels, poems and plays about the Holocaust, including The Tree of Life: A Trilogy of Life in the Lodz Ghetto, one of the seminal works on the Holocaust. Her international awards include the Prize of the Congress for Jewish Culture, the Sholem Aleichem Prize, the Atran Prize, the John Glassco Prize for Literary Translation and the Manger Prize - Israel's highest award for Yiddish literature.

Included with the poems is an introduction Rosenfarb had written for a poetry collection she was planning to publish in the early 1970s. For unknown reasons this collection was never published.

"My mother began her writing career as a poet. She published three books of poetry in Yiddish during her lifetime. She had always wanted this poetry to be available to English readers as well, which is why she translated most of the poems into English," says Morgentaler. "It is not clear to me why she never published these translations, but now that she is gone, I feel it is important for me to complete the job for her."

Rosenfarb was 16 when she and her family were interned in the Lodz ghetto after the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. When the ghetto was liquidated, she was deported to Auschwitz and later Bergen Belsen, before being liberated by British forces in 1945. After spending many homeless years in Europe, she moved to Canada in 1950, settling in Montreal.

As a child, Rosenfarb's father encouraged her to write about her experiences. Considering the impact of the years she spent in occupied Poland and in concentration camps, these themes became central to her life's works.

Exile at Last contains poems from all three of Rosenfarb's poetry books, including Di balade fun nekhtikn vald (The Ballad of Yesterday's Forest), Rosenfarb's first published collection of poems, composed when Rosenfarb was incarcerated in the Lodz ghetto. The book also contains more personal poems from Rosenfarb's last collection of poetry, Aroys fun gan eydn (Out of Paradise]. The poems are arranged to follow the chronological order of the events of Rosenfarb's life.

"My mother and I were more than mother and daughter. We were a team, a translating team. She did the writing in Yiddish and then we worked closely together on the translations," says Morgentaler. "I feel that I owe her a debt and that debt can only be repaid by publishing her work in English – something she clearly wanted, despite her love of and fidelity to Yiddish, the language of her lost, annihilated home."

Morgentaler is a Professor of English at the U of L where she teaches 19th Century British and American literature, as well as Jewish literature. She is the translator of much of Rosenfarb's work including the play The Bird of the Ghetto, which was staged by the Threshold Theatre of Toronto in the fall of 2012. She was the translator in collaboration with the author of the three volumes of Rosenfarb's The Tree of Life: A Trilogy of Life in the Lodz Ghetto. Her translation of Rosenfarb's book of short stories, Survivors: Seven Short Stories, won the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award in 2005 and the Modern Language Association's Fenia and Yaakov Leviant Memorial Prize in Yiddish Studies in 2006.

The book, published by Guernica Editions, is now on sale at Chapters and at the U of L bookstore, and can be ordered from amazon and directly from the publisher at: michaelmirolla@guernicaeditions.com.

NOTE: Chava Rosenfarb was recognized by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2006 when she was presented with an honorary degree. Rosenfarb delivered an incredibly powerful address which can be viewed by following this link.

Book Awards handed out Mar. 19

trevor.kenney — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:48:46 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will celebrate the 2012 Book Awards on Monday, Mar. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Andy's Place (AH100).

This is your opportunity to celebrate the achievements of your colleagues. A wine and appetizer reception will follow the formal portion of the event.

Following is a list of Book Award recipients. Congratulations on your achievement.

Book Awards: Book Listing

Dr. Carly Adams – Queens of the Ice

Dr. Reginald W. Bibby – Beyond the Gods & Back: Religion's Rise and Demise and Why it Matters

Dr. Glenda Tibe Bonifacio – Gender, Religion, and Migration: Pathways of Integration

Dr. Bryson Brown (Editor) – Philosophy of Ecology Handbook of the Philosophy of Science Volume 11

Dr. Christopher Burton (Editor) – Soviet Medicine: Culture, Practice, and Science

Dr. Craig A. Coburn (Editor) – Proceedings, 30th Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing

Dr. Mary Dyck – Coaching Volleyball Champions: Principles and Practices

Leanne Elias (Book Designer) – Science Fiction Science Fair

Dr. Trevor W. Harrison (Editor) – Against Orthodoxy: Studies in Nationalism

Dr. Harold J. Jansen (Editor) – Money, Politics & Democracy: Canada's Party Finance Reforms

Dr. Bryan Kolb – An Introduction to Brain and Behavior

Dr. Christopher J. Kukucha (Editor) – Readings in Canadian Foreign Policy: Classic Debates and New Ideas

Norman Leach – Passchendaele: Canada's Triumph and Tragedy on the Fields of Flanders

Norman Leach – Broken Arrow: America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon

Norman Leach – Canadian Battles: Canada's Role in Major World Conflicts

Emily Luce (Book Designer) – Science Fiction Science Fair

Dr. Jennifer A. Mather – Octopus: the Ocean's Intelligent Invertebrate

Dr. Kevin M. McGeough (Editor) – World History Encyclopedia v. 3 & 4: Era 2: Early Civilizations, 4000-1000 BCE v. 5 & 6: Era 3: Classical Traditions, 1000 BCE – 300CE

Dr. Kevin M. McGeough – Ugaritic Economic Tablets: Text, Translations and Notes Ancient Near Eastern Studies Supplement 32

Dr. Sheila McManus – Choice & Chances: a History of Women in the U.S. West

Dr. Kent A. Peacock (Editor) – Philosophy of Ecology Handbook of the Philosophy of Science Volume 11

Dr. Derek R. Peddle (Editor) – Proceedings, 30th Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing

Dr. Adriana Predoi-Cross (Editor) – 20th International Conference on Spectral Line Shapes

Dr. Thomas A. Robinson – Out of the Mouths of Babes: Girl Evangelists in the Flapper Era

Dr. Hillary P. Rodrigues (Editor) – Studying Hinduism in Practice

Dr. Steven Urquhart (Translator) – Not for Every Eye

Dr. Ian Q. Whishaw – An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, Third Edition

Dr. Kelly Williams-Whitt (Editor) – Perspectives in Disability and Accommodation

Dr. Patrick C. Wilson – Federaciones Indígenas, ONG y el Estado: El Desarrollo y la Politizacíon de la Cultura en la Amazonía Ecuatoriana

Walter Wymer – Connected Causes: Online Marketing Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations

Dr. Ying Zheng – Chemistry for the Life Sciences I

NFB Film Club at library

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:24:39 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library continues to reach out to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community by introducing new and innovative ways to bring people into the library.

The latest initiative has the library partnering with the National Film Board to present the NFB Film Club.

The Film Club presents a series of recent NFB documentaries in the library. The series began with the award-winning Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie, which was presented to a small but enthusiastic crowd on Oct. 12.

Students were treated to a variety of free snacks, and a thought-provoking documentary that provoked an excellent discussion.

The series continues with Act of Dishonour, by writer/director Nelofir Pazira. Set in the northern region of Afghanistan, this feature drama tells the story of a young bride-to-be who strays from local customs after befriending an Afghan-Canadian translator. Part lament against injustice, part testament to the spirit of a people who have survived decades of war, this film is a compelling drama in which east and west, love and honour, modernity and customs clash with tragic consequences. It will be shown on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in L1168.

The third film in this year's series will be John Walker's latest documentary, A Drummer's Dream, which features a rare assembly of some of the greatest drummers in the world. Explosive talent, passion, humour and irresistible personality come together in a magical setting when seven diverse drummers create a profound and unforgettable experience. The creative and spiritual freedom of expression these artists display is overwhelming. Rock, jazz, Latin fusion, soul – these master drummers have backed up the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Carlos Santana.

An uplifting documentary for a little pre-finals relaxation, it will be shown on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in L1168.

Stay tuned for the NFB Film Club series to continue at the Library in January 2012.

Miller uses co-op experience to shape future

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:18:10 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Career choices do not come easily to most of us. Learning about your career in the classroom is one thing; learning about it in the work world is quite another. This is something Holly Miller found, and it is something that led her to change her career path entirely.

With a double major in French and English, Miller wondered what she could do with her degree.

"I talked to a U of L counsellor who suggested I talk to the people at the Co-op office," she explains. "So I asked them about the program and they totally sold me on it."

Holly Miller worked four different co-op work terms during her time in the Arts & Science Co-operative Education Program.

Miller had initially thought that the Arts and Science Co-op program was only for students in the sciences, but when she learned that there were also jobs for students in the arts, she decided to participate in the program.

The Arts and Science Co-operative Education Program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge works to create a partnership between students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and the employer, and allows for an extended learning environment as well as the ability to network with employers. Students can integrate academic semesters with work terms, and can apply skills learned in the classroom directly to the workplace and vice versa.

Miller completed her first work term at the Rocky Mountain House Museum as a museum assistant. She had a variety of responsibilities including interpreting, helping with activities and tours and taking inventory for an entire floor of the museum.

She then completed a second work term at the museum, which involved translating a variety of materials from English to French. Her main project was translating the life story of Henry Stelfox, who had important historical connections with the Native peoples of the area.

Next, Miller accepted a third work term at the Communications Security Establishment of Canada, which is a branch of the Department of Defence. The Communications Security Establishment gathers foreign intelligence and is an expert on secure technology. Miller worked again as a translator, this time translating and editing sensitive documents.

"Working at CSEC was such a unique experience," says Miller. "The most memorable part of the job was how respected Co-op students were; we were treated not just as temporary help but as an investment in the organization's future."

Miller then completed her fourth work term at the City of Edmonton's NextGen Initiative. The purpose of the NextGen Initiative is to represent the 18 to 40-year old demographic in Edmonton and to give them a voice in how to best develop the community to meet the needs of the next generation. Her position as a coordinator assistant helped with communications, marketing and the planning of meetings and events.

"I liked it better than translating," she says. "I like planning events and working with people. Before I started the Co-op program I thought for sure that I wanted to be a translator, but when I actually tried doing it I realized that it maybe wasn't the career for me, and that I preferred doing a variety of tasks, so now I've completely shifted directions in my career goals."

The skills Miller learned during her work terms are varied and valuable. She has learned about government operations and structure at both a federal and provincial level, how communications and marketing works, and she has learned the value of networking and making a good impression. According to Miller, the practical experience gained from the Co-op program is essential.

"Being in the workforce and seeing what it's like is really important," she emphasizes. "It's like a two-way interview – the company is seeing what you're like and you're seeing what the company is like. That can really shape your decision about what you want to do for a living."

Another benefit of the Co-op program is its flexibility. After four months of working at a company you often have the option of leaving or staying longer, or sometimes staying permanently. Miller views the Co-op program as a win-win situation.

"I don't understand why anyone wouldn't do it," she says. "I really can't say enough about it. It's just an amazing program."

For more information on the Co-op program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

UNews - translator

A Window to the World

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Miller uses co-op experience to shape future

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