The Interview of the Month - Dr. Kim Wallmach
Contrary to popular understanding, the concept of multilingualism is way more than just being able to use multiple languages.
“Multilingualism is a mindset, a way of dealing inclusively with people from different cultures, and with those who think differently from you. It’s about speaking and listening to people’s hearts; giving them a voice and learning about their worlds.”
This is the heartfelt view of Dr Kim Wallmach, Director of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Language Centre. A passionate champion of nation building and multilingualism in the South African context, Dr Wallmach and her team have been closely involved in a range of initiatives to promote a multilingual mindset at SU and beyond.
Being multilingual, Dr Wallmach said, opens up a whole new world of cognitive development, personal growth, improved communication, and cultural understanding.
Being multilingual, Dr Wallmach said, opens up a whole new world of cognitive development, personal growth, improved communication, and cultural understanding.
“Globally, there’s a growing understanding that multilingualism is important, and that language can be a transformational space with the power to unite people.”
This concept of multilingualism aligns fully with the values of the EUTOPIA network, which aspires to build a community of students and academics who are passionate about multilingualism.
In South Africa, a country with 12 official languages, the concept of a multilingual mindset cannot be emphasised strongly enough, Dr Wallmach said in an interview. Apartheid’s legacy is still being felt, and language is still a complex issue, associated, by some, with being unable to perform adequately in a university context.
Universities can sometimes be perceived as abstract and cold spaces, and it’s therefore vital for multilingualism to be part of the overall teaching philosophy at university. Dr Wallmach stressed;
In South Africa, a country with 12 official languages, the concept of a multilingual mindset cannot be emphasised strongly enough, Dr Wallmach said in an interview. Apartheid’s legacy is still being felt, and language is still a complex issue, associated, by some, with being unable to perform adequately in a university context.
Universities can sometimes be perceived as abstract and cold spaces, and it’s therefore vital for multilingualism to be part of the overall teaching philosophy at university. Dr Wallmach stressed;
“It’s a way of acknowledging where students come from and starting a conversation that’s deeper than having lecturers simply depositing knowledge into the brains of students.”
In the interview, she discussed SU’s commitment to multilingualism, the University’s Language Policy (2021) incorporating a multilingual mindset, and the Language Centre’s offerings towards this end. Throughout, she stressed the importance of language as “a means of connection on a personal, professional and institutional level”.
Although there are 12 recognised languages in South Africa, SU, situated in the Western Cape province, focuses on the official languages of the region, namely English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa, as well as on South African Sign Language (SASL). It is committed as an institution to maintaining and strengthening those languages, and also communicates internally in the three languages of the province.
Although there are 12 recognised languages in South Africa, SU, situated in the Western Cape province, focuses on the official languages of the region, namely English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa, as well as on South African Sign Language (SASL). It is committed as an institution to maintaining and strengthening those languages, and also communicates internally in the three languages of the province.
Stellenbosch University used to be a predominantly Afrikaans-medium university. However, as the student body became more diversified, more classes were offered in English to include more students from diverse backgrounds across the country. Today, the University’s Language Policy promotes multilingualism as a means to increase equitable access for all students and staff. Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa are used in academic, professional and social contexts.
“As one of Africa’s leading universities, SU believes multilingualism is about recognising the value of what is said, no matter what language is used. It talks to our diversity as a country and allows us to connect in ways we otherwise would not. It’s about people feeling safe and acknowledged, which aligns with the philosophy at SU.”
“Multilingualism defines us as South Africans. When we were undergoing the process of transition into democracy, people would ask, ‘what makes somebody South African?’ and ‘what do we have in common?’ What we do have in common is our differences, including our different languages.
That’s why our country’s motto, ‘unity in diversity’, was so important in trying to pull everyone into the new country we became in 1994. Language links closely to identity, so we must take it to heart.”
Established in 2002, the SU Language Centre has as its goal to assist individuals, organisations and communities to communicate in effective and innovative ways. The Centre works with staff and students at the University, and with external institutions needing language-related courses or services. Promoting multilingualism is a key mandate. The Centre works in line with the University’s multilingual Language Policy, which incorporates multilingualism as a graduate attribute.
“The whole SU community shares responsibility for creating an inclusive, multilingual environment, and we like to inspire staff and students to find practical ways to implement multilingualism.”
SU’s Language Centre falls under the University’s Division for Learning and Teaching Enhancement, which aims to enrich learning and teaching experiences within a multilingual environment.
“Besides establishing multilingual spaces through translation and interpreting, SU actively encourages people to use more than one language, even if they only understand a little of the different languages they use.”
Emphasising that the work of the 50-strong Language Centre is “a team effort, by a group of knowledgeable, committed colleagues who are passionate about language,” Dr Wallmach said:
“We want students to be become well-rounded individuals who tap into a broader and more diverse knowledge base, and to engage with society in a way that speaks to the heart, not just the mind. The Centre offers a safe space for staff and students to refine their language skills, and to connect on a professional, personal and institutional level.”
Every year, the Centre assists over 3 000 first-year students to bridge the gap between school and university, through academic and professional literacies modules offered in collaboration with the faculties. This interaction also helps students understand how the university environment works and how to express themselves better as students. The Centre supports students, many who are far from home, to navigate life in residences; provides language support in class, including interpreting during the first year; and also offers interactive language classes in Afrikaans and isiXhosa for social purposes. The Centre’s Writing and Reading labs assist both students and staff with academic reading and writing, and through the Reading Lab, they have access to an online course to expand their academic reading skills.
Turning to her personal journey, Dr Wallmach said, as an ‘eternally curious’ person, she’s been passionate about languages for as long as she can remember.
Turning to her personal journey, Dr Wallmach said, as an ‘eternally curious’ person, she’s been passionate about languages for as long as she can remember.
“The cities that formed me – Johannesburg and Pretoria – are multicultural, multilingual places. From early on, I saw that language is a window to a different world.”
Dr Wallmach completed a PhD in Translation Studies, before deciding to go into academia and joined the Linguistics department at the University of South Africa before moving to the Wits Language School, where she became director. She joined SU in 2017 as Director of its Language Centre.
SU was invited to join the EUTOPIA Alliance (consisting of 10 universities and 6 global partners) in 2023. One of several collaborations is the Multilingualism and Diversity (MultiDiv) learning community, an initiative led by Prof Jo Angouri from the University of Warwick, who facilitates contact between leads and partners and supports them in developing shared resources and joint cross-campus activities. As Director of the Language Centre, Dr Wallmach is the point of contact for SU. Together with her colleagues in the Language Centre, she is tasked with identifying academic partners at SU who might be interested in becoming involved in incorporating activities around multilingualism into their classes.
A related activity is the SU-EUTOPIA Languages Week, in which staff and students from institutions that are EUTOPIA partners across the world are given the opportunity to connect via a range of global online events aimed at fostering connection across language and culture. Organised by a Language Centre team led by Dr Arné Binneman and Fatima Halday, Languages Week was held during March 2024, and again in March 2025.
Events included interactive Language Café evenings, multilingual Karaoke sessions, and poetry events. Online events gave local and international participants the opportunity to get the feel of South African languages they were keen to explore; and to discuss the University’s focus on a multilingual mindset. Feedback from participants showed the events were enjoyed and meaningful.
Dr Wallmach and her team have facilitated several research visits by EUTOPIA partners to the Stellenbosch campus and have collaborated in various academic activities, including an Autumn School hosted by Vrije Universiteit Brussel in November 2024 and the MultiDiv course offered for EUTOPIA students by the University of Warwick. She and her colleagues have worked on raising awareness of languages on various social media platforms, on developing courses for the international community on multilingualism from a South African perspective (including ‘taster’ courses in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and SASL) and on building student communities through multilingualism.
SU was invited to join the EUTOPIA Alliance (consisting of 10 universities and 6 global partners) in 2023. One of several collaborations is the Multilingualism and Diversity (MultiDiv) learning community, an initiative led by Prof Jo Angouri from the University of Warwick, who facilitates contact between leads and partners and supports them in developing shared resources and joint cross-campus activities. As Director of the Language Centre, Dr Wallmach is the point of contact for SU. Together with her colleagues in the Language Centre, she is tasked with identifying academic partners at SU who might be interested in becoming involved in incorporating activities around multilingualism into their classes.
A related activity is the SU-EUTOPIA Languages Week, in which staff and students from institutions that are EUTOPIA partners across the world are given the opportunity to connect via a range of global online events aimed at fostering connection across language and culture. Organised by a Language Centre team led by Dr Arné Binneman and Fatima Halday, Languages Week was held during March 2024, and again in March 2025.
Events included interactive Language Café evenings, multilingual Karaoke sessions, and poetry events. Online events gave local and international participants the opportunity to get the feel of South African languages they were keen to explore; and to discuss the University’s focus on a multilingual mindset. Feedback from participants showed the events were enjoyed and meaningful.
Dr Wallmach and her team have facilitated several research visits by EUTOPIA partners to the Stellenbosch campus and have collaborated in various academic activities, including an Autumn School hosted by Vrije Universiteit Brussel in November 2024 and the MultiDiv course offered for EUTOPIA students by the University of Warwick. She and her colleagues have worked on raising awareness of languages on various social media platforms, on developing courses for the international community on multilingualism from a South African perspective (including ‘taster’ courses in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and SASL) and on building student communities through multilingualism.
“As South Africans, we encounter and negotiate ‘difference’ every day. Universities are microcosms of that macrocosm. If multilingualism is intentionally part of the fabric of the teaching, learning and living spaces of the University, we’ll have graduates who make a difference in the world.”
“Stellenbosch – as a town and a campus – is a space where many conversations around identity, belonging and redress, intertwined as always with language, are taking place currently. One of the contributions SU can make as a global partner of EUTOPIA is to provide a space where students from other countries can experience how a multilingual, yet divided, community is negotiating difference and finding commonalities.”
“We understand that language plays a very complex role in our society and that we need to take language into account if we want to construct knowledge effectively. We often see languages as a problem, but it's an amazing resource if we have the right approach. The collaboration between EUTOPIA and the Language Centre is a great way of taking this forward.”
By: Susan Segar