About us
The Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism consists of the units Centre for Research on Bilingualism, Institute of Interpreting and Translation Studies, Swedish as a Foreign Language, and Swedish / Scandinavian Languages. We are part of the Faculty of Humanities at Stockholm University.
The Department in figures
Research and Education
- 6 main subjects: Bilingualism, Scandinavian Languages, Swedish, Swedish as a Foreign Language, Swedish as a Second Language, and Translation Studies (Interpretation and Translation).
- 3 subjects for PhD studies: Bilingualism, Scandinavian Languages, Translation Studies.
- Approximately 130 research publications on average per year in the publication database DiVA.
- SEK 127.7 million in financial turnover (in 2020).
Staff and Students
- Nearly 200 in staff in some form of employment, of which about 20 have a professorship (including emeriti), about 55 teachers are researchers / have a PhD, about 25 PhD students, about 40 assistant professors and other teachers and about 20 in the technical-administrative group.
- About 5000 students per year: Bilingualism about 230, Interpretation and Translation Studies about 400, Swedish and Scandinavian Languages about 2100 of which the Teacher Education in Swedish is about 900, Swedish as a Foreign Language about 1600, Swedish as a Second Language about 650 of which Teacher Education 120.
- Floor 3–6: We are located on Floor 3–6 in Building D, Södra huset in Frescati.
Higher seminars and qolloquia
At our higher seminars and colloquia, invited scholars and members of the faculty present their research. The majority of our seminars and colloquia are held in Swedish and are presented in our Swedish calendar. The ones held in English are presented in our English calendar:
In Swedish: Högre seminarier och kollokvier
Higher seminar in Research on Bilingualism
At the Higher seminar in Research on Bilingualism, current research is presented by the PhD students and researchers as well as invited lecturers. The seminar is open to anyone interested.
Schedule
Tuesdays at 15.00–16.30 on Zoom.
Contact / under the direction of
Higher seminar in Translation studies
We organize higher seminars / research seminars in Translation studies about once a month. The seminar is open to researchers and students at both The Institute for Interpretation and Translation Studies as well as other departments.
Schedule
Thursdays at 13.00–14.30 on Zoom.
Contact / under the direction of
The Colloquium of language usage
The Colloquium of language usage brings together researchers who in various ways work with languages in use in society, education, working life, etc. The colloquium meets about once a month on Wednesday mornings.
Schedule
Wednesdays at 10.00–11.30 on Zoom.
Contact / under the direction of
The Grammar colloquium
The Grammar colloquium usually meets once or twice a month. All grammar researchers and other grammar enthusiasts are welcome.
Schedule
Tuesdays at 13.15–15.00 in room D 600 (usually).
'Contact / under the direction of
The Interaction seminar
The Interaction seminar brings together researchers who are interested in conversational and interaction research in a broad sense. The seminar is primarily intended as a working seminar and as an opportunity to discuss one's own and others' research. The Interaction seminar meets about once a month on Wednesday mornings.
Schedule
Wednesdays at 10.00–11.30 on Zoom.
Contact / under the direction of
The Interpretation seminar
The Interpretation seminar at the Institute of Interpretation and Translations Studies is a series of seminars that offers three meetings per semester. These seminars consist of independent open lectures and talks, and are aimed at individuals and organizations who are interested in topics that in one way or another concern interpretation such as multilingual practice, the interpreted conversation and interpretation in society.
The seminars are usually held by researchers, but sometimes also by actors in the field of interpreting outside the university.
Schedule
Fridays three times per semester on Zoom. Time varies.
Contact / under the direction of
The Olle Josephson seminar
The Olle Josephson seminar is an annual seminar at the Department of Swedish and Multilingualism within the framework of the Higher seminar in Scandinavian languages. Olle Josephson is Professor Emeritus in Scandinavian languages and the seminar is connected in one way or another to his versatile activities.
Schedule
The seminar is held once a year in March (usually), within the Higher seminar on a Wednesday at 13.00–14.30 on Zoom.
Contact / under the direction of
Senior lecturer Jonatan Pettersson
About Olle Josephson
Olle Josephson, professor in Scandinavian anguages, retired from the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism in 2017, where he has been active with longer or shorter leaves since the late 1970s.
During the period 2000–2008, he was head first of the Swedish Language Board, then of the Language Council. His research during the 2000s has therefore revolved around language preservation and language policy. But he has also been researching non-fiction, text analysis and writing for some time. Sometimes this work has been connected to school or higher education, sometimes it has been about popular writing in a historical perspective, preferably with popular movement connections.
He is also known to a wider public through language columns in Svenska Dagbladet, and in other media.
The Phonology colloquium
The Phonology colloquium addresses all kinds of phonological topics. We meet irregularly three to four times per semester. All interested are most welcome.
Schedule
Weekday varies at 10.00–11.30 on Zoom.
Contact / under the direction of
The Talk, Interaction and Multimodality (TIM) seminar
The Talk, Interaction and Multimodality (TIM) seminar is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Department of Education, the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism and the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University.
Conferences, symposia and workshops
We arrange/co-arrange national and international conferences/symposia.
Conferences, symposia and workshops
History
The Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism was established on 1 January 2013 through a merger of the Department of Scandinavian Languages, Centre for Research on Bilingualism and the Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies (TÖI).
Centre for Research on Bilingualism
The Centre started as a small department for research on bilingualism at the Department of Linguistics in 1981. In 1988, the department was transformed into a faculty-supported, independent research center directly under the Faculty of Humanities and remained in this organizational form for 25 years up to and including 2012. In 2013, the merger was completed into The Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism.
Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies (TÖI)
TÖI was founded in 1986 at Stockholm University with a national assignment directly from the government to train interpreters and translators for Sweden's needs. In 2013, the merger was completed into The Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism.
Prizes and awards
Employees at the Department have received prizes and awards over the years for good linguistic work. Please see our page in Swedish:
Names of prizes and awards in Swedish and English
- Erik Wellanders språkvårdspris (Erik Wellander's award for language planning)
- Stockholms läns landstings pris för arbete mot främlingsfientlighet och rasism (Stockholm County Council's award for work against xenophobia and racism)
- Svenska Akademiens Karin Gierows pris (The Swedish Academy's Karin Gierow Award)
- Svenska Akademiens Margit Påhlsons pris (The Swedish Academy's Margit Påhlson's Award)
- Svenska Humanistiska Förbundets pris (The Swedish Humanities Association's Award)
- Årets lärare vid Stockholms universitet (Teacher of the year at Stockholm University).
Contact
Please see Contact for Please see Contact for adress, management, staff and other important functions at the department:
Last updated: April 22, 2022
Source: Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism (Svefler)