– There are a number of dilemmas involved in dealing with language at a university, and they can hardly be resolved once and for all. Our goal is to find some guidelines for practical and implementable solutions. We are seeking input from everyone at the university, and are inviting written submissions and breakfast meetings, says Helge Jordheim.
Join us and contribute to UiO's new language policy
12 February at 8:30: Input meeting: New language policy at UiO (in English)
20 March at 08:30: Input meeting: New language policy at UiO (in Norwegian)
The new language policy
Helge Jordheim is a professor of cultural history at the Institute for Cultural Studies
and Oriental Languages and will lead a widely composed committee. They are to propose a new language policy, which will replace the language policy guidelines of 2010.
The committee started their work in January and will submit their draft by spring 2024.
Members of the committee
- Helge Jordheim (Chair), Professor, Faculty of Humanities
- Anniken Hotvedt Sundby, Research Fellow, Faculty of Educational Sciences
- Belinda Eik?s Skj?stad, Principal Trade Union Offical of the Norwegian Association of Researchers at UiO
- Brita Langeid, Head of Office, Faculty of Social Sciences
- Hugo de Boer, Research Director, Natural History Museum
- Jan G. Bjaalie, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine
- Solveig Martha Tynkkynen, university board representative in the Student Parliament
Working principles
The University Board has adopted a mandate for the work. The mandate contains some principles for the work that the new language policy should address.
- The university's language policy must be designed to maintain and develop the use of Norwegian language and terminology.
- At the same time, UiO's role as an internationally intensive research university must be maintained.
- Students are expected to know and use subject-specific language in both Norwegian and English, or another foreign language. Employees are expected to be proficient in both Norwegian and English.
- Work environment and integration require significant effort from both international employees and the employer.
- All international employees and students should be able to participate in university democracy.
- The overarching policy must be flexible enough to preserve the interests of different faculties.
- The language policy should be overarching, clear, and concise.
- If the committee suggests a policy that requires the organisation to evolve, it must suggest necessary actions to achieve this.
- The committee must propose how UiO can ensure that language policy is followed in practice.
- Economic consequences of the language policy must be considered.