Recent research in translation studies has underscored the role of translators as agents. This implies that a translator is not just a neutral conduit of a message from one language to another, but someone who is very much involved in the power interplay that determines the decision making leading to the translation product. It is within this context that this paper seeks to analyse the concept of 'agency' in translation, with specific focus on African literature in European languages. It is worth mentioning that while this type of literature has been the subject of much research, less attention has been given to it in terms of translation. Focusing on a translation by the late John Reed of Ferdinand Oyono's Une Vie de Boy, this paper seeks to show how an understanding of the identity of the translator can lead to an appreciation of his/her translation strategies. It should be noted that translating African culture from one European language to another can be quite a challenging task -especially if the culture is foreign to the translator -due to the fact that cultural value systems are difficult to grasp as they are intricately woven into the texture of the native languages (Bandia 2008). Such a task is even more intriguing since the original text is in itself a form of translation, initially conceived in the African language of the author before being rendered into a European language. In this case, the agency role of the translator would therefore be more significant given that s/he is dealing with a peculiar source text that is different from most source texts which are translated between relatively close or non-distant cultures. Through an ethnographic study involving an exploration of the context of the translation production, as well as an interview with Reed, this paper posits that the translator's socio-cultural background tends to influence the nature and extent of his/her intervention in the translation process. This will contribute in shifting the focus of translation assessment from solely the end product to an inclusion of the translator's identity.

The post-apartheid language policy of South Africa grants every child the right to study in their mother tongue. Despite this provision, mother-tongue education in indigenous languages has only been implemented in some schools in the country, and this has also been limited to the first three grades of primary education. While research has highlighted the challenges of mother-tongue education in South Africa, little attention has been given to the educators’ perceptions on the subject. It is for this reason that this study sought to investigate educators’ perspectives on the challenges of mother-tongue education in uThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal. Using Biesta and Tedder’s ecological agency as a theoretical lens, the study adopted a multiple-case study research design to collect data from 30 educators in five schools using questionnaires. The results revealed that the implementation of mother-tongue instruction in uThungulu District was fraught with challenges such as ill-adapted terminology for mother-tongue teaching, negative attitudes from the community, lack of training for teaching in the mother tongue and lack of resources. The study is significant in shedding light on the role that educators as agents of the system can play in bringing about the successful implementation of mother-tongue education in South Africa.

In recent times, the issue of gender-based violence against women in South Africa is prevalent in headlines due to the high rate of attacks directed towards women. Ranging from teenagers to adults, women are continuously targeted indiscriminately in what is seemingly becoming a prolonged cycle in the country. To this end, human right activists, organisations and political leaders have managed to somewhat verbally condemn the atrocious acts. Further, interested people in South Africa, through walks and protests, have continued to speak against the swinging violence against women in the country. The thrust in this study is to explore and analyse how discourse (language) has been employed as a resounding voice against gender violence in the country. Through a purposive sampling of materials employed during walks and protests, collected from online sources, we examine how language is being used to combat and confront the issue of gender violence viz-a-viz how it continue to serve as a crucial tool in repelling gender violence.

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Cette étude avait pour but de déterminer l’importance d’intégrer le jeu dans la didactique du français langue étrangère (FLE) au Lesotho. L’intention majeure de cette intégration des jeux en classe de langue était de pouvoir motiver les apprenants du français dans un contexte multilinguistique où cette langue étrangère est moins attrayante pour beaucoup d’apprenants. Les adolescents âgés de 17 - 19 ans de Tšakholo High School constituaient le public de cette étude. Ils étaient 29 en classe et étaient en cinquième année du lycée. Ils parlaient tous sésotho et anglais qui sont respectivement la langue maternelle et la langue d’instruction dans tout le pays. Une approche mixte a été adoptée pour l’étude, et la méthode d’observation des participants ainsi qu’un questionnaire ont été employés pour recueillir les données. Les données ont révélé que les apprenants étaient plus motivés à participer au cours quand les activités ludiques étaient utilisées dans l’enseignement.