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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of languages and translation in the context of capacity building in NGOs in Kyrgyzstan. It argues that language barriers can impede local capacity building, while translation can help in overcoming some of the issues encountered.

The paper reports on what NGO workers have said on the role of languages and translation in their work in 34 semi-structured interviews conducted in Kyrgyzstan in January 2018. The discussion is structured around a theoretical understanding of capacity building at three levels: the organisational level, the individual level and a broader enabling environment.

First, the paper demonstrates that knowledge of English plays a key role in accessing international funding and information. Second, it describes the challenges that NGO workers encounter when translating information related to development into Russian and Kyrgyz. Third, it argues that donors do not overtly consider the important role of languages. Together, the findings suggest that ignoring the role of languages and translation can have a negative effect on project outcomes and power relationships.

Policy recommendations for international NGOs and donors drawn from this case study and from comparative case studies on Peru and Malawi have been published in Crack et al. (2018).

The paper argues that taking the role of languages and translation into account can result in a more in-depth understanding of aspects that may contribute to better local capacity building.

The purpose of this article is to adhere to the construction of foreign print books. Of course, when the funds are limited or reduced, we can adjust the collection structure according to the utilization situation and reduce the subjects or languages that readers use poorly. Provide data support for library collection development plan.

This paper analyzes the development and utilization of printed foreign language books based on the case of the National Library of China (NLC).The quality of library collection is analyzed by list checking method, and the utilization of library collection is analyzed by comparative analysis method and the statistical analysis method is used for language and subject areas, the questionnaire analysis method is used for users in NLC.

Foreign printed books plays a certain role in supporting domestic social users. The construction advantages of these print books need to be adhered to and developed. They should not be interrupted or cut down sharply because of many libraries are developing towards digital library or smart library nowadays. Libraries need to balance printed and digital resources in their collection and optimize their printed collection composition in terms of subject areas and unique resources to keep up with evolving needs of their patrons.

It is not compared with the utilization of e-books.

In the transition period from traditional library to digital library, quantitative analysis of the construction and utilization of printed book resources can provide research support for the formulation of collection development planning, better service to users and better use of funds.

In the period of library transformation and development, it is of great practical significance to study the construction and utilization of printed books in NLC for resource transformation and service transformation. This paper gives the corresponding analysis and discussion on whether printed books should adhere to and whether they can be optimized.

In the period of Library Transformation and development, it is of great practical significance to study the construction and utilization of foreign language printed books in NLC. The printed book resources can provide research support for the formulation of collection development plan, better service to users and better use of funds.

Less than eight years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Numerous authors underlined the importance of language in achieving the SDGs; however, its role in the process remains overlooked. This paper aims to investigate the sustainability understanding among Tanzanian students and graduates, their translation approaches and the awareness of people living outside of universities regarding sustainability and the SDGs. The importance of including language in implementing the SDGs is highlighted, and further research regarding local languages to enhance sustainability awareness is suggested.

This study builds upon an extensive review of the current language of instruction conundrum present in many African countries and embeds the SDGs in this complex situation. Using a Tanzanian University as a case study, a questionnaire was administered to Tanzanian students and graduates, and follow-up interviews were conducted.

Findings suggest that Tanzanian higher education students and graduates are knowledgeable about both sustainability and the SDGs, with most of them integrating at least one goal into their respective research. However, in the interviews conducted, interviewees stated that in their experience, only a minority of people outside of universities are aware of both concepts. The findings indicate that the aim of target 4.7 and, ultimately, the pledge to leave no one behind remain void when African languages continue to be neglected.

A case study is characterized by a lack of generalizability. Findings from this study should, therefore, be transferred cautiously to other African countries and universities. Furthermore, university students and graduates represent highly educated participants, which does not allow deductions to other parts of society.

The authors are not aware of other studies investigating the views of Tanzanian students and graduates regarding sustainability and language and how they handle emerging translation challenges in their research. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to highlight the importance of language in achieving target 4.7 of the SDGs and, ultimately, the pledge to leave no one behind. It, therefore, represents a valuable contribution to the scientific body of knowledge regarding education for sustainable development and language.

With an increasing emphasis on the reading development of L2 learners of English and a growing body of literature on L2 reading, it is now time to examine what the current research on L2 reading says about L2 learners’ reading development and to discuss what would be a desirable future for L2 reading studies. Focusing on the L2 reading of upper elementary, middle and high school students in L1 settings, this study aims to carefully, but critically, explore the major research studies published in the past three decades. In particular, it uses sociocultural and critical frameworks that view language as a social phenomenon and literacy as a constellation of socially contextualized practices to explore the issue of L2 reading.

To identify key findings about L2 reading, a systematic literature review of studies examining L2 reading in L1 settings was conducted. A critical examination and analysis of 91 studies on L2 reading for upper elementary students (Grades 4-12) are presented here. Based on the literature review, the major issues addressed in the previous section are revisited, and the requirements of future research on L2 reading are discussed.

Three major changes have taken place in L2 reading studies: from monolingual/L1-based research to multilingual/L2-based research; developing the socially situated model of literacy (literacies); and adopting a sociocultural and critical lens: L2 reading and L2 reading assessment. Based on the critical review of the major research studies published in the past three decades, this paper identifies the research and approach required to advance the field of L2 reading: the continua of L1 and L2 reading, macro–micro analysis of L2 reading context and diversification of L2 reading research.

Based on a systematic literature review, it demonstrates the current trends in L2 reading research, to examine the key findings and implications, and to identify what additional research or paradigms are required to advance the field. The literature review presented in this paper helps language educators, policy-makers and school administers at all levels in both first-and second-language contexts to better understand the rapidly increasing number of L2 English learners in L1 classroom settings.

Expert systems are being effectively applied to a variety of engineering problems. A growing number of languages and development tools are available for their building. Expert systems building tools (shells) are not so flexible as the high‐level languages, but they are easier to use. The problem is that there are too many development tools on the market today, no standards for their evaluation are available, so it is quite difficult to choose the ‘best’ tool for the developer's/user's needs. This paper is an attempt to review the situation on the confused market. Eighty‐six development tools are described in a table form for easy comparisons. Tools implemented on the AI machines only are not included in this survey.

Understanding the contribution of the use of proper language to thinking development and learning processes, served as the basis of this study. The purpose of this study is to learn from parents, teachers and teacher-trainees whether their view of efficient teaching also relies on the teacher’s use of proper language.

In total, 308 teacher-trainees, teachers and parents participated in this mixed-method study. Completing a questionnaire with open and closed questions, they were asked to rate a teacher’s professionalism via a written reflection, thereby gauging their perspectives in regard to important teacher characteristics.

The main finding was that teachers’ intercultural knowledge and understanding of their students’ diversity were perceived as significantly more important than their language register. Participants did not argue that language was not important, but did not necessarily refer to it while assessing the teacher’s professionalism. No significant differences were found between the chosen three groups of participants.

Although this study included a large number of participants, it is the first of its type. As far as is known, no other study has been published in regard to people evaluating teachers’ professionalism on the basis of their language level as expressed in written reflections.

From previous studies, it is taken for granted that people will evaluate teachers’ professionalism according to the language they use. Nevertheless, this study presents different perspectives that might allow the development of different and teaching and assessments methods.

The purpose of this study is to chart the development in computer-assisted language learning (CALL), by building a map of existing research work in the field. Based on a corpus of 163 manuscripts, published between January 2009 and September 2010 in four major journals devoted to CALL, it sets out to describe the range of topics covered under the umbrella of CALL and provide a holistic view of the field.

The approach adopted in this research includes: development of the 2009-2010 CALL corpus; literature overview and initial coding scheme development; refinement of the initial coding scheme with the help of a focus group and construction of the CALL map version 1.0; refinement of the CALL map version 1.0 following a systematic approach of content analysis and development of the CALL map version 2.0; evaluation of the proposed structure and inclusiveness of all categories in the CALL map version 2.0 using card sorting technique; and finally development of the CALL map version 3.0.

The research trends in the categories of the CALL map are discussed, as well as possible future directions in the field.

This paper provides a holistic view of the field of CALL guiding both junior CALL researchers to place themselves in the field, and policy and decision makers who attempt to evaluate the current and future scholar activity in the field. Finally, it caters for more experienced researchers to focus on certain underinvestigated domains.

This article reports the outcomes of a study on communication support, commissioned to develop a borough‐wide strategy in 2003 by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.The research stems from a recognition of communication as a key to successful delivery of public services and enhancement of a multicultural community.The focus is on ‘communication’ (rather than ‘language’), since it captures issues beyond the exchange of information through words: interpersonal interactions and relationships, techniques and modes of organising information exchange. Language is a key component within the broad ambit of communication mechanism and skills. Hence interpretation and translation are perceived as models of communications support alongside advocacy, integrated team, multilingual professional team, family/friends and minors, supported language, symbols and signs, and Plain English.While engaging in the debate and highlighting some of the broader issues concerning communication support services, the focus is on the following main issues:• policy frameworks and guiding principles in communication support• methods and techniques for needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation of communication support• communication support provision in Tower Hamlets including quantifying need, actual state of provision and users' perceptions.Probably among the first of its kind, the strategy draws on existing knowledge and good practice to develop a common framework for public services in Tower Hamlets. It is believed that it will serve a pioneering role in co‐ordinated existing and developing coherent approaches to communication support.

According to the 2014 joint report drafted by the Quality Assurance Agency and Higher Education Academy (QAA/HEA), universities have a key role to play in the development of sustainability literate graduates who can contribute to an environmentally responsible society. This paper aims to assess language students’ understanding of sustainable development (SD) issues.

Study 1 surveys two cohorts of final-year language students about to enter the graduate job market, and Study 2 surveys first-year language students before and after the inclusion of SD content in one of their modules. The questions to the students are provided along with qualitative and quantitative results.

Results suggest that only 48 per cent of language graduates are currently aware that they will need to take account of the environmental impact of their work as professional practitioners and 52 per cent do not consider it appropriate to learn about SD during their degree. However, results also suggest that incorporating SD early on in the language curriculum could contribute positively to the development of sustainability literate graduates.

While many language departments are aware of the importance of integrating sustainability into their curricula, and while employers are increasingly demanding sustainability literate graduates, there is little evidence that language students leave university with a real understanding of sustainability issues. This paper presents evidence of the current situation, as well as a novel way to integrate sustainability into the language curriculum to remedy the situation.

Systran, the European Commission's multilingual machine translation system, is a fast service which is available to all Commission officials. The computer cannot match the skills of the professional translator, who must continue to be responsible for all texts which are legally binding or which are for publication. But machine translation can deal, in a matter of minutes, with short‐lived documents, designed, say, for information or preparatory work, and which are required urgently. It can also give a broad view of a paper in an unfamiliar language, so that an official can decide how much, if any, of it needs to go to translators. In this way, much time can be saved for a translation service which is already facing a relentless increase in the volume of its work and which will have to cope with the new languages of an enlarged European Union. We have set up a post‐editing service to correct machine texts for users who cannot do this in their own departments. Raw machine translation is only one of a number of multilingual services now being made available. The switch to personal computers throughout the Commission, and the greater use of increasingly reliable electronic mail, also means that other forms of help can be given. First, a bridge has been created between Systran and Celex (the multilingual data base containing Community legislation). Secondly, and only in recent months, Eurodicautom (the Commission's multilingual terminology data bank) has been incorporated in the Systran dictionaries. With this link, it will be easy to look up technical terms in a given language and have them returned in one or more other languages. A survey has shown how officials use Systran and has enabled us to identify their needs. In all these ways, Systran is making excellent progress as a means of rapid communication between the many departments of a multilingual Commission. Our aim is to enhance the quality of Systran, to broaden its application to the languages of the Community and to explain and vigorously promote its use.