Spanish Instructor & Coordinator, Janett Martinez-Amador, presented at the 62nd Congress of the Canadian Association of Hispanists in Salamanca, Spain, May 20-21.  

Her presentation, Collaborative Learning and Participatory Strategies to Enrich Vocabulary and Oral Communication in University-Level ELE, focused on collaborative pedagogical approaches – mock job fairs, round tables, movie trailer creation – she has been using with students in her upper-intermediate Spanish courses.  

“The goal of my presentation was to transform our Spanish language classes into more narrative, cooperative, and competitive experiences, incorporating the sociocultural component,” she said. 

Her ideas sparked strong interest from attendees, and many questions (and a lively idea exchange) followed.

Janett’s talk appeared under the theme of Innovative Methodologies in Spanish as a Foreign Language and was paired with a presentation on possible uses of artificial intelligence in teaching Spanish in open educational contexts.

In addition to presenting and reconnecting with Spanish language professionals from across Canada and around the world, Janett also took advantage of the opportunity to explore the historic city of Salamanca.

This was Janett’s second visit to the city, having presented there in 2023 as part of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) Conference.

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杏吧原创 was pleased to welcome Drs. Arianna Dagnino and Stefano Gulmanelli to campus Tuesday night as part of their lecture tour.

In May of last year, the two longtime journalists, writers, and educators set out from Victoria in a leased Nissan Rogue on what would become a 75-day, 21,000 km road trip across Canada and back again. Along the way, they posted stories about the places they visited, the sights they saw, and, most importantly, about the people they met.

The presenters shared some of these stories on the night, accompanied by an excellent selection of photographs, some of which had been printed in large format for display on easels.

A more complete collection of these reflections, observations, and conversations can be found (in English and Italian) in their large and growing collection at .

The couple, both natives of Italy now Canadian citizens, are no strangers to telling stories from the road.

A vibrant Q & A followed the initial presentation.

Photos courtesy of Arianna Dagnino and Stefano Gulmanelli. Used with permission.

Heartfelt appreciation to everyone who came out for this engaging evening. Thanks also to Ambassador of Italy to Canada, H. E. Alessandro Cattaneo, and First Secretary, Head of Cultural Affairs, Press and Communications, Rebecca Scano, for their kind words of welcome, and to Italian Lettrice, Marcella Marceddu, for all her hard work in organizing the evening.

And, of course, thanks to Drs. Dagnino and Gulmanelli for adding a 杏吧原创 pin to their map of Canadian destinations.

The event was a collaborative effort between 杏吧原创’s Modern Languages program and the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa.

Related Reading

Two uniquely Italian stories from their Canadian journey include:

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Congratulations to those 杏吧原创 students who wrote the Goethe?Zertifikat A2 exam last Tuesday. ?Results are in and everyone who wrote – almost half of this year’s 2nd year German class (GERM 2020) – successfully attained A2 standing, proudly showcasing the knowledge they have acquired after two years of study at 杏吧原创. ?

We have been offering the Goethe?Zertifikat exams at 杏吧原创 for the past several years as a collaboration between the university’s Modern Languages program and the Goethe-Institut Ottawa.  Writing the certificate exam here on campus, provides 杏吧原创 students with the opportunity to demonstrate their German language proficiency in a familiar and supportive academic environment.   Certificates are internationally recognized, align with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and look great on a résumé! 

Exams are conducted at a range of levels, so, if you are a 杏吧原创 student and are interested in putting your German language skills to the test during the 2026/27 academic year, please contact German Program Coordinator Cristina Finger to learn more about upcoming opportunities and/or consult the .  

Herzlichen Glückwunsch to this year’s test takers and the School looks forward to continuing our cooperation with the Goethe?Institut Ottawa in the years ahead.

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Invited visits to the German Embassy in Ottawa are a long-standing and valued tradition at 杏吧原创, and this year students past and present, along with their instructor, Cristina Finger, again had the opportunity to visit the Embassy and to spend some time in conversation with its representatives.?

In a meeting over Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake), students practiced their German language skills while also learning more about study and work opportunities in Germany and about the life of a diplomat.  Valentina Goldman, Head of Culture and Press at the Embassy, had answers to many of the students’ questions along with newly arrived intern Müjgen.

“It gave me valuable insight into how international relations and diplomatic work operate in practice,” said Keira Smith, 2nd year student in Global and International Studies.

Alumna Cora Gardner (BEcon Hons/23) too appreciated the experience.  “I’ve found that these visits are a deeply meaningful and memorable way to strengthen our German language community here in Ottawa and to celebrate the special relationship between Canada and Germany.”  After graduating, Cora spent a year living and working as a Language Assistant with the P?dagogischer Austauschdienst in northern Germany.

In addition to hosting class visits, the German Embassy in Ottawa is also active in the life of the city.   “I am excited about all the events they hold,” said 4th year Geography student Katarina Jakelic.  A great example of this is the upcoming , a collaborative effort between the Embassies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland set to run May 7-8 at the Arts Court Theatre.  

“We very much value our strong and positive relationship with the Embassy,” said German Coordinator, Frau Finger, “and students are looking forward to our next visit already!”

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It’s not often you see lava lamps, soccer balls, and Kung Fu weaponry on the same stage, but these are just the kind of surprises that can happen at the Linguavision Singing Contest!

Tuesday night marked the 11^th year of the contest. This year, 20+ performers singing in 6 different languages for a chance to bring home a cash prize along with some fond memories.

This year’s contest took us around the world with covers of songs from artists in Colombia, Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Spain, China, and (surprisingly) Sweden.

Stef and Alex kicked things off with a soccer-themed tune to get us ready for World Cup 2026.  Chloé brought us an anti-oppression song from the rice fields of pre-1900 Italy.  Serena dipped into the vault to bring us a challenging song from the Enka tradition.  And a wisecracking Daniel (with his companion lava lamps) brought us an acoustic performance of a Japanese electronic music hit straight out of the 80’s.  You kinda had to be there. But here’s what it all looked like.

1st Half

2nd Half

Prizes went to:

• 1^st Place – Serena (Japanese)
• 2^nd Place (tie) – Julia (French) and Sophie (Spanish)
• 3^rd Place – Ben & Jacob (Japanese)
• Honourable Mention – Chloé (Italian)
• Judges’ Choice – Chi (Korean)
• Audience Choice – Keisha & Vipop (Korean)

Also making an appearance at Linguavision for the second consecutive year, the ASL Spotlight featuring students from our upper-level American Sign Language (ASL) courses.  At last year’s event, students showcased different styles of ASL poetry.  This year, they shifted their focus to three creative forms of Deaf visual-spatial storytelling in ASL literature: the ABC story, Personification, and the 123 story.  Which is how we found ourselves on a road trip in a hot car (you know how that feels) and Flo was VERY hungry (ABC story), watching the emotional lives of flowers (Personification), and going out on the worst date EVER (123 story) !

The evening flowed smoothly with last year’s 1^st prize winner, Archie Nath, at the podium.  Kind of the perfect way to celebrate his 20^th birthday, especially with his parents and brother (all the way from Mississauga) in the audience.

Speaking of audience, as always the audience was a huge part of Linguavision; super-supportive of all contestants and actively engaged in their performances.  Thanks to all the language instructors who came out in support of their students, thanks to all the classmates and the staff members and the administrators who took the time at a busy time of year to be a part of the evening’s event.  And especially thanks to all the parents who came out to cheer on their children at what we hope was a memorable event for everyone!

And, of course, racing around behind the scenes (and in front of them), thanks also to our awesome team of volunteers. Whether keeping things moving on stage, handing out programs, or counting audience choice ballots (and more), this event could not run without them.

Last but definitely not least, thanks a million to everyone who performed this year.  You put on a great show, a real celebration of language, culture, and music. Such fun to be a part of! And you came from all over campus too! A great reminder that language courses aren’t only for Linguistics students.  This year, we had students from:

And what about you? Are you thinking of learning a language?  If so, now’s the time! Your microphone awaits!

Photo Credits: Camille Barrette, Don Myles, Gartania Heslop, Jacob Gonato, Louis-Philippe “Rui” Baril, and Sharon Temerigha.

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First Year ASL I ASLA 1010 A

Tuesday/Thursday 9:35 AM -1:25 PM May 6 to June 18, 2026

First Year ASL II ASLA 1020 A

Tuesday/Thursday 9:35 AM -1:25 PM July 2 to August 14, 2026

Intensive 1st Year Italian ITAL 1110 A

Monday to Thursday 9:05 AM – 12:55 PM May 6 to June 18, 2026

First Year Spanish I SPAN 1010 A

Monday/Wednesday 1:35 – 5:25 PM May 6 to June 18, 2026

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Students of Spanish, have you been thinking about traveling to Spain? If so, you might want to consider spending a semester (or two) on Exchange at one of nine universities in Madrid, Valencia, Pamplona, or even the Canary Islands. Or, you might want to check out what the NALCAP program has to offer:

NALCAP – Canadian Language and Culture Assistants

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Article written by third year Journalism student, Sarah Yule.

杏吧原创 University’s German language program came together to celebrate 75 years of shared diplomacy between Canada and Germany on Feb. 13.

The event celebrated Germany’s history with a photo exhibit titled “Women in a Divided Germany,” which was curated by the German media and cultural scientist Clara Marz.

“I really enjoyed the event,” said Marcella Marceddu, Italian Lettrice. “It was well prepared and offered real food for thought. The mix of visuals and presentations made the evening interesting and meaningful.”

Also joining the event was Klara Heuberger, an intern from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany here in Ottawa.

“It was a pleasure to present this exhibition and engage with such curious and thoughtful students,” said Heuberger. “Their interest in German history and the discussions before and after the event made it a truly rewarding experience.”

At the event, she shared a short presentation on the history of women in a divided East and West Germany, touching on the differences and similarities in culture, and what still lingers.

Also a part of this event was a student-led project from the second-year German language course students, displaying profiles on women of influence in Germany.

Gillian Bose a retired associate professor at 杏吧原创, attended the event and found the profiles of prolific German women informative.

“[The] profiles of notable women in the German-speaking world, from various disciplines – sport, music literature, politics, science and more. Students were available to answer questions about their chosen subject and did so with enthusiasm. I learned a lot,” said Bose.

“We also had a very informative and engaging presentation by Klara Heuberger from the German Embassy, focusing on the differences in the lives of women in the former east and west parts of Germany before reunification in 1990 and in reunified Germany,” said Bose. “I’m looking forward to the next German event at 杏吧原创.”

Among these women included on posters were renowned marine biologist Antje Boetius, political scholar Hannah Arendt, tennis player Steffi Graf and climate activist Petra Kelly.

“Taking part in the Women Shaping Germany exercise was a great experience,” said Ken, a second-year German language student at 杏吧原创. “I enjoyed researching Hedy Lamarr and reading about all the other important German-speaking women. Each of them has an important place in German history.”

This project brought attention to the women who have changed and shaped Germany both in the past and today.

“It’s important to show how influential women were in shaping history,” said Katarina Jakelic, a student in the second-year German language course.

For Mia Zach, another second-year student, learning about history was her favourite part of the event.

“I liked the chart with the stats of women in East and West Germany,” Zach said. “And we were able to share our projects with the other language departments.”

Many thanks to Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ottawa for making the exhibit available for the event, to Klara Heuberger from the Embassy’s Culture and Press Department for sharing her insights about exhibit’s theme and mixing and mingling with students, to Cristina Finger for all her hard work preparing for the evening, and to all the students who attended for sharing their posters, attentiveness, and enthusiasm for the German language.

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2026 is the year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese Zodiac.  It occurs only once every 60 years, and is believed to be a time of transformation, energy, and dynamic change. 

In China, train stations are filled with crowds heading home to celebrate with family, brooms sweep bad luck out of houses, and, in the streets, dragons dance to bring good luck and wisdom.

Here at 杏吧原创, while somewhat less dramatic, our celebrations are no less heartfelt. 

You can hear the singing from the elevator.  Members of our Chinese language classes, along with their friends, conversation partners, teaching assistants, and others are singing 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) under the direction of Mandarin Chinese instructor, Laura Luo.   

The room, SP 306, is heavily decorated.  Student volunteers spent the afternoon preparing it.  Rhyming couplets frame the doorway, red cardboard lanterns hang from the ceiling, and prosperity cats smile down from the walls. 

The evening is well-attended by students from all levels of Chinese course along with the regulars from weekly Mah Jong marathons in the Language Learning Resource Centre.?

Games of charades follow a welcome message from School Director Dr. Michael Rodgers as well as paper cutting activities, and a modified version of musical chairs that involves mini challenges like “miming eating stir fried noodles”, “walk like a little kid”, and “do a wall-sit for 2 minutes; the latter leaving some students in heaps on the floor.

Things become significantly more animated when the chopsticks relay begins and they don’t slow down when the Jianzi (毽子), a Chinese version of hacky sack involving a feathered shuttlecock, is introduced.? Celebrations continue late into the night.

Many thanks to Mandarin Chinese instructors Laura Luo and Bin Li for organizing the event along with contributions from their enthusiastic students, teaching assistant Maggie Zheng, and many others.  Their commitment to learning, engaging with, and celebrating Chinese culture was obvious and led to an enjoyable joy-filled evening for everyone. 

And, as the wall banner says, “10,000 auspicious good lucks coming from the east!”

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杏吧原创’s annual Korean Speech Contest took place Friday, February 27 in 435 St. Patrick’s Building featuring speeches from students at both Beginner and Intermediate levels, with prize winners earning monetary prizes as well as the opportunity to represent 杏吧原创 in the Toronto contest the following week.

At the Beginner level, speeches commonly explored students’ reasons for studying Korean.  

Unsurprisingly, love of K-Dramas was a popular rationale. ?Benita, for instance, is a huge fan of Strong Girl Bong-soon (???? ???) featuring “rom-com queen” Park Bo Young, while Zahra discovered her love for Korean watching Jumong (??), dubbed in Persian, when she was only four. ?Zahra too is a big K-Pop fan and you can catch her (and five other singers in Korean) on the?Linguavision?stage, March 31. ?

E-sports too was cited as a reason for learning Korean, with Karim being drawn to the language because of his love of the arcade game, Tekken.  While the game is Japanese, according to Karim, many of the best players in the world are Korean. 

杏吧原创 had only one participant in the Intermediate level this year, Shiny, whose speech focussed on dating culture and differences between Canada and Korea. ?Everyone knows about Valentine’s Day (February 14), but did you know about??that falls on April 14??

Three 杏吧原创 Korean instructors, HyounJeong Yoo, Soyoung Kang, and Seunghee Chung, were on-hand to serve as judges for the event.

Congratulations to this year’s prize winners:

• 1st prize: Zahra Mashhadi ($400)
• 2nd prize: Shiny?Antima-Nlemvo?($300) ?
• 3rd prize: Lauren Bingham ($200)

All three will head to Toronto next weekend for the featuring competitors from schools across Canada as well as one in upstate New York. ?Prizes also include a travel subsidy for transportation. ?

Kimbap meals were on-hand after the event and students, faculty, and staff mixed and mingled, everyone wearing a tee shirt designed by 杏吧原创 student, Chiamaka Ezekwem, as part of last October’s Hangeul Day celebrations.  

Many thanks to our dynamic Korean teaching team for all their hard work preparing, organizing, and running the evening and to the School of Linguistics & Language Studies for their continued support.  And, of course, thanks to all our Korean students, both those who stepped out of their comfort zone in order to compete and those who attended the event in support of their classmates.   

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