As Head of Language Services at the Stellenbosch University Language Centre, Marguerite van der Waal plays a vital role in advancing multilingualism, inclusivity and effective communication across the University. With her problem-solving approach, eye for detail and collaborative spirit, Van der Waal strives to build understanding through language. 

What does your role at SU entail? 
My role as Head: Language Services at the SU Language Centre places me in the fortunate position to serve others while contributing to inclusivity and multilingualism at the University. At its core, our work is about helping people say what they want to say – clearly, accurately and with the right impact.

This does not come naturally to everyone, particularly within South Africa’s complex multilingual context. Our role is to make communication easier to navigate, ensuring that meaning carries across languages and that communication works effectively across faculties, divisions and audiences.

While we primarily support the SU community, our services also extend beyond the University. In this way, the Language Service contributes more broadly to multilingual communication in South Africa and plays an important role in supporting access to information across different contexts.

What does a typical day at work look like? 
Most days are unpredictable – and that is something I genuinely enjoy. A large part of my day revolves around responding to client needs, coordinating projects and managing language practitioners’ schedules to meet tight deadlines, while also ensuring that language implementation funds are managed effectively across different entities.

It is a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Often, clients only realise at the last minute that they need language support (as in yesterday). This level of pressure means we have to remain focused, responsive and solutions-driven at all times.

A significant part of my role also involves building relationships and working closely with our client base to understand their needs, how effective communication benefits them, and how a multilingual approach can strengthen their impact.

How did your education or past experiences prepare you for this job?
Looking back, I see that every stage of my journey contributed in some way. I started in the Law Faculty before moving into communication, which in hindsight makes sense since language and the precise use of words are just as important in law as they are in any communication context.

Over the years, I have been involved in almost every role at the SU Language Centre, from student assistant during my postgraduate studies to writing consultant, lecturer in academic literacy, and teaching beginner Afrikaans to international students. As the Centre has evolved, so have I, and that growth is reflected in the role I fulfil today.

The most important skills I developed along the way include working under pressure, maintaining a big-picture view of how communication functions within an institution, and most importantly – listening. Listening to clients, understanding their needs, briefing language practitioners effectively, and ensuring that the final product meets expectations.

In South Africa, language carries deep historical and social significance, and there is a strong sensitivity around how it is used, also within this institution. Being a point of contact for language-related needs is therefore a responsibility I value. At times, my role feels quite simple: “How can I help?” But behind that lies the work of finding practical solutions and contributing to the meaningful implementation of multilingualism.

What do you enjoy most about your role and working at SU? 
I enjoy both the variety of texts we receive and the diversity of people I get to work with. No two projects are the same, and there is always an element of problem-solving, especially when it comes to finding the right terminology to convey meaning accurately and improve understanding.

What stands out most is the collaboration with colleagues across the University. There is a genuine commitment to making knowledge accessible and inclusive, even if it is not always easy to achieve. When colleagues engage with the Language Centre, we are able to support that intention by building relationships, opening access, and helping to shift multilingualism from being seen as a challenge to being recognised as an opportunity.

There is also a challenge in almost every project, which keeps us continuously rethinking how we work, the resources we use, and how we ensure quality in our outputs.

Tell us something about yourself that few people would expect. 

I have a slightly unusual ability to remember faces and once took part in a study with a British university as part of a “super-recogniser” testing group, exploring the idea that exceptional facial recognition may be a rare trait and how individuals with this ability can support fields such as law enforcement and security.

I suppose that also explains my eye for detail and my tendency to remember seemingly unimportant things – I can answer more questions than expected about keeping backyard chickens, including some knowledge of the municipal by-laws around keeping them in a city. On particularly demanding days, I sometimes imagine a much quieter future as a homesteader in Alaska.