Institute of Applied Linguistics

About the Institute

The beginnings of Institute of Applied Linguistics can be traced back to 2017, when Chair of Applied Linguistics was appointed on the Faculty of Philology of University of Rzeszów, and Applied linguistics course was introduced into the program. The first students began their education on the 1^st of October, 2017 on a 3-year BA program.

On the picture: the first students of the Applied linguistics course at UR

An MA program was launched in 2020 to enable BA graduates to continue their education.

Chair of Applied Linguistics was founded on the initiative of the Germanists, at the time working at the Institute of German Studies: prof. Zofia Bilut-Homplewicz, dr Agnieszka Buk, dr Anna Hanus, dr Agnieszka Mac, dr Dorota Miller, dr Marta Smykała and dr Iwona Szwed. The aim was to expand university’s educational offer in the field of translation by integrating teaching language with linguistics, cross-cultural linguistics, and hands-on preparation for the profession. It was also an answer for the local market’s calls for intercultural communication services.

Institute of Applied Linguistics was founded on April 1^st, 2025 and currently employs 13 researchers and teaching staff members, Anglicists and Germanists (see Structure).

The Applied linguistics course’s aim is to train professional translators that are fluent in two foreign languages. The current offer includes the combination of English and German, with an obligatory third foreign language course (students may choose between Spanish, French and Russian).

It should be emphasized that the course is based on interdisciplinarity resulting from the combination of knowledge and competencies drawn from English studies and German studies. Applied linguistics is more than the traditional philological education that includes the basic subjects typical for the particular modern language courses. Its value stems from the combination of perspectives taken from various language studies and subjects not typical for these courses. Therefore, Applied linguistics includes subjects from two disciplines: linguistics, and the study of culture and religion. Emphasis is put mostly on subjects related to translation studies and intercultural communication, but also on those connected to the native language and culture of the students.

Applied linguistics students are primarily trained in written and oral translation. The curriculum includes practical classes on various types of translation, including elements of audiovisual translation and translation using AI. Didactic emphasis is put mostly on professional training, i.e. knowledge of specialized terminology (medical, business, technical), digital tools, basics of business communication, PR, and cultural differences between Poland and English and German speaking countries. Applied linguistics teaches how to use knowledge, linguistic and intercultural competency in various fields and extents. This course trains future consecutive and simultaneous translators, employees of corporations, travel agencies, publishing houses, and media workers. On top of that, the Applied linguistics course provide graduates with necessary knowledge to interpret specialized texts and inspire them to give language guidance.