Center for Southwestern, Mexican Studies Offers Lecture On Roots of Spanish Slang and Dialect Dictionary
Austin College’s Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies will present its annual fall lecture on Thursday, October 6, at 11 a.m. in Wright Campus Center, Room 254. The lecture is free, open to the public, and will be presented in English. The talk, featuring Dr. Roxana Fitch, will focus on “25 Years and Counting: Writing and Updating an Online Spanish Slang and Dialect Dictionary.”
In her presentation, she will share details on the development of the dictionary and the challenges and successes she has experienced while doing this work that has spanned more than two decades.
Fitch received her doctorate in Spanish Philology from the University of Barcelona, but her work as a translator in Italy in the 1990s led her to develop a dictionary of Spanish slang that covers both Latin America and Spain. Her dictionary was published in print form in Spain but can be found in its most updated form on the internet. It is the first online slang dictionary to allow searches by word and by region.
Fitch also runs an ongoing workshop on Facebook and a channel on YouTube to update and add to the more than 10,000 entries in the dictionary. She also is a professor at the Universdad Autónoma de Baja California and continues to work as a translator.
The Austin College Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies promotes collaborative learning, with special emphasis on the historical, cultural, social, economic, and political issues facing Texas and Mexico. The center sponsors public lectures and communication with the community and a series of internships and specialized research opportunities for all Austin College students. Dr. Julie Hempel, Austin College associate professor of Spanish, is the director of the center and organizer of the upcoming lecture. She has been a member of the Austin College faculty since 2002.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, global awareness, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
Media Contacts:
Lynn Z. Womble, lwomble@austincollege.edu, 903-813-2891 or 214-450-3317