The English department has launched a new Visiting Scholar Program to connect scholars from around the world with its students and faculty at Al-Quds University.  The official launch was attended by Dr. Amer Kanaan, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Motasem Nasser, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Ahmad Ayyad, Chair of English Department, Dr.  Baerbel Stark from the international academic collaboration office and faculty members and students of the English Department.

The program aims at promoting international research collaborations and teaching excellence. It offers leading professors of English language and literature and Translation Studies from around the world the opportunity to come to Al-Quds University for short- and long term visits, ranging from one week to one semester to engage in scholarly work. During their time at Al-Quds, visiting scholars give guest lectures, meet with students and bring their expertise to Al-Quds faculty.

The department welcomed its first Visiting Scholar in Translation Studies, Professor Christiane Nord. Professor Nord is a German Translation Studies Scholar. She was trained as a translator for Spanish and English at Heidelberg University (B.A. Honours), PhD in Romance Studies, habilitation in Applied Translation Studies and Translation Pedagogy. From 1967, involved in translator training at the universities of Heidelberg, Vienna, Hildesheim, Innsbruck and Magdeburg (1996-2005). Invited for short-time teaching appointments by universities and translator training institutions in Europe, Middle East, America, Asia and Africa. She has approximately 200 publications about theoretical, methodological and pedagogical aspects of "functionalism" in translation. As from 2007, research associate and professor extraordinary of the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

After the official launch of the program, Professor Nord gave a one-day training workshop for translators and teachers of translation to students in the MA program in Translation and Interpreting as well as professors of Translation Studies at Al-Quds University.  The six-hour training workshop covered the topics of systematic approach to translation problems, selecting texts and other material for translator training, evaluating students’ translations, tools of the translator and classroom activities in translator training.