Rita Khalil is an assistant professor of translation in the Department of Languages and Literatures and the Department of Journalism at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and at the School of Law and Political Sciences. Having joined USEK in 2015 as an assistant professor, she currently serves as the Head of the Department of Journalism.

Throughout her career, she has been working on the fascinating intersection of linguistics, cultural studies, and legal communication. With a keen interest in loan and borrowed words, she has delved into the intricate dynamics of language exchange, shedding light on the cultural implications within linguistic borrowings. Her extensive work on proverbs and female representations has not only contributed to the understanding of cultural nuances but also highlighted the power dynamics inherent in language use. She has conducted impactful research in media discourse analysis, specifically examining how political leaders' main traits are reflected in the discourse. Furthermore, she has made significant strides in improving the clarity and effectiveness of legal communication by focusing on writing and translating legal texts.

Rita has demonstrated her linguistic prowess by translating various books into Arabic, including "The Art of Falconry from Arabia Westward" by Ken Riddle and "L’image" by Jacques Aumont. Her exceptional translation skills were recognized when she received a nomination for the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Prize in 2013, acknowledging her as a top candidate for the best-translated scientific book in the Arab World. She has made significant contributions to the academic community through her authorship of several articles in indexed journals, including "Le bilinguisme dans le Roman de Beyrouth: entre une langue de la politique et une politique de la langue," published in "Langues, cultures et sociétés" in 2023.

Additionally, her sociolinguistic study in Arabic on Women in the Proverbs of Salam el-Rassi was featured in the "Revue des Langues, Cultures et Sociétés" in 2019. She has also been engaged in the development of educational modules in collaboration with the HEMED Thematic Network. Rita is also a certified public translator and a freelance translator. Between 2015 and 2017, she held the position of Chief Communications Officer, editor, and writer at QUAKEVISION.

From 2012 to 2013, she hosted and prepared several TV programs for Télé Lumière. Her dedication to gender-related issues is evident in her work as a consultant, editor, and translator at ESCWA-United Nations in Beirut, where she contributed to a training manual on Gender-based Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2009.

EDUCATION

• PhD in Language Sciences and Traductology, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) – Lebanon
• MA in Translation Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) – Lebanon
• BA in Modern Languages and Translation, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) – Lebanon
• Diploma in Italian Language and Culture, Istituto Italiano di Cultura – Lebanon