• Site Map
• Campus Map
• A-Z Index
• Staff Intranet
• Contacts

Home > Faculty of Arts > Language Centre > Staff & Contact Details > Lidia Bilbatua

Lidia Bilbatua

MEd (TESOL), UOW., GradDip, UWSyd., BCom, Universidad del País Vasco, Spain

Location: 19.2107
Phone: +61 2 4221 3720
Email: lidia@uow.edu.au

Biography

Born in the Basque Country, I studied Economics and Business Management for my degree at Valladolid University. I completed my major in Finance at the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao. I worked in a Financial Consulting Company for 4 years. At the same time I ran a business in the clothing industry until I migrated to Australia in 1990. Here I perceived a need for interpreting and translating services for the Spanish speaking community and completed post graduate studies in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Western Sydney. A strong sense of identity with my own culture led me to complete a Masters in Education to be able to promote Spanish language and culture amongst the Australian population.  I have been working in different teaching institutions starting at the University of Wollongong in 1993 as a casual teacher.  Currently, I lecture in the university’s Spanish program, incorporating new techniques in my teaching, including innovative computer aided learning. I have created a program aimed to introduce students to Spanish culture through the use of authentic short films in the classroom and I encourage my students to travel abroad to Spanish speaking countries through the university’s study abroad program to experience real culture and language first hand as well as attending and getting involved in all social and cultural events organised by the Spanish speaking community. 

Research Profile

Searchable RIS publications >>

Selected Publications

Facilitator, editor and project member for the book, My grandparents, Spain destination Wollongong 1960-2002. Project funded by the NSW Community Languages Schools and the Wollongong city Council (Community and Cultural Services), 2002.

Bilbatua, L. and E. Ellis (2008): Maintaining potencial for belonging, a case study of a bilingual family in Australia:.  Book chapter for volume edited by Dr. Jason Rothman, Asst. Professor fo Hispanic Linguistics, University of Iowa.  (under contract 2008).

Research Priority Areas/Groups

Research in technologies related to Computer applications in learning languages (CALL)

Research focus on Spanish women migrants in the Illawarra, with a special interest on issues of cultural identity and language.

Current Research Projects

Working in the language classroom with short videos. A course for Intermediate Spanish to enhance Language acquisition and production skills to be submitted to redELE, Electronic Journal of Didactics/Spanish as a Foreign Language.