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The Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University hosted the first day’s activities of the 26th Week of the Italian Language in the World, attended by Prof. Youmna Safwat, Dean of the Faculty of Al-Alsun; Dr. Ilaria Zagaresi, Italian Cultural Attaché in Cairo; Prof. Paolo D’Achille, President of the Accademia della Crusca (Italian Language Academy); and Prof. Dalia Gamal Aboul-Enein, Head of the Italian Language Department at the Faculty, alongside a distinguished group of professors and researchers specializing in Italian language and literature from Egypt and Italy.

The event began with an opening session during which Prof. Youmna Safwat delivered a welcoming address, highlighting the longstanding history, distinguished reputation, and unique position of the Italian Language Department at the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University, in Egypt and across the Arab world. She also wished the participants success in their academic endeavors.

This was followed by a speech delivered by Prof. Dalia Gamal Aboul-Enein, Head of the Italian Language Department, who expressed her appreciation for the Dean’s continued support of the Department’s activities and welcomed the guests and participants. She noted that, for the first time since the event’s inception 26 years ago, the Department is hosting the entire program of the Week of the Italian Language in the World.

She also praised the fruitful cooperation with the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo and extended her gratitude to the Department’s professors, commending the outstanding contributions of junior academic staff members in preparing this academic and cultural event.

For her part, Dr. Ilaria Zagaresi, Italian Cultural Attaché, highlighted various aspects of cultural and academic cooperation with the Italian Language Department, emphasizing the importance of strengthening partnerships that support Italian language education and facilitate the exchange of expertise between academic and cultural institutions.

The opening session featured a lecture by Prof. Paolo D’Achille, President of the Accademia della Crusca, marking the academic launch of the week's activities. This was followed by the first academic session, titled “Literature and Cinema: Approaches to Teaching, Translation, and Dialogue,” chaired by Prof. Maha Abdel Aziz, Professor of Linguistics at the Italian Language Department. The session featured contributions from Dr. Edoardo Menegazzo, Assistant Prof. Samah Mohamed Ibrahim, Prof. Marta Totaro, and Dr. Dalia Abdallah. Discussions explored various aspects of literature and cinema and their applications in language teaching, translation, and the promotion of intercultural dialogue.

The program also included a second academic session titled “The Genius Language: Applied Perspectives and Specialized Languages,” chaired by Prof. Dalia Gamal. The session featured Dr. Rosario Scalia, Dr. Arianna Fognani, and researcher Carmen Caruso, who discussed several topics related to applied linguistics and specialized languages.

The Faculty of Al-Alsun’s hosting of these activities reflects its commitment to strengthening academic and cultural cooperation between Egypt and Italy, promoting Italian language and literature, and providing an academic platform for researchers and specialists to exchange expertise and perspectives. These efforts contribute to advancing language teaching, translation, and linguistic and literary studies.