New options to meet Language Centre boom

Specialised science options, intensive courses, and exchange learning partnership schemes, are among a variety of new programmes now offered by the Language Centre to meet increased and varied demand from the University. In the past year, almost 3,000 students and staff have enrolled at the Centre on 50 courses in eight languages. The Centre has also reported more than 20,000 borrowings of books, audio, video and computer-based materials from the language Library. Undergraduates in Physics and Engineering Science can already take Language Options in French, German, or Spanish, which contribute to one of their degree papers. Similar options are being planned in Chemistry, Geography and Economics and Management. New short, intensive, courses have also been introduced for members of the University needing language skills to take part in international conferences and professional meetings. A short course for overseas postgraduates and visiting fellows on writing dissertations and articles has been so successful that it has been repeated three times, with further courses planned. Dr Robert Vanderplank, Director of the Language Centre and Fellow of Kellogg College, said: `The potential for language learning at Oxford is enormous. While general and subject-based courses for individual study and research remain a core activity, we are also developing a variety of approaches to suit the many different circumstances of those who would like to improve their language skills.' Three other new initiatives support those unable to attend the Language Centre, but need advice and support to maintain language skills learnt at school, or to develop new skills. Language partners work together, using the Centre's resources where they can, to learn the same language. Those who join the `eXchange Files' trade language skills. For example, a Chinese-speaking student can help an English-speaking student improve his or her Chinese, in return for help with English. The Lambda Project (the Oxford Foreign Language Maintenanace and Development Project) is using an £18,000 grant from the University's Research and Equipment Committee to investigate how best to support independent study by undergraduates with GCSE and A level language skills. Currently 40 undergraduates are enrolled in the project studying French or German, using e-mail, the Lambda Websites, and other Internet resources, in addition to traditional self-study courses and materials. The use of the Centre's technical expertise and resources by departments, colleges, and institutions, continues to grow. The high quality recordings of daily news broadcasts in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and Spanish, have been greatly valued for many years. The Centre is now conducting experiments in receiving digital satellite broadcasts, set to deliver a huge increase in the number of foreign language resource channels. For more information about the Language Centre, contact (2)83360.