About us
The Language
Centre of the University of Fribourg was established in 2008, originating in
part from CERLE (Centre for Teaching and Researching Foreign Languages). It has
developed a profile and special competence in the teaching/learning of German,
French, Italian, and English as foreign languages. Its self-access centre
offers approximately thirty languages in guided self-study. The Language Centre
is also a hub of applied research in the teaching of foreign languages.
The principal
mission of this university language centre is the teaching /learning of
languages in the spirit of the Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages. It maintains an ongoing concern for the practices and advances in
the field of teaching methods and materials with the aim of offering students high-quality
instruction. The centre’s objective is to allow the greatest number possible of
students and researchers at the University of Fribourg to learn one or several
foreign languages to foster their mobility inside as well as outside of the
university. Special attention is given to ensure the quality of the courses.
The Language
Centre works in collaboration with the University’s Section of Plurilingualism and
Foreign-Language Teaching and the national Institute for Plurilingualism
located in Fribourg. Thanks to this unique and original plurilingual and
pluricultural environment as well as to the competence and expertise of its
instructors, a speciality of the Language Centre has become the evaluation of
foreign languages. It has, for example, developed an online placement test for
German (DAF), French (FLE), Italian (ILS), and English (EFL) as foreign
languages, which is currently the object of technology transfer at the
international level. The centre is also involved in the
European project Modularising
Multilingual and Multicultural Academic Communication Competence for BA and MA
level (MAGICC) and in 2012, published a volume on applied research in teaching
foreign languages and practice in the field: Apprendre, enseigner et
évaluer les langues dans le contexte de Bologne et du CECR (Peter Lang, Berne).
In addition, the Language
Centre is a centre for taking the examinations of the Goethe Institute and the
test for knowledge of French (Test de connaissance du français TCF). The Centre is also responsible
for the language tests in French and German to enter the University of
Fribourg.
Catherine Blons-Pierre
Director of the Language Centre
