Following its mission to foster language education among the local community, the Language Center at the Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences, has opened registration for its Fall 2018 language courses for children, teenagers and adults. 

The institute offers a selection of seven popular languages from beginner to advanced proficiency levels in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. These languages are available for interested adult learners.

Highlighting the wide applicability of language education as well as the inclusive classroom culture, Director of the Language Center, Dr. Ahmad Nazari, said: “Our courses are designed to appeal to all levels, whether students wish to gain rudimentary skills, freshen up on prior language studies, or practice intensive language immersion at a professional level. Irrespective of the students’ initial goal, embarking on the path of foreign language education is an enriching experience in its own right. 

“At TII, all interested community members can enter a nurturing learning environment that encourages the exchange of ideas, motivation and knowledge. Our classes are a reflection of Qatar’s diverse cultural composition, meaning that students can learn as much from one another as from their instructors.”

In addition to regular adult courses, which are open to participants who are of age 18 and above, TII’s selection also includes specialized youth programs. Children and teenagers can benefit from weekly language sessions in Arabic, French, German, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish that focus on the cognitive development of their respective age groups. Fun activities such as songs, games, crafts, music, drama and art are designed to enhance their active development as multilingual members of the community. Young native speakers of the Arabic-language may also enroll in a specialized reading course, which has been created to help Arab youth retain proficiency of their native language.

TII’s language courses are delivered by experienced instructors, who apply the most advanced pedagogic methods to accelerate student learning. Registration for the Fall 2018 language courses for children and teenagers starts today, August 5, and remains open until September 6 for classes that are scheduled to commence September 15. Likewise, the admissions period for language courses for adults starts August 12 and will remain open until September 13 for classes are slated to begin September 23. Both will be held at the Liberal Arts and Science (LAS) Building in Education City.

Due to TII’s integral role in fostering intercultural communication through language education, many local embassies have been actively engaged in the institute’s activities. The embassies of Portugal and Brazil joined the Institute in marking the Day of Portuguese Language and Culture, which is celebrated on May 5 each year, through an interactive community event.

For more details on the registration process and to find out more about the programs offered by the Language Center at HBKU’s TII, visit www.tii.qa.