Marking the 2022 International French Language Day and Francophonie Week, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)’ Translating and Interpreting Institute (TII) held a special event celebrating the language and culture on March 24. 

Francophonie Night connected faculty and students with the global community of French-speakers, or those with an affinity for the language, in celebrating its vitality and how it is enriched by the diverse cultures of its speakers in Francophone countries.

For students in the French course at TII’s Language Center, Francophonie Night was a culmination of their successful language education journeys. In the presence of Language Center coordinators, instructors, and guests, the students presented the final-year projects they created using their French language skills. The event served to highlight the role that spoken language can play in connecting individuals of different cultures, ages, and countries, whether they are learning French for personal enrichment, work, or higher education. 

Francophonie Week 2022 observes the theme “The French Language, Connecting for Action”. It raises international awareness of the bonds the language can create. Shared by close to 300 million speakers on five continents, French is the working language of several international organizations and now the second-most-studied language in the world. 

The TII Language Center’s French courses for adults and children grow in demand each year. Qatar enjoys strong relations with several French-speaking countries and is one of nearly 90 states and governments represented in the International Organization of La Francophonie, a platform for cooperation in different areas.

Commenting after the event, Dr. Nima Nazari, Director of TII’s Language Center at CHSS, HBKU, said: “Francophonie Week is a wonderful occasion to celebrate and develop the Francophone identity, and the values it traditionally conveys. Our students ably demonstrated all the ways in which language learning – and multilingualism – can extend their cultural understanding, and strengthen ties of friendship, or work and business in linguistically diverse societies. We are very proud of their contributions to our event.”

TII Language Center offers several levels of French language instruction, and combines a communicative, proficiency-based, student-centered curriculum with up-to-date approaches to language acquisition. For more information about TII, and the programs at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, please visit chss.edu.qa