Dutch: a small global language
It sounds crazy, but you can study Dutch in Kiev, and in fact the Dutch programme is quite popular there. Dutch is offered as a main subject or secondary subject at more than two hundred universities in over forty countries. The students enrol because they are interested in the Dutch language and literature, but also because they see that studying Dutch offers them opportunities. For them, Dutch opens up a window on a different world, and sometimes leads to a bright future.
Dutch language and literature abroad
The Taalunie supports the teaching of Dutch abroad by providing grants for example to start up a course, to purchase books, magazines and a computer, or to bring in guest teachers. It is also concerned about the quality of Dutch language and literature courses abroad. To promote quality, the Taalunie provides different forms of assistance, for example an expertise centre (Steunpunt Nederlands als Vreemde Taal) to which foreign teachers of Dutch as a second language can turn for advice on teaching methods and teaching materials. It also offers a range of training courses for both teachers and students.
Summer courses
Every student of Dutch should spend some time in Amsterdam or Antwerp and visit the Rijksmuseum or the Rubenshuis at some point during their programme. The Taalunie gives many of them the opportunity to do so. Every year, it organises summer courses in Dutch Language and Culture in the Netherlands and Flanders. Over three hundred students head for the North Sea every year to immerse themselves in Dutch and everything associated with it for three weeks. See also the detailed information about the courses of this year. The Taalunie also regularly organises in-service training courses for teachers, allowing them to continue working on their professional development.
Language boundaries are blurring
Most of the border controls in the European Union have disappeared, and it almost seems as if the language boundaries are going the same way. In the 'Europe of the Regions', a wide variety of different languages live comfortably side-by-side. The border areas of the Netherlands and Flanders are a good example: Dutch is spoken in many parts of Belgium's French-speaking community, in northern France and in the German border region, and it is also offered as a subject at primary and secondary schools and in adult education. The Taalunie supports such classes in cooperation with the local authorities.
Key facilities
In addition to the specific support offered to each border region, teachers in such areas often benefit from exchanges programmes and from receiving assistance as a group. The Taalunie offers them a number of key facilities, such as information, advice and documentation. It is involved in developing digital and other teaching tools for the entire group, and organises in-service and retraining courses and seminars to aid the professional development of teachers who are native speakers of French or German.
Indonesia: old ties
People can sometimes use Dutch to get by in unexpected places. One of those places is Indonesia. Some older Indonesians still speak Dutch, but even the younger generation is interested in the language. University students, for example law students, are often required to study Dutch texts. Many universities in Indonesia therefore offer courses in Dutch as a source or occupational language. Students and other interested parties can enrol in general Dutch courses at various educational centres, the most important of which is the Erasmus Language Centre (ETC) in Jakarta. Each year, some 1500 to 2000 students take Dutch courses there.
South Africa: a testing ground for multilingualism
South Africa is another country that has special ties with the Taalunie, which does more than support university programmes in Dutch language and literature there. In particular, the Taalunie works with South Africa on multilingualism projects. South Africa is very interested in the expertise of the Taalunie in this field, and the Taalunie in turn benefits from its cooperation with South Africa. The two countries are currently concentrating on human language technologies and on testing and certification.
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