The French Section of the Community College of City University's Division of Language Studies has become Hong Kong's first officially approved centre among other universities, and is among the first in Asia to run the Test de Francais International (TFIR) of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the makers of TOEFLR, TOEICR, and other internationally recognized tests. The TFIR, which is open to the public, will put the candidates' French to the test as a benchmark of their language abilities beginning early next year.
The Test de Francais International has been developed by ETS in response to the demands of large corporations and French speaking institutions. It measures and certifies the French language skills of non-native speakers working in an international environment.
The TFIR is recognized by French university authorities, university-level language centres, and French language institutions around the world. Candidates sitting for the test will be assessed on listening comprehension and reading comprehension in the form of 180 multiple choices questions.
Interpretation grids provide accurate information on the real abilities of the candidates based on a continuous scale going from 10 to 990 points. The TFIR certificate is an internationally recognized document that evaluates the candidate's level of French for professional purposes and competence.
Mr David Santandreu, Coordinator of the Community College of City University's Division of Language Studies French Section, said: "We are proud to become Hong Kong's first approved centre among other local universities and language centres. It shows the hard efforts of our dedicated teachers in the Division and the quality of our French programmes which make CityU an official recognized centre to run the test. We have already launched in September 2004 the new option of the Associate Degree in Bilingual Communication Studies (French - English) and TFIR is definitely the international test we needed. We look forward to seeing the results of our French students at the first TFIR examination to be held this year."
Ms Katherine Fung-Surya, Director (China-Hong Kong) of the Institute of International Education (IIE), the official TFIR and TOEICR representative office in Hong Kong and Macau, and partner of CityU's TFIR Test Centre, said: "We are glad to see that CityU has been proactive in bringing in standards for testing French proficiency. The interest generated by TFIR shows that there is a genuine demand in Hong Kong for French in the workplace."
Founded in 1919, IIE is a private, non-profit organization devoted to promoting international understanding through educational exchange. Supported by a grant from the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, IIE has operated a U.S. educational advising center in Hong Kong since 1967.
CityU's French studies programme has been offered by the Division of Language Studies since the second semester of 1998. Over the years, the French language programmes have proved a popular choice at CityU. Students boosted their learning experiences through various competitions and study exchange. Some of them have also received scholarships and financial support from the French Consulate.
The TFIR examinations will be open to the public early this year. For enquiries on the Test de Francais International (TFIR), please contact Mr David Santandreu, Coordinator of the Community College of City University's Division of Language Studies French Section at 2788 9717 or email lsdavids@cityu.edu.hk or the Institute of International Education (IIE), at 2603 5771 or visit www.iiehongkong.org.
For media enquiries, please contact Ms Fanny Ho of City University of Hong Kong's Communications Office at 2788-9411.
16 January 2005 |
