Language policy for Károli Gáspár University

Károli Gáspár University:

• contribute to the development of students’ language proficiency, to the development of the academic use of language and to students’ ability to communicate in different languages, and share their knowledge with people outside the academic world
• promote mobility, employability and competitiveness on the job market among its students and staff by encouraging language studies and the use of languages other than Hungarian
• promote linguistic diversity in its organisation
• be an attractive university to international researchers, teachers and students
• communicate information via home pages and relevant documents and publications in languages other than Hungarian, primarily in English, which is the most widely spread internationally

Hungarian

Hungarian should be the main language of teaching in first-cycle courses (Bachelor level) and should be used unless it is necessary to use another language, such as in foreign language courses. Studies at first-cycle level should teach students to express themselves about their studies in clear, intelligible Hungarian. In connection with response to subject matter, students should also receive feedback concerning their language usage by giving a stronger position to modules which should improve students’ oral and written proficiency both in Hungarian and English.

Also at first-cycle level, students should acquire, a certain amount of Hungarian for specific purposes in terms both of comprehension and production.

English

Károli Gáspár University should be an attractive university for international researchers, teachers and students also outside the Carpathian Basin. Teaching in English (and possibly other languages) is a prerequisite for this. The number of courses in which English is used as the language of teaching and the number of registered students should, therefore, increase to encourage mobility and heighten the quality of research and education according to the objectives of the Bologna Process. In order to facilitate the use of English on higher levels of study, course literature and teaching should, to a certain extent, be in English at first-cycle level, so that comprehension is increased and improved. At the advanced (Master’s) and doctoral levels, English should be used to a greater extent than at first cycle level in order to

• encourage and stimulate mobility and attract incoming exchange students
• improve Hungarian students’ international communication skills in order to increase their possibilities of becoming known internationally
• improve Hungarian students’ chances of becoming accepted for doctoral studies abroad
• be able to attract highly qualified international researchers and teachers

At the advanced level, course literature should to a large extent be in English. Additionally teaching should also normally be in English or in Hungarian and English simultaneously (with visual support in the non-native language) if the teacher knows no Hungarian or if the group consists of non-Hungarian speaking students. Consideration should also be shown to students who do not have English as a second language. The recruitment of students from homes without an academic tradition can be impeded if teaching is done in languages other than Hungarian.

All teaching staff should be prepared to teach in English or at least teach bilingually with visual support in English. It comes to developing competenc, instructors should be able to teach in a language other than the mother tongue. A prerequisite for a high international standard of research is international contacts and international quality control. All the university’s researchers and scientists should, therefore, strive to contribute to an international research environment by publishing in English and other relevant languages and by attending international conferences.

The proportion of doctoral dissertations in English at Károli Gáspár University should increase. Dissertations written in Hungarian should include an extensive summary in English. Those who have recently completed dissertations in Hungarian should be encouraged to publish articles in English.

Other Languages

The use of English as a language of communication is on the rise; however, most of the world’s population has only a limited knowledge of English. A prerequisite for successful communication with people from other countries is knowledge of their language. Language competence can also facilitate the understanding of other people’s cultures. Furthermore, the development of one’s own knowledge also benefits from having it related to that which is unfamiliar. Károli Gáspár University should promote students’ and teachers’ possibilities to read and understand scientific literature in languages ther than Hungarian and English. Within the EU, there is strong emphasis on the major European languages. Consequently, other languages are paid too little attention. Competence in languages other than Hungarian and the major European languages should be taken advantage of to a greater extent than is done today. Károli Gáspár University offers courses in those languages which will become important in our future global economy. Together with other universities, the University should develop and reinforce the basis for this kind of work. Károli Gáspár University should strive to make clear the competitive value of linguistic and cultural competence. All types of language competence, including that which can be acquired through placements abroad, should be stated in a degree certificate. Students should also be given the opportunity to include in their degree certificate, a statement about language(s) used in the courses. The European Language Passport can be used to show language proficiency in different languages (at different levels.). Language competence should also be considered as an additional qualification for employment at Károli Gáspár University, in particular having studied, taught and/or published in languages other than Hungarian.

Information about research and development

One of the university’s main objectives is to spread research and development findings to the general public. The dissemination of research findings is hampered by the fact that scientific language, language for specific purposes, is a language of its own with varying degrees of complexity.

For most of Hungarian’s researchers, English is the obvious language to use. However, Hungarian is the main language of Hungary and researchers at Károli Gáspár University should therefore be able to communicate their knowledge in clear, intelligible Hungarian. The University’s researchers should consider the responsibility they have to develop the Hungarian language in scientific communication between Hungarians by sustaining the use of existing terminology and by working for easy adaption of English terms to Hungarian usage.

The dissemination of information to the general public can also be applied in an international perspective. Research findings should therefore be communicated in English that is clear and intelligible even to non-specialists.

Presenting the University in languages other than Hungarian

Károli Gáspár University should be visible internationally. Information about the University should be available in languages other than Hungarian, primarily in English. Relevant home pages/web sites and documents and publications should be internationally available. The University should provide the necessary resources for translation and revision.

Summary