Welcome Message from The Head of Department- Modern Languages And Translation Studies
The Department of Modern Languages and Translation Studies, a proud foundational member of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calabar, warmly welcomes you to its website. Our Department is very vibrant with staff and students from diverse backgrounds. We are not only recognized as the ‘pride of the University of Calabar’, but also, carry a global recognition of being one of the best centers where students are copiously exposed and inspired to embrace a world of possibilities and globalization through excellent teaching and learning, and quality research in both the pan-colonial and emerging international languages: French, German, Spanish, Chinese and translations. The Department is at the forefront of offering qualitative training to students to become language professionals in various international languages to remain relevant in a dynamic world.
The Department of Modern Languages and Translation Studies provides her graduates with the much-needed all-around education and launches them into the world as “global citizens”. The Department has made tremendous progress on so many fronts including student population, staff commitment, curriculum development, and linkages. It is unarguably the best equipped Department in the faculty in terms of modern teaching facilities, quality and number of staff, office space, as well as dedication and commitment to the needs of students. In response to the demands of globalization and the need for greater visibility of the department as well as her graduates, our curriculum recently underwent a massive expansion, to give our graduates the edge ahead of their colleagues in the global job market.
We have a flexibly designed, innovative, and market-driven course outline and curriculum that we use to prepare students for the award of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Modern Languages and Translation Studies. These programs are powered by a team of highly experienced professionals serving the University as academic, administrative, and technical staff. These staff have an unwavering commitment to inspire students to commute between languages. Teaching students to have a good knowledge and understanding of the literature and culture of the societies that these languages originate from remains an inextricable part of their training program. As an inseparable part of the training program, our third-year students spend a year in a Language Immersion Program outside the University to enhance their oral proficiency in these languages.
The Department has linkages/partnerships with very reputable institutions around the African neighbourhood. Some of these institutions include
§ Université de Yaounde 1, Cameroun
§ Université de Yaounde – Sud, Joseph Ndi-Samba, Cameroun
§ Université Nationale, Togo
§ Village du Benin, Centre International de Recherche et d’Etude de Langues (CIREL), Togo
§ Omar Bongo Université de Libreville – Gabon
§ Organisation Internationale pour la Promotion de Langue et la Culture. (OIPLC) Cotonou, République de Bénin.
§ Village Français de Badagry, Ajara, Nigeria. (Nigeria French Language Village).
The linkages have, over time, proven to be very reliable partners in sustaining and enhancing our standards and reputation as a global center.
The outstanding achievements of our expanding Alumni family members, who are occupying excellent job positions in different parts of the world, remain very inspirational for the continued sustenance of our hard-earned reputation as a global center. The entire University is grateful to them for their role in promoting academic programs and activities.
Please browse through our website and get acquainted with our efforts to promote language learning education and research programs. We will welcome any suggestions, comments, and feedback from you.
Thank you for visiting our website.
Best wishes
Samson Fabian Nzuanke
Head of Department
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Mission / Vision / Philosophy / Objective
Mission
To Produce high quality graduates and scholars in focal areas of learning with theoretical,practical and entepreneurial skills for the world of work in conducive environment through quality research and teaching.
Vision
To be a centre of excellence producing globally competitive graduates and contributing significantly to development through research.
Philosophy
Cross River State, in which this university is located, shares a common border with the Republic of Cameroon, a Bilingual (French-English) country. This proximity not only underlines the relevance of French in the state and in Nigeria (surrounded, as it is, by French-speaking countries), but also underpins the imperative of interdependence and the need for regional integration.
Objective
To this end, this programme is designed to:
i. Train students to acquire adequate communicative competence in both spoken and written varieties of the French language,
ii. Prepare students for immediate employment in such professional domains as translation, diplomatic service, advertising, public relations, print and broadcast journalism,
iii. Equip students with the tools they need to teach the French language and literature where necessary,
iv. Students to pursue postgraduate studies in French language, linguistics, literature, translation and international relations and carry out research at the appropriate level of education, and
Orient our graduates towards self-employment by focusing on such skills as translation, translation project management, creative writing, etc
History
This history of the Department of Modern Languages and Translation Studies, as it is known today, dates back to the 1975/76 session when the University of Calabar was still a campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In 1976 when the University was statutorily established, the Department was called the Department of Modern Languages offering a degree program in French with a subsidiary in German.
In 1982, the Department was enlarged and renamed Department of Languages and Linguistics introducing thus the Linguistic component into the program, that is, two programs in one. It became necessary to restructure and reposition the Department as constituted, to cater for all aspects of French studies in addition to German, Spanish, African and Caribbean Literature, and Comparative Literature. A request for bifurcation and the creation of a separate autonomous Department of Modern Languages was put before the Senate in line with this thinking.
At its 135th meeting of the 24th of January, 2002, approval was granted for bifurcation with effect from the 2002/2003 academic session. The objective was to create a favorable setting for the Unit, to enable it to grow and to function satisfactorily in catering to the academic needs in its area of coverage.
Soon after separation, issues of relevance came to the fore. It was felt that despite its prominence in our program, there was nothing under its nomenclature to suggest that Translation was being taught at all in the Department of Modern Languages. Given the imperatives of diplomacy, globalization, and integration in the West African sub-region, it was thought that Translation Studies be given sufficient weighting and be reflected in the name of the Department. It was also felt that the Department should respond to public demand for translation studies and cater to the needs of the modern commercial world.
To make this response conspicuous and be seen, even in the name of the Department, a request for change of name was sought and obtained. Senate, at its 148th meeting of 27th January 2005, approved the change of nomenclature. As of today, the department is housed in the Aliko Dangote consultancy Building, where it occupies the ground floor.
In terms of staffing, the Department has a highly trained and qualified team, made of fourteen full-time and part-time lecturers. There are nine (9) non-academic staff, comprising a Chief Technologist in charge of the Language Laboratory, a Confidential Secretary, Senior Typists, Clerical Officers, and Cleaners.
The Department has also grown in strength student-wise, rising from only eighteen (18) in 1976 to about seven hundred (700) in 2005.
The Department of Modern Languages and Translation Studies now offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in French Language, Translation, and International Relations. Before now, German was taught at subsidiary levels, but presently it has been replaced by Spanish, because the latter, is a lingua franca in Equatorial Guinea, a neighboring country, close to Calabar. Other languages may be introduced from time to time depending on the availability of staff and resources, and in response to need.
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