Dunglish or English? Deutsch or Dutch?

The aspect of integration within Dutch society is one of the main reasons I wanted to take a Dutch language course,” explains French-German student Pierre Sevestre at Maastricht University. “It is very important to speak the language of the country you are living in.”

Sevestre started a Dutch language course for expats at the Maastricht University Language Centre.

“The Maastricht University Language Centre is a melting pot of nationalities and cultures,” says director Ellen Krijnen.

The languages courses offered are divided into three sections. The Dutch section provides courses for international students who need to learn Dutch in order to study in the Netherlands. The long waiting list is a proof of the big the demand for these courses, especially among German students.

The English section helps students bring their English language skills up to an academic level. “I took the course because I had doubts about my level of English, says German student Michael Vjazner. “I feel more secure now.”

The third section focuses on a large variety of modern foreign languages, such as Spanish, Chinese or Arabic, and offers courses at many different levels, from basic understanding up to advanced.

The Language Centre is open to all, students and company staff alike. Besides language trainings, it provides communication and presentation courses, and other skills trainings such as email and reception courses.

“We offer training courses for companies because we are living in an international region, with cities like Liège and Brussels closer than the rest of the Netherlands,” explains Krijnen.. “Companies need to meet the international standards that are required to play a competitive role on the market.“

In September 2009, the Language Centre introduced a new course – “Survival skills for the PBL classroom” – dealing specifically with the Problem-Based-Learning (PBL) education system used at Maastricht University.

The PBL system focuses on a more individual approach towards studying and for some students, the adaptation to this system requires more effort than initially thought, because it is very different from other more common systems.

“After I took the course, I felt so much more prepared for my first tutorials, says Vjazner. “I knew what to expect and I surely felt that I was advantaged in comparison to my fellow students.”

“English Pronunciation for Asian students” is another new course at the Language Centre. “In Asia, vocals are pronounced in a different way which makes it hard for Asian people to articulate European languages,” says Krijnen.

A recent student survey commissioned by the Language Centre showed that it scored at least a 7 on all scales and on some aspects even higher. Ellen Krijnen is proud of the outcome of the survey: “The conclusion was that the Language Centre is an absolute must for a university with an international character like Maastricht University. It is an indispensable service for students, especially with regards to the obligatory exchange projects they take part in.”

The teachers at the Language Centre are qualified native speakers who use teaching methods in the original language of learning. “It is a heavy method and you need to get used to it,” says Sevestre. “The positive effect is that you start thinking in a new language faster when you hear it all around you.”

“The feeling that you are thrown into the blue vanishes sooner than you think,” adds Krijnen.

The courses also involve a big amount of personal input and homework. “It is a lot,” says Vjazner. “You need to keep up with the work otherwise you are lost.”

“Missing one session because of a flu or some other illness makes you miss a lot. You really need the discipline to catch up with the work and to stay on track,” comments Sevestre.

As far as costs are concerned, students say they find the course prices for foreign languages “still very high”, in spite of the discount they can benefit from.

“Our prices are much cheaper than what can be found in general,” argues Krijnen. “I do not think you can find cheaper prices elsewhere.”

“In the case of Dutch language courses, they are less expensive because there is a very high demand for them and they receive more subsidies,” adds Krijnen. “They are always completely booked. Many students are willing to take these Dutch language courses in order to better integrate within Dutch society. We want to keep stimulating this.”

The Language Centre generates its own income, although it is a University department. A minimum amount of 14 students per course is needed to make it profitable.

“The Language Centre is always interested in new ideas,” says Krijnen. “We are curious to find out whether there is a demand for other language courses besides the regular Dutch language courses offered during the summer. For example, taking a course just before going on exchange or simply to refresh a language,” she says. Offering courses all year round would allow the Centre to hire full-time staff, which is not the case at the moment.

Hindi or other Asian language courses are also under consideration.

“The Language Centre wants to keep developing and improving itself, says Krijnen. “It wants to listen to the needs of, mainly, its students but also others who are interested in taking a course here. Twice a year we ask our participants to take part in a Flycatcher inquiry. We are willing to adapt to new needs.”

By Francis ten Broeke

Francis ten Broeke (20, Dutch) is a third year student at Maastricht University’s European Law School.

More information: Maastricht University Language Centre