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New courses for medical professionals will begin in October, and registration is now open. Further courses for the security sector are currently in development.
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
France is just a stone's throw away, and there is also a hint of the proverbial savoir-vivre here – but still too few people in Saarland speak French. This is set to change. How? Linguist Claudia Polzin-Haumann and her team at Saarland University are researching this question. One of their approaches is to first identify the requirements and challenges in individual occupational groups, develop concrete measures based on this, in this case language courses, and thus gradually lay the foundation for more. The language barrier should not leave people speechless in everyday life. "In the border region, you can suddenly find yourself in situations where it is difficult without language skills. We want to take concrete action here, in a very practical way and as part of an overall concept designed to promote multilingualism and raise awareness of the importance of French," explains Claudia Polzin-Haumann, who holds the Chair of Romance Linguistics at the Saarbrücken campus.
The language course "French for Work – Healthcare", which was designed, developed and implemented by the Saarbrücken research team in collaboration with the VHS-Landesverband Saarland (Saarland Adult Education Association), proved its worth in the pilot phase from October 2024 to July 2025. Starting in the winter semester of 2025, the course will now be permanently included in the programme of the VHS of the Regional Association of Saarbrücken. Professor Polzin-Haumann and her team have targeted a group of participants for whom knowledge of French can be vital: doctors, nursing staff, paramedics and anyone working in the healthcare sector. Online modules will teach practical language skills so that participants can understand symptoms, name body parts and provide information about medications and therapies. In cooperation with the VHS, the online courses will start at a basic level on 27 October and at an advanced level on 29 October. In addition, the university's Language Centre will also offer practical face-to-face courses at the Homburg Medical Campus from 28 October. Registration for the courses is now open.
The courses were preceded by intensive research: in a study, the team surveyed around 280 professionals in the German-French border region from doctors' surgeries, emergency services and hospitals in order to determine the specific needs in practice. They then designed a tailor-made programme and developed the content. The courses were evaluated and further developed based on feedback from over 40 participants in the pilot courses. The recommendation rate was one hundred percent.
Courses for other professional groups are to follow. "We are working on needs analyses for the area of cross-border security. The aim is to develop a range of courses in the near future that are tailored to the police and everyone working in the security sector," explains Max Penth, research assistant in the "French and more" project. Since 2022, the team has been working to make learning French and other languages more attractive in Saarland. The "French and more" portal provides up-to-date information on French courses, German-French events and tips for language learning. Among other things, quizzes, crafts and games have already been developed, as well as bilingual phrasebooks on everyday topics and specifically for the Olympics. Another phrasebook on the German-French working world will be published soon – all available online on the portal https://www.saarland.de/franzoesisch-und-mehr.
The "French and more" project, led by Claudia Polzin-Haumann, is part of Saarland's France Strategy+ and is funded by the Saarland State Chancellery. Claudia Polzin-Haumann also heads the "Cellule francophone en Allemagne" research centre at Saarland University as the representative for scientific Francophonie in Germany.
Registration for the online courses "French for Work – Healthcare" via the vhs programme:
Short link: https://www.vhs-saarbruecken.de/
For the basic course: https://www.vhs-saarbruecken.de/programm/sprachen/kurs/Franzoesisch-fuer-den-Beruf-Gesundheitswesen-Basiskurs/AS3560#inhalt
For the advanced course: https://www.vhs-saarbruecken.de/programm/sprachen/kurs/Franzoesisch-fuer-den-Beruf-Gesundheitswesen-Aufbaukurs/AS3561#inhalt
Registration for the Language Centre's face-to-face courses:
Short link: https://www.szsb.uni-saarland.de
https://www.szsb.uni-saarland.de/sprachkurse/kurs.asp?KursNr=SZFRW2524
Further information on the "French and more" portal:
https://www.saarland.de/franzoesisch-und-mehr
Questions answered by:
Prof. Dr Claudia Polzin-Haumann Telephone: +49 (0)681 302-4306,
Email: projekt-franzoesischundmehr@uni-saarland.de
