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Which Institutions foster the German Language
Foreign Cultural Policy
One of the prime tasks of foreign cultural policy is to foster the German language. The various areas of competence are shared out to independent institutions called intermediary organisations. Depending on the task and its emphasis, these organisations
supply information, exchange programmes, grants, fellowships and language courses. German intermediary organisations at home and abroad provide useful contacts and willing assistance. The Auswärtige Amt funds the intermediary organisations active in the field of foreign cultural policy and co-operates closely with them:
www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/en/aussenpolitik/kulturpolitik/sprache/index_html
Intermediary institutions
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
The Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD) (German Academic Exchange Service) has at its disposal a co-operative university network embracing 461 lectors, 14 branch offices and 45 DAAD information centres in 92 different countries. The DAAD has over 200 programmes world-wide for providing grants and fellowships to Germans and foreigners. It promotes the internationalisation of the German institutes of higher education, supports programmes and partnerships for the promotion of German Studies and the German language abroad, and is committed to educational co-operation with the developing and reforming countries.
The DAAD is the point of contact for all questions relating to higher education and university studies:
www.daad.de
Goethe-Institut (GI)
The Goethe-Institut offers language courses and language examinations for German as a foreign language at 143 cultural institutes in 78 countries. It provides further training for teachers of German, and develops material for German teaching. It organises cultural programmes, and its information centres and libraries supply information and media material on language, culture and society in Germany. The Goethe-Institut is the point of contact for all students and teachers of German:
www.goethe.de
Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA)
The Zentralstelle für Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) (Central Office for Schools Abroad) in the Federal Office of Administration is responsible for around 1,900 German teachers at 117 German schools, and a further 370 scholastic institutions and German departments in state schools supported by the Federal Republic of Germany. The Zentralstelle für Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) is responsible for all instructional, personnel and financial aspects of scholastic activities abroad. It administers the annual German Language Diploma (DSD II). Die Zentralstelle für Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) is the point of contact for questions relating to schooling: www.auslandsschulwesen.de
Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD)
The Pädagogische Austauschdienst (PAD) (Pedagogic Exchange Service) promotes international exchanges in the scholastic sphere. Over 90 countries are involved in the PAD´s programmes. The PAD provides information and advice on exchange programmes and opportunities for financial support, and arranges international meetings and contacts.
The PAD is the point of contact for international school exchanges and applications for the EU part programmes COMENIUS, LINGUA and ARION:
www.kmk.org/pad/ueberbli.htm
Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa)
The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) (Institute for External Relations) exists to promote lively exchange between different cultures. The ifa´s programmed meetings involve people in 120 different countries of the world. The ifa prepares managers of German companies for their visits abroad, and organises lecture tours and meetings for politicians, industrialists, journalists and artists. Ifa is currently assisting 30,000 schoolchildren from 100 different countries who are learning German as a foreign language. A special ifa programme supports the German minorities in central and eastern Europe.
The Ifa sponsors tutoring programmes in many countries and is the point of contact for cultural and language exchange and assistance programmes:
www.ifa.de
Associations, institutes and societies
TestDaF-Institut
The TestDaF-Institut in Hagen was established by the Gesellschaft für Akademische Testentwicklung e.V. (Society for Academic Test Development) as an external institute of the FernUniversität Hagen and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. It is responsible for setting and running the examination "Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache" (Test German as a Foreign Language), TestDaF for short. All examination questions are developed and corrected by the TestDaF-Institut central office. The Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache may currently be sat for at licensed test centres in 65 countries.
The candidates receive a report from the TestDaF-Institut in which their language competence with regard to both the four skills (listening and reading comprehension, written and oral expression), and also the level of proficiency (TestDaF-level grades) are individually certified. The TestDaF examination was developed on behalf of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Rectors´Conference (HRK). It is recognised as proof of proficiency in German for courses at universities in Germany.
www.testdaf.de
Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS)
Das Institut für deutsche Sprache (IDS) (Institute for German Language) in Mannheim is a central extra-university institute whose adopted aim is to research and document contemporary German. The IDS has a library, archives and a documentation service, text collections and language data banks, which are also available to external academics. The IDS regularly organises lectures, congresses and colloquia, thus promoting communication between Germanists and linguistic researchers:
www.ids-mannheim.de
Internationaler Deutschlehrerverband (IDV)
The Internationale Deutschlehrerverband (IDV) (International Association of German Teachers) is the umbrella organisation for five organised associations of German teachers in five continents. It represents the interests of German teachers all over the world.
The task and goal of the IDV is to foster international contacts and co-operation, to further develop the subject of German as a foreign language, and to support exchange. Every four years, the IDV organises an International German Teachers´ Conference, it conducts German Olympic Games and meets for regional conferences and working meetings:
www.idvnetz.org
Gesellschaft für Deutsche Sprache (GfdS)
The Gesellschaft für Deutsche Sprache (GfdS) (German Language Society) is a politically independent organisation for fostering and researching German. Its adopted purpose is to promote the German language amongst the general public in Germany and abroad, and to scrutinise and comment on language developments.
The GfdS publishes the journals Der Sprachdienst and Muttersprache, and also runs a language advisory service. Abroad, the GfdS organises lectures and programmes for events:
www.gfds.de
Robert Bosch Stiftung
The Robert Bosch Stiftung (Robert Bosch Foundation) is a private foundation. It is committed to international understanding, education, art, culture, science and the humanities. Supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung´s Lecturer Programme, and in collaboration with the Osteuropzentrum (Eastern Europe Centre) and Hohenheim University, 100 German graduates are currently active as guest lecturers in
universities in central and eastern Europe. The Lecturer Programme has 60 language lecturers and 40 lecturers in special subjects at its disposal:
www.bosch-stiftung.de
Deutscher Germanistenverband
The deutsche Germanistenverband (German Association of Specialists in German Studies) looks after the interests of Germanists in schools, institutes of higher education, further education centres and research institutes. It fosters contacts to allied disciplines and special fields, and to specialist associations both at home and abroad:
www.germanistenverband.de
© 2008 Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst e.V. (DAAD), Kennedyallee 50, D-53175 Bonn
Source: http://www.daad.de/deutschland/deutsch-lernen/wo-deutsch-lernen/00501.en.html
Date: 2008-11-19