Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

Introduction

The TAFL Center is a high-quality and affordable teaching Arabic language center at Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt. Our TAFL Center is located in the beautiful city of Kafrelsheikh. We make it easy for students to enroll in any of our classes because of our flexible admission system. You can study here with a tourist visa or student visa.
Our goal is to teach Arabic Language for non-Arabic speakers in order to assist them during their everyday life. The Course includes several levels, after which the learner
will be able to use the Arabic language for talking, writing, and understanding.
The TAFL Center enables students to understand and speak Arabic from a basic to an advanced level. If you are a person who wants to come to Egypt to study Arabic from native speakers or want to study Arabic for any other reason, we are the right choice.
At the TAFL Center, we offer a wide variety of courses including, ASP (Arabic for Specific Purposes), Classical Arabic, Arabic Grammar, Quranic Arabic, MSA (Modern Standard Arabic), Colloquial Arabic, Arabic Media and Cultural Texts and
much more. These Arabic language courses guarantee a comprehensive and flexible teaching method via morning and afternoon courses. The language courses that we offer at the TAFL Center are designed to allow students to socialize, interact and work together. Our Arabic language courses provide a multicultural and diverse environment; students will enjoy our location in the heart of the Egyptian Nile Delta.
Want to know more about Kafrelsheikh University TAFL Center? Please take a few minutes to look around the site for more information about us. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the TAFL Center.

Objectives:

1. Teaching Arabic language and literature to non-Arabic speakers regardless of their aims, ages or races.
2. Disseminating Arabic language outside its national borders.
3. Introducing the Arab and Islamic Civilization, and the great Egyptian Civilization.
4. Strengthening the cultural and scientific ties through cooperating with local and global research foundations that offer similar services in order to develop the teaching methodology and meet the needs of Arabic learners.
5. Graduating skillful students with a fully operational command of Arabic language

Vision:

The TAFL Center (Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language) aims at achieving international status as a major institute for teaching Arabic language and culture to learners from all over the world, It also seeks to play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the Arab World and other cultures by disseminating Arabic language in all the non-Arabic speaking countries and introducing the culture, identity and the real face of the Arab World to the other.

Mission:

The mission of the TAFL Center is to teach Arabic language to all interested learners from the non- Arabic speaking countries through different effective teaching strategies; using the most updated Arabic language teaching methodologies. By the end of our educational programs and courses, our students skillfully acquire Arabic Language and master its basic skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Semesters:

1. Courses are offered three times a year: Fall, Spring and Summer.
2. Courses are 2 hours/week each.
3. Fall and spring courses run for 12 weeks. Summer courses are 6 weeks.
4. Courses can be taught to students who speak English, French, Spanish and/or Chinese.
5. Courses for specific purposes: The TAFL Center offers courses especially designed to fulfill the academic and professional needs of learners. The time frame and course content would be agreed upon with the group of learners and/or their institution.

Courses:

TAFL courses are divided into two categories:

I. Language:
1) Modern Standard Arabic 1
2) Modern Standard Arabic 2
3) Modern Standard Arabic 3
4) Colloquial Arabic 1
5) Colloquial Arabic 2
6) Translation 1
7) Translation 2
8) Simultaneous Interpretation 1
9) Simultaneous Interpretation 2

II. Culture:
1) Media 1
2) Media 2
3) Modern Arabic Literature 1
4) Modern Arabic Literature 2
5) Arabic and Islamic History and Culture

Course Description: I. Language:
1) Modern Standard Arabic 1:
The course introduces basic vocabulary and simple sentence structure to beginners, with the focus on pronouncing Arabic sounds, as well as reading and writing Arabic alphabet.

2) Modern Standard Arabic 2:
The course is designed for a pre-intermediate to intermediate level. Students learn longer sentence structure, read longer texts, and attempt longer conversation and basic grammatical concepts.

3) Modern Standard Arabic 3:
The course is designed to upper-intermediate to advanced level. Students learn complex sentence structure, read authentic texts and write on paragraph level.

4) Colloquial Arabic 1:
Students learn Egyptian colloquial Arabic at a functional level to enable them to communicate for everyday purposes.

5) Colloquial Arabic 2:
Students learn Egyptian colloquial at a deeper level to enable them to follow media and actively engage in conversation. Different dialects maybe introduced at this level.

6) Translation 1:
The course introduces students to structural differences between Arabic and their language by translating authentic texts from various registers from and into their language.

7) Translation 2:
Students translated more complex texts, including literary texts and current affairs, focusing on stylistic aspects.

8) Simultaneous Interpretation 1:
The course introduces students to translating in one-on-one situations such as press conferences and meetings, applying basics of consecutive and simultaneous interpretation.

9) Simultaneous Interpretation 2:
Students are trained to translate for longer periods and in more complex conditions such as conferences and lectures, using advanced techniques of interpretation.

 

II. Culture:

1) Media 1:
Students are exposed to written and audio-visual media, such as newspapers and television news, at a functional level to assimilate authentic language production

2) Media 2:
Students are exposed to more advanced written and audio-visual media, such as magazines, soap operas and movies, to achieve better understanding of contemporary Arabic.

3) Arabic Literature 1:
The course introduces students to modern Arabic literature in order to provide them with a solid cultural background and improve their reading and writing skills.
Texts are authentic short stories and short poems.

4) Arabic Literature 2:
Students read longer and more advanced literary texts and are required to write response papers after each text. Texts include short stories, extracts from novels or plays and longer poems.

5) Arabic and Islamic History and Culture:
The course familiarizes students with Arabic and Islamic culture through a brief overview of the cultural, political and social history of the Middle East, focusing on major historical and cultural events and figures.

Courses for specific purposes:

The TAFL Center offers courses especially designed to fulfill the academic and professional needs of learners. The time frame and course content would be agreed upon with the group of learners and/or their institution.

Intensive Arabic Language Courses

The TAFL Center intensive Arabic language courses are special and give a greater emphasis in succeeding in learning Arabic in a very short time. We recommend such special courses for those who need to learn Arabic for their jobs or study in an efficient way. The Intensive Arabic Languages Courses are divided into three categories: 1 Month; 2 Months; and 3 Months.

Fees

ASP (Arabic for Specific Purposes)

The TAFL Center offers courses especially designed to fulfill the academic and professional needs of learners. The time frame and course content would be agreed upon with the group of learners and/or their institution.

Levels of Study

All students who wish to study Arabic at the TAFL Center are required to take a written language placement test as well as undergo one-on-one oral assessment with an instructor after which every student will be placed according to his/her actual language level. The TAFL Center is committed to making sure that students are placed into a class that is appropriate to their level so that their study of Arabic can be both productive and enjoyable. We have, therefore, matched the attainment levels of our students at the end of these courses against the most widely accepted external framework in languages, namely the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Levels of study are divided as follows:

Elementary Level:

Students at this level have a basic or absolutely no command of the language needed in a range of familiar situations.
· The classes at this level can help students to learn the basics in Arabic. There is a focus on learning the most important grammar and vocabulary.

Intermediate Level:

Students at this level have limited but effective command of the language in familiar situations, e.g. can take part in a routine meeting on familiar topics, particularly in an exchange of simple factual information. Students at this level may have studied Arabic before, but did not have much opportunity to practice it in an Arabic-speaking country.
· The classes at this level can help to consolidate and develop students’ ability in using Arabic.

Advanced Level:

Students at this level usually have a good operational command of the language in a wide range of real world situations, e.g. can participate effectively in discussions and meetings. Students at this level may have been studying Arabic for a period of time.
· The classes at this level usually prepare students to invariably have a fully operational command of the language at a high level in most situations, e.g. to be able to argue a case confidently and in a persuasive way.

Facilities:

Classrooms:

All TAFL classrooms are well equipped with audio-visual facilities like sound systems, Internet access, projectors etc. The language lab is also well equipped with relevant packages, which enables students to interact fully during the teaching process. All classrooms are air-conditioned.

Library:

TAFL Center’s students have access to the library of the Faculty of Arts, Kafrelsheikh University, which
is a treasure house of knowledge and information.

Housing:

The TAFL Center provides free accommodation for students who wish to live in Kafrelsheikh University residences, located in Kafrelsheikh. The residences offer many facilities including a computer lab, with high speed internet access, study room, reading room, as well as TV with satellite channels. Free housekeeping services and laundry of bed linens are provided. There is also 24-hour security and a part- time clinic staffed by a physician.

Food Services:

The TAFL Center provides free meals for students who wish to eat in the restaurants of Kafrelsheikh
University residences.

Official Formalities:

The TAFL Centre will be responsible for arranging Residence Permits and any other formalities required by the Egyptian Government. Please note that the Residence Permit is issued only for the duration of your study at the TAFL Center. If, for any reason, you want to extend your Residence Permit, kindly note that you will be responsible for arranging your own extension.

Cultural activities in Kafr ElSheikh

We have a special list of videos at the center in Kafrelsheikh to enable each participant to get accounted with Egypt, its population, its civilization and the Arab world as well. We have a good number of documentary films and Arabic films. At the beginning of each course we inform those interested about the dates the films will be shown.
After the daily Arabic classes, you will have enough time to get acquainted with the country and its people. This gives you the chance to apply the language in practice.
You can, for instance, visit the Student Services Center, the heart of campus activity.! Our mission is to provide you with a comfortable facility that meets your recreational, relaxation, dining, programming,
Sport clubs and meeting needs. On weekend’s short trips to Cairo, Alexandria or other cities are an
interesting change. We have a Guest House in Cairo Please ask for information in the administration office.

Language - Certificate

At the end of each course, the participant receives a certificate for his/her participation in the Arabic
courses in Kafrelsheikh, indicating the level and duration of the attended courses. It is certified by the
Ministry of Education.