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Centre for Foreign Languages

Centre For Foreign Languages

Centre for Foreign Languages

In the present globalized world, learning of foreign languages is becoming more and more relevant. The burgeoning businesses transcend borders and there is incessant arrival and departure of businessmen, academics, tourists across countries. All this means greater importance of learning of foreign languages. Experts in foreign languages are not only sought after by corporates, travel agencies and teaching institutions, but also by government organs like tourism department, foreign office, defence and intelligence wings.

The Centre for Foreign Languages at O.P. Jindal Global University is an excellence-based centre with the purpose of teaching foreign languages to university students in India. Doing justice to its name, JGU offers its students, through the CFL, the means to achieve a global presence, understand the world’s diversity and participate directly in the present era of globalisation. Using modern pedagogical tools to facilitate the students’ experience with the world’s major languages, we aim to build a community of learning, where students are encouraged to access not only classroom materials, but also a number of language-related events, as well as audio, video, and computer tools and a rich variety of cultural material to both acquaint themselves with the tradition and culture represented by each language. Besides, it imparts them the skills and knowledge necessary for their own career and academic goals including participation in study abroad programs, etc., all of this with the expert guidance of our experienced teachers.

Teaching pedagogy

The CFL endorses and uses pedagogical approaches geared towards the acquisition of language proficiency skills which include listening, speaking, reading, writing and understanding, in line with inter­national standards as stipulated by the European Framework of Re­ference (CEFR). Students’ specific goals related to business, academics and research are also taken into account in the material of the courses that they undertake. The CFL faculty goes all out to support their endeavours towards the achievement of their goalposts.

Our goals and activities

The CFL currently teaches language courses in French, Spanish and German at the beginner (A1, A2) level in undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes across various schools at JGU. We intend to expand such courses (by adding more languages and/or more specific skill-oriented classes) in the near future. The language lab provides basic knowledge of Russian and Arabic also in self-learning mode.

The CFL also organizes and conducts workshops, conferences, guest presentations and similar events on, or related to, the languages currently being taught. Also cultural events like film festivals, exhibitions, poetry recitations, dance and music festivals led by native speakers,  etc., often in col­labora­tion with outside entities such as embassies or other government organs of countries where our target languages are spoken. Participa­tion is open not only to those enrolled in CFL language courses, but also to those interested in discov­ering more about language learning and the possibilities and opportuni­ties associated with each language and each country (student exchange programmes, business partner­ships, academic collaboration, etc).

Centre Coordinator:

Dr Shruti Jain
Associate Professor
Email: shruti@jgu.edu.in

Spanish:
Spanish Levels 1 to 8 (A1 to A2)

French:
French Levels 1 to 8 (A1 to A2)

German:
German Levels 1 to 8 (A1 to A2)

Dr. Neha Tyagi
neha@jgu.edu.in

Dr. Neha Tyagi is a specialist in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. She has a PhD in Hispanic Studies from the Department of Germanic & Romance Studies at the University of Delhi, India. She has been teaching Spanish at the university level for more than ten years. Her primary focus is on Spanish language, culture, and instructional methodologies. Additionally, she is a researcher with a particular interest in contemporary Latin American literature and queer politics. She has presented her research at international conferences in Germany and throughout India and has published her research in renowned journals. Her academic interests include teaching Spanish as a foreign language, Translation Studies, Latin American literature and culture, Hispanic Trans literature, and Queer Studies.

Mr. Mohammad Jilani  
mjilani@jgu.edu.in

Mr. Mohammad Jilani is an Associate Professor of Practice in Spanish and serves as the faculty coordinator for the STSAP at the University of Granada, Spain. With B.A., M.A., and M.Phil. degrees from the University of Delhi, along with a Master’s degree in Spanish language teaching from the University of Granada, he brings over 14 years of experience in teaching, research, and consulting. He has also done courses on Empezando a enseñar español de negocios: Cuestiones metodológicas e interdisciplinares from Instituto Cervantes and University of Granada, Spain. He has taught at the University of Granada, University of Delhi, and Bharatiya Vidyapeeth University, Mr. Jilani is an advisory board member of the Academy of Foreign Language and Cultural Co-operative at Magadh University, Bodhgaya Bihar. His research focuses on intercultural competency, Integration of technology and audio-visual aids in Spanish language teaching, and Spanish for business. He actively participates in international conferences and has published numerous research papers. Mr. Jilani organizes Short Term Study Abroad programs at the University of Granada, Spain, fostering cultural immersion experiences during summer and winter breaks. He also coordinates cultural events such as Salsa and Tango workshops for students at JGU.

Ms. Deepika Teckchandani
dteckchandani@jgu.edu.in

Ms. Deepika Teckchandani is a lecturer of Spanish at Centre for Foreign Languages, OEFL. She is currently pursuing PhD in Hispanic Studies from the Department of Germanic & Romance Studies, University of Delhi, India. Her research focuses on comic strips, verbal humor and irony and Latin American popular culture.

She has also done an M. Phil and Masters from the University of Delhi. She has over ten years of experience in teaching Spanish language and culture to undergraduates at the University of Delhi. She has presented her research work at international conferences in Spain, Berlin, and Delhi. She was awarded the University gold medal for being the best candidate in B.A. (Hons.) & M.A. examination in Hispanic Studies. In 2011, she also qualified for the Junior Research Fellowship grant of UGC. She was recipient of a scholarship from International Research Training Group (IRTG) “Between Spaces” of FU-Berlin in 2013. Her paper on comic strips has been published in Praxis International Journal of Social Science and Literature.

Dr. Navreeti Sharma
navreeti@jgu.edu.in

Dr. Navreeti Sharma is currently an Assistant Professor of French at O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana. She has also taught in various colleges under the University of Delhi and in various prestigious institutions. She has more than 15 years of rich experience in teaching French language, literature and translation. She has designed and taught courses such as: French for business and marketing, French for tourism. She has done her M. Phil and Ph.D. (French) from University of Delhi. She also been awarded various scholarships under Delhi University & Paul- Valéry Montpellier 3 University exchange program, and went to France for her studies, research, and faculty development programs.

Her area of research/ interest involves Francophone Postcolonial Studies, Subaltern Studies, Translation, Language teaching and learning. She has presented papers at various conferences and has published papers in some of the reputed journals, including testimonies in Springer. She has done on-site interpretation during international cultural events. She has also organized and conducted various workshops and events for students and faculties learning French at different levels.

Ms. Shilpa Gupta
shilpa@jgu.edu.in

Ms. Shilpa Gupta, an Associate Professor of Practice, possesses 21 years of teaching expertise in French across diverse proficiency levels. Prior to joining O.P. Jindal Global University, she taught at esteemed institutions like Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Hansraj College, Daulat Ram College, Swami Shraddhanand College (affiliated with Delhi University), and Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Management & Research, Delhi (affiliated with Bharti Vidyapeeth University, Pune).
Holding dual Masters degrees in French Literature and Science from Delhi University, Ms. Gupta is currently pursuing her PhD. Her research interests include language learning in Indian classrooms, comparative linguistics, didactics, and the application of French in business studies, particularly advertising. She received scholarships from the French embassy and University of Delhi for teachers’ training programs at CLA, Centre de Linguistique Appliqué, Grenoble, France, and Université Franche Comté, Besançon, France. Additionally, she holds certifications from Alliance Française de Delhi.

Engaged in professional development, Ms. Gupta actively participated in national and international training sessions, seminars, workshops, and conferences. She has presented papers at numerous national and international conferences and contributed to prestigious academic journals. Serving as a French evaluator at MIT World Peace University, Pune, she also serves on interview committees and judging panels for reputed schools in Delhi and the Indian Association of Teachers of French (IATF). Beyond academia, Ms. Gupta, a trained classical dancer, passionately dedicates her spare time to philanthropic activities, educating underprivileged children as part of the “Each One Teach One” initiative by the government of India.

Dr. Shruti Jain
shruti@jgu.edu.in

Dr. Shruti Jain is an Associate Professor of German Language, Literature and Culture and Coordinator, Centre for Foreign Languages, Office of English & Foreign Languages, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. She completed her PhD at the Centre of German Studies, JNU, New Delhi. In her PhD thesis she dealt with the Indian reception of Friedrich Nietzsche. Her areas of interest are Language teaching, Literary theory, Religion, Philosophy and Indo-German cultural dialogue. During her PhD, she received a scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and visited the Humboldt University of Berlin from 2007 to 2008. Dr. Jain has been working as a Teacher of German as a Foreign Language since 2002. She pursued her teacher’s training at Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune and at the Goethe Institutes, Berlin and Munich. She has delivered lectures at various Indian universities and conducted teacher training workshops for school and university teachers, presented papers at international conferences and published articles in diverse fields ranging from Cultural Studies to Teaching German as a Foreign Language. In the year 2023, she was awarded the prestigious IDV (Der Internationale Deutschlehrerinnen- und Deutschlehrerverband e.V.) scholarship for pursuing an in-service training (Fortbildung für DACH- Multiplikator:innen) sponsored by the Education ministries of Germany (D), Austria (A) and Switzerland (CH).

Dr. Sérgio Meira de Santa Cruz Oliveira
sergiomdsc.oliveira@jgu.edu.in

Dr. Sérgio Meira de Santa Cruz Oliveira is a Professor of Languages and Linguistics at O. P. Jindal Global University, with an M. A. and a Ph. D. on Descriptive Linguistics from Rice University (Houston, Texas, USA) and 2-year postdoctoral work at the Max=Planck-Institut für Psycholinguistik in Nijmegen (Nimwegen), The Netherlands. He has taught languages and linguistics at various universities (among which Rice University in Texas, Leiden University in the Netherlands, the Universidade de São Paulo and the Universidade Federal de Roraima in Brazil). His research includes extensive fieldwork in the Amazon region of lowland South America among groups of speakers of Cariban, Tupian, and Arawakan languages, on the basis of which he has written over 15 scholarly papers and 2 books. His research concerns mostly historical and descriptive linguistics, with special attention to the history of Cariban and Tupian languages, as well as the pedagogy and practice of second language teaching. He has also taught courses on these languages and has developed materials for teaching them to non-speakers, as well as a comparative database with lexical and grammatical information on these language families.

Spanish
  • Collaboration with the Centro de Lenguas Modernas of the University of Granada in Spain
  • Conducted Short term (Summer/Winter) study program abroad in Spanish language, culture and literature at the University of Granada, Spain
  • On Sept. 20, 2022, a lecture by Dr. Sérgio Meira de Santa Cruz Oliveira on Spanish and the Languages of the Amazon. April 27, 2022–Hispanic Night: A cultural night, inolving various activities with Spanish students (singing, dancing, and a quiz).
  • On March 1, 2021, Interactive session: Las lenguas abren las puertas (Languages open doors) with active participation from our Spanish students was held. Keynote speaker: Esteban Cichello Hubner (author and Spanish teacher, Oxford University)
  • On Oct. 11, 2020, webinar was held on Teaching and Learning Spanish in India with Dr. Óscar Pujol Riembau (Director of Instituto Cer­vantes, New Delhi) and Pedro Serrano Navarro (Head of Studies, Instituto Cervantes, New Delhi).
  • On Oct. 5, 2020, a virtual guest lecture on Las Fiestas en España (Festivals in Spain), by Prof. Cristina Lostado (CLM University of Gra­nada, Spain), on the rich culture of festivities and religious ce­lebration in Spain and its contemporary changes.
French:
  • Online lecture: Opportunities in France
  • Collaboration with the IFI (Institut Français India / French Institute in India), July 2021 to the present.
  • Interactive online session: Virtual Choose France Tour Session, Feb. 2021.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv6iEJ1uOJ4

  • French movie screenings, discussion with students held in 2021-22.

  • Online public lecture on Francophonie Day (March 2021): Fran­cophony world – Experiences and Opportunities in the French-Speaking World.
  • Online public lecture on Francophony Day, in a hybrid mode (March 2022): Come, Let’s Celebrate la Francophonie.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av74u6XKhU8

  • Online interactive session: Effective techniques to improve your French (April 2022).
  • Cultural interaction session: Travel to Nantes with Clémence (Sep. 2022).

  • French language workshop for beginners (Nov. 2022)
German:
  • Jindal German Summer/Winter School
  • Große Mittag der Studentenaufführungen

  • Public lecture on “Germany in the Global Economy: A Social Sciences Approach to Understanding an Economic Giant” (26-08-2019), by Dr. Tushar Chaudhuri, Dept. of Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University.
  • Lectures on “Nazi Persecution of the Jews” and “Germany: Po­litical and Cultural Transformations” (25-09-2019), by Dr. Rohee Dasgupta (JSIA)
  • First Jindal German Summer School (JGrSS, June/July 2019)

  • First International Foreign Language Conference, organized with other CFL members (December 2019)

Self-learning Facility

The Global Languages Lab functioning at T4M85 West Side provides self-learning software for French, Spanish, German, Russian and Arabic languages. The facility is open without any charge for students and staff of JGU on all week days and timing. The following is the detail of the programs loaded on the systems:

IconFull Title of ApplicationFor Learning
PronounceSanako PronouncePronunciation of words and phrases in English, Spanish, French and German languages
UtalkUtalkRussian and Arabic* languages (*Available in front row machines only)

For User Manuals, please click on User Manuals
Mr. Umesh Kumar is the lab attendant posted in the Centre. For any problem, he can be contacted at ukumar@jgu.edu.in (Phone 97171 45076).

Faculty Coordinator (Global Languages Lab): Prof. Dr. Sergio Meira de Santa Cruz Oleviera, Professor.