|
Spanish, the second most spoken
language in the West
Yenia Silva Correa
Specialists from Colombia, Chile, Canada, Mexico,
Spain and Cuba participated in the 2nd Spanish as a
Foreign Language Conference, organized by the
University of Havana’s Foreign Languages Faculty and
Spanish Department.
Spanish is currently the second most spoken language
in the West in terms of the number of Spanish
speakers and the demand to learn the language, hence
the importance of promoting such meetings between
teachers, researchers and students.
Speaking about the event, Dr. Marta Balado Ottonello
from the University of Nebrija, Spain, stated that
“these conferences enable all teachers and
researchers in the field of Spanish as a Foreign
Language to share their educational experiences and
the results of their investigations. It affords the
University of Havana international positioning as a
prestigious place to come and study Spanish,
providing greater diffusion and improving its
academic and teaching level.”
Dr.
Medardo Montero Cádiz, president of the organizing
committee, shared some evaluations of the event.
How
does this conference strengthen links with other
Latin American universities?
The
2nd conference is a scientific activity which
exceeded our expectations in regards to attendance
and was enriched by the presence of participants
from other countries. Our goal is to organize an
international conference in 2016. At a national
level we have a lot to contribute, since there are
many Spanish as a Foreign Language Centers which
don’t collaborate.
What
did you hope to achieve during the 2nd conference?
To
share experiences. There is a lot of interesting
research which shouldn’t be overlooked. There is
work going on within the University, in other
faculties and centers around the country, including
in the Deaf Association. Each participant was given
a CD of the discussions and we must now take the
steps to put them on the university website, in a
way which makes the information easily accessible
for any type of research.
Anything more to add?
This
opportunity serves to initiate the celebration of 30
years of Spanish courses. The intensive or short
courses for tourists were created January 28, 1985
and are going reach their 30th year.
|
