The 30th\nPortuguese Language Summer Course, organised by the University of Macau (UM)\nDepartment of Portuguese, ended with great success. <\/p>
This year\u2019s course attracted\napproximately 400 students from around the world. During the three-week\nintensive training, participants spent time with over a dozen experienced\nPortuguese instructors every day and communicated with the instructors in\nPortuguese. Some participants said the course not only helped them learn more\nabout the Portuguese language and the cultures of Portuguese-speaking\ncountries, but also boosted their confidence when communicating in English.<\/p>
Launched in 1986, the\nPortuguese Language Summer Course aims to train bilingual students and to\npromote the Portuguese language and culture, through well-designed courses\nconducted by experienced instructors, tailor-made to suit the different levels\nof different students. This year\u2019s course attracted students from the United\nKingdom, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor,\nAustralia, mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong, and other parts of the world.<\/p>
According to the course\ncoordinator, Prof Ana Nunes, this year\u2019s course was focused on improving the\nparticipants\u2019 knowledge of the history and culture of Macao. In addition to the\nfour levels offered in the previous years, namely the beginner\u2019s level, the\nbasic level, the intermediate level, and the advanced level, this year\u2019s course\nalso introduced a new level, the superior level. A class in translation between\nChinese and Portuguese was also offered for the first time. Various activities,\nincluding visits to local museums and the Historical Centre of Macao,\nPortuguese folk dance, and choral singing, were organised to help participants\nlearn more about the linguistic, historical, and cultural aspects of Macao and\nPortugal. Prof Nunes said this year saw the highest satisfaction rate among the\nparticipants.<\/p>
At the closing ceremony,\nstudents showcased what they had learned from the course, with some delivering\na speech in Portuguese and others giving dance and singing performances. Jose\nCampos, in the beginner\u2019s level class, is a Chinese Portuguese who grew up in a\nChinese environment. \u2018I participated in the course with the hope of learning\nthe Portuguese language and culture,\u2019 he said. Another participant, Pasky Ho\nfrom Hong Kong who was in the intermediate level class, said the course\nprovides a perfect platform to learn the Portuguese language. \u2018Earlier I\nvisited Brazil and that experience made me develop a strong interest in the\nPortuguese language. We don\u2019t really have the kind of language environment in\nHong Kong that is conducive to learning Portuguese, so I chose the Portuguese\ndepartment at UM for further studies,\u2019 he says. \u2018The Portuguese Language Summer\nCourse offered by UM is very famous,\u2019 says Amado from East Timor. \u2018The course\nprovides a very good opportunity to learn more about the cultures of Macao and\nPortugal. I\u2019ll definitely recommend this course to my friends.\u2019<\/p>
Over the past 30 years, the\nPortuguese Language Summer Course has trained many bilingual professionals for\nMacao and many other regions and countries. This year\u2019s course received support\nfrom government departments, including the Tertiary Education Services Office\nand the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, as well as private institutions.<\/p>
Source: Faculty of Arts and Humanities
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Media Contact Information:<\/p>
Communications Office, University of Macau<\/p>
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