Instituto Cervantes

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Logo of the Instituto Cervantes

The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991.^[1] It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature. The Cervantes Institute, a government agency, was modeled on the British Council and the German Goethe Institute, and is the largest organization in the world responsible for promoting the study and the teaching of Spanish language and culture.

This organization has branched out in over twenty different countries with 54 centres devoted to the Spanish and Hispanic American culture and Spanish Language.^[2][3]. The Article 3 of Law 7/1991, created by Institute Cervantes in March 21, explains that the ultimate goals of the Institute Cervantes are to promote the education, the study and the use of Spanish universally as a second language, to support the methods and activities that would help the process of Spanish language education, and to contribute to the advancement of the Spanish and Hispanic American cultures throughout non-Spanish speaking countries[2]. The creation of the Cervantes Institute is viewed as one of the most interesting cultural initiatives[3].

1 What does Cervantes Institute do?
2 Academic Program
3 Administration
4 Centro Virtual Cervantes (Virtual Presence)
5 Centro de Formación de Profesores
6 Free Translator Service
7 Publications
8 Recognition
9 Locations
10 See also
11 Reference (External Link)

[edit] What does Cervantes Institute do?

It designs courses of Spanish language (offers two kinds of courses, general and special).
It offers the examinations of the Diplomas of Spanish as Foreign Language (DELE) on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. It is official qualifications certifying levels of competence in the Spanish Language, and is the only certificate for non-native Spanish speakers that is officially recognized.[4] The exam is subdivided into three different levels, beginner, intermediate, and proficiency.
- Beginner Level: This level certifies the linguistic sufficient proficiency to cope with a range of situations requiring elementary use of the language.^[2][4]
- Intermediate Level: This level certifies the linguistic sufficient proficiency to communication in everyday situations, which do not require a specialized knowledge of the Spanish language. for to be able to cope with the current situations of the daily life, in normal circumstances of communication that do not need a specializing use of the language.^[2][4]
- Proficiency Level: This level certifies the linguistic sufficient competition to communicate in situations requiring advanced use of Spanish and an understanding of Spanish culture.^[2][4]
It improves the methods of Spanish education.
- On-line Spanish language learning environment Ex) AVE (Aula Virtual de Español)[7]
- Creating social, cultural, and educational environment in each center [7]
- A student-centered plan, focusing on the dialogues between teacher and student over objectives and contents[7]
It supports the “Hispanists” or “Hispanismo”, which is the study of Hispanic American and Spain culture.
- Holds the lectures, book presentations, concerts, art exhibitions, The Spain Film Festival and Festival of Flamenco. Supported by other organizations and communities.^[2]
It organizes and promotes the program to spread the Spanish language throughout the world.
- The Institute works with Spain’s national radio and television to deliver Spanish language courses.[7]
- Publications, on-line bibliographies, library holdings, the hosting of major conferences on the state of the Spanish language [7]
It also establishes the libraries and centres.
It also publishes the “Anuario del español” to analyze and report the situation and development of the Spanish language in different places.
It supports the Centro Virtual Cervantes in internet since 1997.

[edit] Academic Program

Plan Curricular de Instituto Cervantes

General language courses are offered at four different levels, elementary, intermediate, advanced and high advanced.^[2]

Improving specific language skills, such as reading, speaking, and writing
Teaching Spanish for specific purposes, such as business, medical, legal, or translation
Learning about the literature and cultures of the Spanish-speaking countries
Preparation for Diplomas of Spanish as Foreign Language

The Cervantes Institute offers comprehensive Spanish Language classes to

Develop the student’s ability to use the language in a variety of contexts, paying special attention to the differences of Spanish accents.
To provide different resources, including Spanish on-line, to improve the instruction.
To allow the students to use any of facilities of Cervantes Institute around the world.
To issue Spanish language diplomas and certificates

[edit] Administration

The administration of the Cervantes Institute is subdivided into three parts.A commitment and interest in planning the activities and direction of the Institute are managed by a high-profile membership.[7]

El Patronato: The Cervantes Institute is overseen by “El Patronato’, which is a governing body. “El Patronato” normally includes the King and the Spanish President on its board, as well as representatives from the world of culture and letters in Spain and in Latin America.[7] It is integrated by the King of Spain Juan Carlos I as the President of Honor. The executive presidency exercises the Secretaries of State, of Education and Science, Culture, the president and vice-president of the Council of Administration, the Director of the Institute, 25 elect members for cultural and the language institutions. It gives the general directions of the activities of the Institute and to inform its annual activities.[7]
El Consejo de Administracion: It is a management body and approves the general plans and projects of the Institute. It consists of representatives from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, Culture and Sport, Treasury, and Home Affairs, as well as from “El Patronato.” This administration is presided by the Secretary of State of International Cooperation and consists of two vice-presidents (Undersecretary of the Science and Education Department and the Undersecretary of the Department of Culture), two advisers of the patronage, and four advisers from the Secretaries of State, Education and Science, Culture and of Economy and Treasury and the Director of the Institute.[7]
El Director: It is named by “Consejo de Ministros”. It is in charge of guiding the direction of the Institute, and other pertinent executive and administrative works.

[edit] Centro Virtual Cervantes (Virtual Presence)

It is an online service that is created in December 1977 by the Institute Cervantes of Spain to contribute to the diffusion of the Spanish language and the Hispanic cultures. It became one of the most important reference sites devoted to Spanish language and culture, having reached an average of over 100,000 visitors a month, including both professionals and the public in general.[8] It offers resources and services to the instructors, the students, the translators, journalists and other professionals related to the Spanish language, and as well as for the Hispanists throughout the world, who study the Spanish culture, and for any person who is interested in the language and Hispanic cultures.^[2] It also includes announcements of cultural events under Actos Culturales, the four discussion forums, each of which focuses on a specific topic, and the language classroom, Aula de Lengua, designed for both teachers and learners of Spanish.[8] Centro Virtual Cervantes

[edit] Centro de Formación de Profesores

On December 13, 2004, the Cervantes Institute formed its El Centro de Formacion de Profesores in central head office of the Institute, located in Alcala de Henares. This administration was founded to encourage the teaching of Spanish as foreign language and to provide the useful resources effectively as much as possible to its members. Throughout the year, it organizes the specific activities and programs for the center,with a several different goals Its goals include realizing the solid functions of teaching, providing the resources to the teachers to use in their education field, and developing specific knowledge of the Spanish language for the education. The Center supports the future teachers of Spanish by starting the Máster of Education of Spanish as Foreign Language, in collaboration with the International University Menéndez Pelayo. For the teachers who are already involved in the teaching field, the Center provides the activities that would be challenging with a deeper knowledge, focusing on the investigation or discussion in the classroom, and promoting the students’ skills in Spanish language to be responsive in any situations.^[2]

[edit] Free Translator Service

The Automatic Translator of the Cervantes Institute, “Portal de las Tecnologías Lingüisticas en España” was developed by the Cervantes Institute in January 10, 2005.^[2][5] It is a free service of machine translation sponsored by Telephone. Since it began to work in 2005, a rate of demand of this service has not stopped to increase until the 55 monthly percent.[5], It has been making more than 582,000 free translations from its beginning until now.[5] Cervantes Institute’s purpose of creating this service was to facilitate the access in Spanish to those contents of the society of the information that are developed in other languages, and that the people who speak other languages can access to the contents that are only available in Spanish.[5] This service allows to translate texts and text files, as well as web pages, from Spanish to the Catalan, French, Galician, English or Portuguese and vice versa.^[2] The pairs of used languages percentages are ordered as following: English-Spanish, 23.47% of the total; Spanish-Catalan, 21,12%; Spanish-English, 13,64%; Portuguese-Spanish, 12,63%; Spanish-Portuguese, 10,39%; Catalan-Spanish, 6,48%; Spanish-French, 6.24%, and French-Spanish, 6,03%.[5]

[edit] Publications

Since 1998 the Instituto Cervantes has published the annual El español en el mundo highlighting the state of Spanish in the world, and current trends. The Instituto has also run the Internet-based Centro Virtual Cervantes since 1997.

[edit] Recognition

In 2005, along with the Alliance française, the Società Dante Alighieri, the British Council, the Goethe-Institut and the Instituto Camões, the Instituto Cervantes was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for outstanding achievements in communications and the humanities.

[edit] Locations

The Instituto Cervantes operates Centros Cervantes (full-fledged centres) and Aulas Cervantes (smaller "lecture halls") as well as a network of associated institutions. Its locations can be found: