Tennessee Foreign Language Institute
The Tennessee Language Center (TLC), formerly known as the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute (TFLI), is an agency of the University of Tennessee's Institute for Public Service. Originally created as an agency of the State of Tennessee in 1986, TLC provides language classes, language teacher training and certification, and interpretation and translation services.
Formation | 1986 |
---|---|
Type | Governmental |
Purpose | Teaching and learning of languages |
Location | |
Coordinates | 36.19317°N 86.795425°W |
Website | tfli |
Formerly called | Tennessee Foreign Language Institute |
TLC (formerly TFLI) was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1986 to promote the learning and teaching of foreign languages.[1] [2] It is the only state-government-supported organization of its kind.
TLC, which is located in Nashville, has four major departments: English as a Second Language, World Languages, Curriculum and Training, and Interpretation and Translation Services.
Governance
The legislation that established TLC (formerly TFLI) (Tennessee Code Annotated 49-50-1303) called for its governing board to consist of the state commissioners of economic and community development and tourist development or their designees; the commissioner of education; the chancellor of the state university and community college system or a designee; the President of the University of Tennessee or a designee; the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission; and three other persons appointed by the Governor.
Purpose
The official goals of the Tennessee Language Center can be found in the legislative mandate in the Tennessee Code Annotated. The legislation outlines the purposes of TLC, "which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Coordination and provision of foreign language skills needed by state government for purposes of industrial recruitment, tourist development or any other state purpose;
- Original research into the most effective methods of foreign language instruction and the dissemination of such knowledge;
- Improvement of the language skills and teaching methods of foreign language instructors at all levels in the schools, colleges and universities of Tennessee; and
- Coordination and provision of foreign language instruction to the citizens of Tennessee."
Finances
Fees for services are a major source of funding for TLC. State appropriations, which totaled $349,100 in 2009-10, provide about 20% of its budget. Additional funds come from grants and donations.[3]
Sources
- Cabbies' English skills targeted, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - March 10, 2008
- News of note in Williamson County, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - September 17, 2007
- People in business, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - September 9, 2007
- Push for English-only driver's test stirs debate, Greenville (SC) News, The - July 30, 2007
- EXECUTIVE Q&A. DAVID BEREZOV, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - June 10, 2007
- Immersion programs: Local opportunities, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - February 6, 2007
- Starbucks brewing at MetroCenter, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - August 4, 2006
- PEOPLE IN BUSINESS, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - July 23, 2006
- EDUCATION NOTEBOOK, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - July 3, 2006
- PEOPLE IN BUSINESS, Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) - June 11, 2006
References
- "Education-Related Programs" (PDF). Tennessee Blue Book 2007-2008. p. 188.
- Title 49 Education Chapter 50 Miscellaneous Part 13 Tennessee Foreign Language Institute Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-50-1301 (2011) 49-50-1301. Establishment. There is established a Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. HISTORY: Acts 1986, ch. 801, § 1. Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-50-1301
- "How is TFLI Funded?" (PDF). Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.