Problems of foreign language teaching within the training of special librarians in Hungary

Abstract

The training of special librarians ongaged in the field of science and technology is conducted by the Hungarian Central Technical Library and Documentation Centre. The curriculum of the two-and-a-half years training course for speeial librarians reflects two purposes: first, training in the theory and practice required to perform satisfactorily the tasks of a special librarian and, second, to provide basic technological knowledge for the librarians employed in the six industrial ministries to which the library network of the industrial establishment and industrial research institutions belong (heavy industry, metallurgy and engineering, light industry, food industry, building industry and transport).
The training course is intended to ensure the possibility of a differentiation in language teaching as well, since for the practising librarians the knowledge of the language used in the corresponding technological field is of a greater importance, than the knowledge of the terminology of librarianship and informstion. This standpoint is also borne out by the circumstance that our domestic organs dealing with the methodics of this profession are publishing adequate material for librarians in their own mother tongue.
The courses offer the chioce in the following four languages: English, Russian, French and German.
Since the 150 hours of training during the five semesters are usually not sufficient to transfer the knowledge required for a medium degree language examination, the organization of extension courses would be necessary. The author suggests for the extension training of information experts (librarians, documentalists, speeial tranlators) the use of language-teaching machines, fixing the length of the courses in 12 month with 460 hours of instuition.