Department of French

Created in 1987, the Department of French, Pondicherry University, aims to promote French and Francophone Studies as well as Translation Studies in India at the Post-Graduate, M. Phil. & Doctorate levels, thus enhancing the historical links Puducherry has had with France, and renewing the bilateral ties and cultural dialogues with the Francophone countries. The Master’s Degree in French Translation & Interpretation trains the students for successful jobs like translators, interpreters, teachers, lecturers and corporate executives. The French Dept. has a 100% placement, and its former students are well placed, mostly as Language Specialists in the corporate world in reputed companies such as Renault – Nissan, Cognizant, TCS, and Infosys, or banks like HSBC and Deustche Bank. With the M.O.U. signed with Grenoble University in France, the University of La Réunion and Cologne University, the exchange of students and Faculty has been
concretized. Every year, the French Embassy, New Delhi, selects students from the French Dept. to teach English in various regions of France for a period of seven months. The number of students has been steadily increasing, and from 26 in 2009, this year saw 43 joining the Master’s Programme in the French Dept., including a foreign student from Cameroon ( Africa ).

The Faculty have undergone specialized training at various Universities in France, and attended conferences abroad. They have also been awarded several Fellowships from the French Government and the UGC. They have several credits to their name, amongst which many Tamil translations of French texts, the First French – Hindi Dictionary published by Orient Blackswan, and participation in the International Finals at Paris of a French TV Quiz, “Questions Pour Un Champion -- Spéciale Langue Française” ( 1995 ), and the famous “Dictée Bernard Pivot” (2000 ). Many International and National Conferences have been organized by the French Dept., such as the recent International Colloquiums on the Indian Diaspora in the Islands of the Indian Ocean in January 2010, and on Quebec Studies in February 2010.

From April 2009, the UGC – Special Assistance Programme ( SAP ) was granted to the Department of French, one of the first in French to get the SAP. An amount of Rs. 44 Lakhs was sanctioned for a 5 – Year Project, under SAP, which will undertake to translate with pertinent annotations rare French documents pertaining to the historical links between France and Puducherry, specially during the colonised period.

The first Head of the Dept. in 1987 was Prof. Dr. R. Kichenamourty, who is still working in the Dept. as UGC Professor Emeritus. The French Dept. is presently headed by Prof. Dr. Nalini J. Thampi.