FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PROFESSION AND SCIENCE – STRANI JEZIK U SAOBRAĆAJNOJ STRUCI I NAUCI

The Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering in Belgrade has a well-established foreign language teaching tradition. Foreign languages were taught in High Traffic School set up in 1950, and continued to be studied at this Faculty up to now. It is of importance to say that the Faculty
was the first among faculties at the University of Belgrade to introduce a four-year language course in 1993, and a one-semester postgraduate programme in English for postgraduates of all departments in 1999.
Today, students choose between English, French, German and Russian, and study Foreign Language 1, 2 as compulsory subjects and Foreign Language 3, 4 as optional subjects, designed as one-semester courses based on the Bologna reform. Master’s students of “Management and Economics in Transport and Communication” module are free to take up one of the four languages, being optional subjects at graduate level.
The majority of language lecturers have created textbooks to help their students develop language and study skills, and prepare written and oral exams. Three textbooks for students studying English are in use now, one textbook for those who study French and one for students studying
Russian. Some members of language teaching staff have published monographs at home, and one professor has two monographs issued abroad apart from monographs printed nationally. Almost all language lecturers have written and published at least several articles, and presented them at conferences or congresses. Only few have chaired conference sessions and delivered lectures, or run seminars and workshops. Most lecturers have contributed to translating specialized texts in different fields of transport and traffic engineering.
To further illustrate foreign language lecturers’ achievements in professional and academic world, one should mention that a great numbe of language lecturers and senior lecturers have received master’s degree,
and that there have been four holders of doctoral degree at the Faculty since its founding, of whom three were promoted to associate professors.
Having all said in mind, the Faculty believes that it is time to have a book which gathers scholars exploring linguistic issues in various fields of transport and traffic engineering profession and science.