New Protocol Agreement In Portuguese

Cambridge was one of the first universities in the UK to offer a degree featuring Portuguese. It has been possible to sit exams in Portuguese at Cambridge since 1926 and undergraduate numbers are pleasingly strong for a language which is hardly studied at school. The subject is set to expand as the result of new provisions recently put in place.

Currently, teaching in Portuguese language, literature, linguistics and culture is conducted by a University-funded Reader in Portuguese, a University-funded Lecturer in Romance Philology (shared with Spanish) and for over fifty years the University has benefited from the services of a Leitor (language teacher) supported by the Instituto Camões of Portugal.

The importance of Portuguese is widely recognised at Cambridge. In recent years the subject has been twice singled out for official praise as one of the university's success stories in the area of Modern Languages, both as regards increasing student numbers and research. The University has identified Portuguese language and culture studies as a priority of the Cambridge 800th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign, and has developed an ambitious strategy for growth in this important area.

The new five-year agreement with the Instituto Camões is a major first step in this enhancement of the provision of Portuguese and brings the two institutions closer together in a combined mission to expand and enrich the provision of Portuguese studies University-wide. A specific part of the fundraising campaign is directed towards the provision of a further full University post in this area. Providing for consolidation in the teaching of Portuguese culture and language at Cambridge this agreement also marks the opportunity to raise awareness of Portuguese in the broader public perception and to build new connections with Portugal, Brazil and the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world beyond the University.

A spokesman for the University of Cambridge said: “We are delighted by this generous and positive agreement and believe it opens the way to a new era for Portuguese studies in Cambridge.”

Simonetta Luz Alfonso, president of the Instituto Camões, said: “The new agreement is an important step in the provision for the teaching of Portuguese Language and Culture in Cambridge, and brings our two institutions together in a joint mission for the expansion and enrichment of Portuguese Studies there.”