About us

The Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language (CSDTJ) is the leading international institution dedicated to the comprehensive study and promotion of Slovene as a second and foreign language.

It operates within the Department of Slovene Studies at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Arts. It was established in 1992, and its oldest component, the Seminar of Slovene Language, Literature, and Culture, goes back to 1965.

The centre is an educational, research, development, and consulting organisation. Through its diverse activities, it maintains ongoing contact with users from various parts of the world, ranging from children, adolescents, and university students to adults that use Slovene as a second or foreign language or engage with it professionally or in other ways. Specifically, it:

  • Conducts research on Slovene as a second and foreign language;
  • Develops methodologies for its teaching and testing;
  • Teaches Slovene in Slovenia and at universities around the world and also conducts testing;
  • Provides training for teachers of Slovene as a second and foreign language and examiners;
  • Connects Slovene language specialists worldwide;
  • Holds conferences and cultural events in Slovenia and at universities across the globe;
  • Prepares and publishes teaching materials, guidelines, and curricula, and produces scholarly publications;
  • Advises various institutions and decision-makers in Slovenia and abroad;
  • Participates in the international Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) and national working groups and professional committees for developing systemic solutions related to Slovene as a second and foreign language;
  • Manages and implements Slovene and international projects.

The centre’s activities are of national importance. They are carried out in accordance with the officially recognised programme of Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language. These activities are cofinanced by the Slovene Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation (and through it, the University of Ljubljana), the Slovene Ministry of Education, the Government Office for Slovenes Abroad, and other institutions. A large part of the activities are financed by market-based funding, as well as from public tenders and projects.