The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small State in the heart of Europe; it is home to both Luxembourgers who routinely use the three languages Luxembourgish, French and German, and many foreign residents; there is also a large number of cross-border workers. The complexity and the uniqueness of the situation in terms of language resulted, in 1991, in the creation of the ‘Centre de Langues Luxembourg’ (CLL); legislation passed on 22 May 2009 turned this into the ‘Institut National des Langues’ (INL). The INL is a public administration under the authority of the Minister for Education, Children and Youth.
Our missions
As a centre for language learning, the INL:
- provides language courses for adults in order to:
- promote plurilingualism,
- encourage integration and social cohesion,
- improve employability;
- promotes intercultural exchange through use of the languages taught;
- offers adult literacy courses.
As an examination and certification centre, the INL:
- certifies knowledge of the Luxembourgish language in respect of official diplomas and certificates in the Luxembourgish language;
- organises international tests and examinations in foreign languages.
Language teaching
The INL offers classes for adults in eight languages: French – Luxembourgish – English – German – Spanish – Italian – Portuguese – Chinese.
The courses offered comprise:
- general language courses for beginners and for the more advanced;
- courses with a specific objective (e.g. business German, business English, German for lawyers, Italian in the Media);
- training for teachers of Luxembourgish (‘Zertifikat Lëtzebuerger Sprooch a Kultur’ – ZLSK).
In 2014, the INL accepted more than 12,000 registrations from people from 130 different nationalities, and offered more than 55,000 hours of classes.
Language certification
The INL administers international language tests and examinations in conjunction with the Goethe-Institut, Cambridge University, theInstituto Cervantes, the Centre international d’études pédagogiques, theUniversità per Stranieri, Perugia and the Universidade de Lisboa.
- German– Goethe Zertifikat – Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache;
- English – Cambridge English Language Assessment – International English Language Testing System;
- Spanish – Diplomas de Español como lengua extranjera;
- French – Diplôme élémentaire/approfondi de la langue française – Test de Connaissance du Français;
- Italian – Diploma della Lingua Italiana;
- Portuguese – Diploma de Português Língua Estrangeira.
The INL is the national certification centre for official diplomas and certificats in the Luxembourguish language :
- « Lëtzebuergesch als Friemsprooch »;
- « Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch » which must be passed by applicants for Luxembourgish nationality;
- « Zertifikat Lëtzebuerger Sprooch a Kultur” – ZLSK.
Our teaching staff
The INL team comprises more than 120 teachers who specialise in teaching foreign languages to adults: teachers – native-speaker teaching assistants – adult trainers – trainees.
Our locations
The INL currently offers courses in:
- Luxembourg – Glacis: Chinese – English – French – German – Italian – Luxembourgish – Portuguese – Spanish;
- Mersch: English – French – German – Luxembourgish;
- Belval: English – French – German – Luxembourgish – Spanish.