A Week of the Institute of Western European Languages and Literature was opened at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) on May 15. The Week is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of TSU and the 70th anniversary of foundation of the Faculty of Western European Languages (presently the Institute).
“The Institute of Western European Languages and Literature was a special place in the university area,” Rector Giorgi Sharvashidze said. He thanked the representatives of the Institute for spreading European ideas in the country. “Our dialogue with Europe had always passed through the Institute of Western European Languages and Literature and a lot of novelties were introduced with its help. Today, it is a cornerstone of our development and let me express my gratitude to those people, who spare no efforts to protect these values,” he added.
Rector Sharvashidze awarded TSU’s 100th Anniversary Medal to Darejan Siria, the oldest representative of the Institute, who has prepared many generations of English language specialists during her 67-year university career.
“It is a great honor for me to accept this award,” Darejan Siria said. “The Faculty of Western European Languages had been a leading faculty at TSU; a lot of good things were done; love your job and love students,” she noted.
A public lecture was delivered and documentaries about Erekle Tatishvili, one of the founders of the Institute, as well as other famous persons were screened during the event.
A conference “English Philology: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” will be opened within the frames of the Week. The conference will be dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of Meri Iankoshvili, who made a huge contribution to the development of this field. Four main conference sections are: translation studies; lexicography; literary studies and linguistics.
