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French for Reading Knowledge
Learn how to read French-language texts at an advanced level.
- On-campus semester course (noncredit)
- On-campus semester course (credit)
- Graduate school examination
- How to register
- Contact information
On-campus semester course (noncredit)
Every semester you can work on your French-language reading ability in a classroom setting on the UW-Madison campus. Learn to read French for graduate school requirements, genealogical research, or personal interest. This 31-hour course includes a complete grammar study and lively classroom translation practice and has successfully prepared many students for the French for Reading Knowledge Exam.
A reader for the course is available for purchase on the first day of class. This course is taught by Dr. Sage Goellner, who holds a Ph.D. in French literature from UW-Madison and has helped many students achieve their goals in learning French. This noncredit course is quite affordable for graduate student budgets. For schedule and registration information consult the Division of Continuing Studies course catalog.
On-campus semester course (credit)
If you are an enrolled degree student at UW-Madison, you may also consider taking French 391 from the UW-Madison Department of French and Italian during regular semester sessions. For more information on this course, please contact the UW-Madison Department of French and Italian.
Graduate school examination
Learn about the Graduate school examination.
How to register
Call 608-262-2451, 7:00 am-4:00 pm, M-F. Specific program number and link to the mail-in registration form, or to register online, can be found in the continuing education catalog.
Contact information
If this Web page does not answer all of your questions about UW-Madison's French for Reading Knowledge program, feel free to contact us:
- Madison-area registration questions: 608-262-2451.
- UW-Madison Continuing Studies in French coordinator Sage Goellner: sgoellner@dcs.wisc.edu or 608-262-4873.
- The UW-Madison Department of French and Italian is a separate unit, not part of Continuing Studies.
- Review frequently asked questions about language programs.
Thank you for your interest in learning French! A bientôt!
Register online, by phone at 608-262-2451, or in person at 139 Pyle Center at least seven days in advance of your desired exam date.
Once you have registered and paid for the exam, please contact the exam proctor or call 608-262-7389 to schedule your exam. You will take your exam on the 7th floor of the Welcome Center, located at 21 N Park St., Madison.
When you take the exam you are given one hour to read and translate approximately one page of French prose. The text selected will be generally compatible with your graduate degree program. You are permitted to use a French-English dictionary which you must provide, and one additional dictionary to aid in writing English - such as non-native English speakers may desire to use. Handwritten notes about French grammar written in one's dictionary are permissible, but additional materials are not. You will write your translation in a blue book which the proctor provides for you. You are given one hour from the time of first seeing the text to handing in your translation.
Your reading ability is measured by the percentage of the text which you translate accurately and coherently. Your translation will be rated with one of these three results:
- Advanced (mastery of tense, idiom, vocabulary)
- Adequate (use of language as research tool)
- Inadequate (cannot translate basic meanings of the text)
For the exact requirements you need to fulfill, please contact your academic department. Each UW-Madison graduate program determines its own standards for reading knowledge requirements. After you have taken the exam, please contact the exam proctor to receive your results. If (and only if) you pass your department's requirements, we will automatically notify your department of your exam result. If you must re-take the exam, you will need to register and pay for a new exam.
You may view a sample exam (using a text that would be appropriate for an English Department graduate student).
We recommend that you practice the skill of writing timed translations in advance. Feel free to use the above sample exam, as well as working through self-timed translations of additional scholarly articles in French from your own field of research. Memorial Library has a vast collection of French-language scholarly publications, and the Web is also a source of such texts.
How to register
Register online, by phone at 608-262-2451, or in person at 139 Pyle Center at least seven days in advance of your desired exam date.
Contact information
If this web page does not answer all of your questions about UW–Madison's French for Reading Knowledge Exam, feel free to contact us.
File last updated:
May 10, 2012
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