The Year 8 Foreign Languages Programme enables students to study one semester of Japanese and one semester of French.

Each student has the option of then choosing either one or both of these subjects as he enters Year 9 (contingent upon pupil demand and staff availability, of course). Students are fortunate to be given the opportunity to study both a European and an Asian language at secondary level.

Both the French and the Japanese courses last one semester. They are designed to interest the students in foreign languages as well as in the culture and society of France and Japan. In both languages, emphasis is on communicative skills. The visually appealing texts are accompanied by excellent audio materials. This ensures the acquisition of an authentic accent, from the very beginning of language studies. Students gain enormously from studying languages and societies other than their own. A significant aim of the courses includes building an appreciation of different qualities and perspective within the framework of the tolerance towards others.

French and English are the two global languages which are spoken in all five continents and more than forty countries, French also has an important presence in our South Pacific region. Australian society, and the English language in particular, reflects the strong French influence upon European culture and traditions. The trading cartel formed by the European Union is one of most globally significant, and English and French are recognised as the two most important languages in commerce, media and the law.

Japanese is the language of our largest trading partner and there are economic, political and social-cultural imperatives involved in our relationship with Japan. All Queenslanders would benefit from a knowledge of the Japanese language and society.

Recognition of the importance of languages is reflected in the introduction by various tertiary institutions, of degree courses in which a language may be studied in parallel with a traditional undergraduate course. The University of Queensland's Science, Economics or Engineering Degrees with Japanese, or French is just one example.