2026/7/27

On Thursday, July 23, 15 student volunteers from the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFS) Department of French Studies served as interpreter-guides for students visiting Kyoto from the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (Université PSL), a grande école (high-level university) in Paris, France. In response to an outside request for interpreter-guides, the Department's Associate Professor Misato Morita led the project, implementing it as part of "France Week" at KUFS.

In preparation, students from both Japan and France initially contacted one another via social media, with Japanese students planning sightseeing courses in response to French student requests. On the day of the visit, participants split up into small groups and went sightseeing around Kyoto, with KUFS students acting as French-speaking guides.

The students worked hard in preparation for this day, and many of them were pleased to be part of the experience, giving positive feedback including "It was even more rewarding than expected to have my French understood by the visitors, and the experience has served as a major motivator for my studies," and "My intercultural exchanges with the French students taught me a lot; I really feel that it was a valuable experience."

Throughout the day, KUFS students exhibited impressive practical language skills while all participants learned more about Kyoto and formed new bonds of friendships that transcended international borders.

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