Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) will add 11 language courses, mostly African and Oceanianic tongues, to boost talent support for the country's extending ties with the regions, a school official said last Wednesday.

北京外国语大学一名负责人上周三表示，北外将增设11门语言课程，主要是非洲和大洋洲语言，旨在为我国与这些地区发展关系提供更多人才支持。

BFSU will offer Kurdish, Maori, Tongan, Samoan, Comorian, Tswana, Ndebele, Creole, Shona, Tigrinya and Byelorussian majors to undergraduates from September.

9月起，北外将开设库尔德语、毛利语、汤加语、萨摩亚语、科摩罗语、茨瓦纳语、恩德贝莱语、克里奥耳语、绍纳语、提格雷尼亚语和白俄罗斯语等本科专业。

The languages are mainly used in West Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean, Africa, and East Europe, regions sharing closer ties with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

这些语言主要在西亚、大洋洲、加勒比海地区、非洲和东欧地区使用。在“一带一路”倡议的背景下，这些地区与我国的联系将更紧密。

"Chinese proficient¹ in local languages and cultures are lacking in some participating countries of the Belt and Road Initiative," said Guo Wei, an official in the publicity² department of BFSU.

北京外国语大学宣传部门一位名叫郭伟的官员表示：“现在我国缺少精通'一带一路'诸国当地语言和文化的人才。”

"The university is helping³ to equip more students with language skills and knowledge of the regional affairs to meet the demand."

“我们学校正在帮助更多的学生掌握语言技能和地区事务的知识，以此来满足需求。”

The university will set up more language majors, especially those used by countries along the Belt and Road, Guo said.

郭伟称，该校将会开设更多的外语语种专业，尤其是那些在“一带一路”沿线的国家的语言。

BFSU now has 84 language majors and plans to increase it to more than 100 in 2020, covering all countries that have diplomatic relations with China.

北京外国语大学现在共有84个外语语种专业，并计划在2020年增加到超过100个，覆盖所有与中国有外交关系的国家。