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Pasang Dolkar screen sharing materials with her student as she teaches, December 2020. Photo courtesy of LRZTP.
Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP), an FPMT project in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, has been adapting to the COVID pandemic after having to postpone the commencement of their next two-year Tibetan language and interpreters training course, LRZTP 9. Julia Wilson, coordinator, shares the story.
LRZTP senior teacher Thupten la conducting class online from home, December 2020. Photo courtesy of LRZTP.
The LRZTP is well-known for its rigorous two-year Tibetan language and interpreters training course, which has produced many gifted Dharma interpreters-translators for FPMT Dharma centers since its conception over twenty years ago. In addition to the two-year intensive training program, LRZTP also runs short Tibetan language courses and offers private online Tibetan language lessons. Now, in March 2021, LRZTP is launching a fully online Tibetan language study program: Foundations in Tibetan Language.
LRZTP is helping the FPMT by continuing to offer intensive language and interpretation/translator training for future FPMT center interpreters. The other Tibetan language learning opportunities at LRZTP help the FPMT and the Dharma in that studying in one of the other programs is often a bridge to making a greater commitment to learning the language and the Dharma. Students without the goal of becoming Dharma interpreters often study the language with goals that range from being able to recite their prayers in Tibetan, being able to communicate directly with their center’s resident geshe and so forth, to being able to study Dharma texts and receive teachings directly in Tibetan.
Our last two-year course, LRZTP 8, luckily was finished just as India went into lockdown in March 2020, and all students luckily were able to graduate without issue. The next course, LRZTP 9, was originally scheduled to commence in October 2020, but had to be postponed due to the continuing pandemic situation. If the world becomes safe again for international travel, etc., then it may be feasible that the next long course could commence as early as autumn 2021—fingers crossed!
Ven. Samdup Lungtok is also teaching Tibetan online from home, December 2020. Photo courtesy of LRZTP.
On the bright side of things, the pandemic situation has given us an opportunity to focus on further developing our online Tibetan language individual tutoring service as well as launch a fully online Tibetan language study program.
LRZTP Tibetan language tutor Dhamchoe Kyi with online students, December 2020. Photo courtesy of LRZTP.
To help facilitate the transition to teaching online for LRZTP language tutors who had been part of the onsite program, from September through December the program’s main teacher, Geshe Tenzin Wangdak, conducted several online training workshops for them with a focus on methods to teach Tibetan as a foreign language online. He also included some training for those tutors who have Dharma backgrounds in methods for teaching the Dharma in Tibetan to non-native speakers. Presently, we have about thirteen native speaker Tibetan language tutors available online for one-on-one tutoring.
Foundations in Tibetan Language, LRZTP’s new online study program, commences following the Tibetan new year in March 2021. The comprehensive program—introductory level through to advanced levels, including Dharma terminology—will be taught over the course of four years. Each level of the program is progressively taught within five eight-week modules. Class will be held over Zoom twice weekly (1 ½ hour sessions) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Geshe Wangdak will be the main teacher for the program.
Registration is open for all modules of Level I. Modules may be taken as part of the comprehensive program of study or as individual short language courses. Level I module dates: 1) March 10-May 8, 2021, 2) May 12-July 10, 2021, 3) July 21-September 18, 2021, 4) September 29-November 27, 2021, and 5) January 5-March 5, 2022.
LRZTP is still accepting applications and continuing the registration process for LRZTP 9 with an understanding that the commencement dates are to be confirmed.
Decky Youdon with one of her students during an online session, December 2020. Photo courtesy of LRZTP.
For more information about the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, visit their website:
http://www.lrztp.org
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