The School of Foreign Languages (SFL) at the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) is celebrating its 20th anniversary, highlighting two decades of interdisciplinary programs, teaching innovation and growing international engagement.

SFL traces its roots to the foreign-language courses offered at the Yan'an Academy of Natural Sciences in 1940, evolving through the Russian Studies Group in 1952, the Foreign Language Teaching Office in 1960, and the Department of Foreign Languages in 1984, before becoming an independent school in 2006.

Key milestones include the Master's program in Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics launched in 2000, a first-level PhD program in Foreign Languages and Literature in 2021, and a postdoctoral research station in 2023. To date, English and German have been designated national first-class undergraduate programs, while Japanese and Spanish were named Beijing municipal first-class programs.

True to its "Foreign Languages Plus" philosophy, SFL offers double-degree tracks pairing English with law, German with vehicle engineering, and combined programs in Japanese-data science and Spanish-journalism.

Teaching innovation is a long-standing hallmark. As early as 2004, the school won a national first prize for teaching achievement by integrating computer network technology into college English instruction. Its "STAR" smart-teaching ecosystem and national-level courses such as English for Academic Purposes have shaped a generation of language learners, supported by 46 provincially or nationally funded research projects.

Globally, SFL maintains partnerships with more than 20 overseas universities. German, Japanese and Spanish majors enjoy full exchange opportunities with leading institutions in Germany, Austria and Japan, and over 70 percent of the faculty have international visiting experience. Students have contributed more than 150,000 words of translation work annually and provided over 600 volunteer-services sessions at major international events, including the Belt and Road Languages and Cultures Network.

Looking ahead, the school will continue to deepen the integration of languages with emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and data science, preparing graduates to tell China's stories to the world.