国际汉语系成立于2008年6月，前身是创立于1994年的西南交通大学外国语学院对外汉语教学中心（后更名为国际教育中心）。
The Department of International Chinese was established in June, 2008, having evolved from the Center for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language under the School of Foreign Languages founded in 1994 (later renamed the International Education Center ).
国际汉语系拥有一支具有丰富对外汉语教学经验与较强科研能力的优秀教师队伍，已有十五名教师获得国家对外汉语教师资格证书，两名教师获得中国对外汉语教学学会会员资格，叶蓉、商拓、史迹、曾波、旷娟、李昊、栾慧、高岚、任显楷、于爱青等10位教师先后被国家汉办选拔委派前往海外任职。由于我系对外汉语教师素质优良、专业过硬，深受国家汉办信任和国外教学单位的好评。
The department boasts an experienced and professional faculty who teach Chinese as a foreign language and who are highly regarded by the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL) as well as by overseas employing institutes. 15 teachers are officially licensed as TCSOL (Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages), and 2 teachers are members of the China Association for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. 10 faculty members including Ye Rong, Shang Tuo, Shi Ji, Zeng Bo, Kuang Juan, Li Hao, Luan Hui, Gao Lan, Ren Xiankai and Yu Aiqing have been selected and dispatched by the NOCFL to work overseas.
1994年对外汉语教学中心创办以来，为不同需求的留学生开设了短期培训、长期进修、HSK强化培训、本科培养、硕士生博士生汉语培训等各个层次的汉语教学，长期与越南河内交通大学合作办学，已有来自美国、韩国、日本、法国、英国、印度尼西亚、泰国、德国、加拿大、新西兰、斯洛文尼亚、马来西亚、巴基斯坦、越南、缅甸、意大利、瑞典、荷兰等20多个国家近1000名留学生在此学习各类汉语课程。
Since the establishment of the Center for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in 1994, the variety of courses on offer for overseas students has been steadily improved. The current curriculum includes both long-term and short-term Chinese language training courses, intensive training for the HSK (a Chinese Proficiency Test), and training courses for undergraduates, postgraduates and doctorates, etc. In addition, the Department has also set up a long term cooperation program with the Hanoi Jiaotong University. Up to now nearly 1000 overseas students from 20 countries around the world have studied or are studying in the Department. They come from countries such as the United States, South Korea, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Slovenia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Burma, Italy, Sweden, and Holland.
国际汉语系为不同需要的留学生提供初级、中级、高级的长期汉语教学和短期汉语培训以及HSK强化培训。国际汉语系常年设有初级汉语精读、读写、听力、口语，中级汉语精读、阅读、听力、口语，高级汉语口语、汉语写作、文学作品选读、HSK精讲等课程以及关于中国文化（书法、绘画、太极拳）、政治和经济等方面的中英文讲座。
There are three levels provided on both short-term and long-term courses: elementary, intermediate and advanced. The courses are: Intensive Reading (Elementary/Intermediate); Reading (Elementary/Intermediate); Reading and Writing (Elementary); Listening (Elementary/Intermediate); Speaking (elementary/intermediate/advanced); Chinese Writing; Reading of Selected Chinese Literature; Intensive HSK Training; Lectures and Seminars, in either English or Chinese, on Chinese culture (calligraphy, painting, Taiji), politics, economy and so on.
