The Institute of Languages and Translation (ILT) was founded in 1980 with three affiliated institutions: The School of Translators and Interpreters of Beirut (ETIB), the Center for Arabic Research and Studies (CREA), and the Center for Modern Language Studies (CEL). In 2012, ILT was transformed into the Faculty of Languages (FdL), with ETIB and CREA as its affiliated institutions. In 2016, the Center for Modern Languages (Centre des Langues Vivantes (CLV)) replaced the CEL and joined FdL. In 2018, the Faculty of Languages added translation to its title and became the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FdLT). In 2019, the Center for Research in Translation Studies, Arabic Terminology and Languages - CERTTAL (formerly the Center for Research in Translation Studies, Arabic Terminology - CERTTA), which had long been attached to ETIB, joined FdLT. 

Founded in 1945, CREA specializes in teaching Arabic as a foreign language. It offers instruction in both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and the Lebanese Dialect, provides instructor training programs, develops innovative educational materials, and conducts applied research in Arabic language didactics. 

In 2023, CREA launched the Diploma in Arabic as a Foreign Language (DALE), a certification aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This program strengthens its academic visibility and reinforces its role in addressing contemporary linguistic and cultural challenges in the Arab world. 

With over forty years of experience combining practice and theory, the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FdLT) is well equipped to fulfill its missions in teaching, training, and research. It offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs, as well as language courses in Arabic, Armenian, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. In 2022, the Japanese Academic Center (CAJAP), founded in 2008, joined FdLT, adding Japanese to the list of languages taught.