How to Apply to a French University as a foreigner?

Hi, I desided to work in Lille next year as a teaching istant and I'd like to attend the language program in Lille University III. I heard I'll need all kinds of stuff like my birth certificate translated into French and same with my American university diploma. Is that true? I am not seeking a dgree. I already have a BA, and I just want to study French... However, there is an option to test for language fluency in the end and get some diplma that is recognized throughout Europe (and hopefully holds some weight in the US) as a proof of knowledge of French. If I'll be ready, I might want to try for that. Additionally, even though I am American, I am also Russian and Estonian and my birth certificate is in Russian. How do I start? Will I need to translate my American citizenship certificate too? The university webpage doesnt have much info and everytime I try to call them, we get disconnected. I want to start in the autamn of 2009. Thanks