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Applied Languages (Chinese, French, German, Spanish, English as a Foreign Language) at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

University of Portsmouth

Degree level: Undergraduate

Applied Languages (Chinese, French, German, Spanish, English as a Foreign Language)

Course options

2023 - 20242024 - 2025
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University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework.These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

What does this TEF outcome mean?

Course summary

Overview This BA (Hons) Applied Languages degree course will transform your passion for learning languages into professional communication and linguistic skills. Study how language works, including specialist topics such as linguistics, communication theory and managing across cultures, in preparation for professional roles in areas such as a translation, interpreting, teaching and tourism. You can choose to study either:

  • Two languages at advanced level: chosen from French, German, Spanish and/or English as a foreign language
  • Two languages at different levels: one language at advanced level (chosen from French, German, Spanish or English as a foreign language) and one language at beginner level (chosen from French, German, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish)
More than 60% of adults from the European Union can speak a second language, compared to less than half of the UK population (according to Eurostat 2016). When you graduate, you'll stand out in a population where language skills are lagging behind the rest of the world. Course highlights
  • In year three, study or work abroad in two different countries where your chosen languages are spoken, immersing yourself in their culture so you can build a career across borders
  • Choose to specialise in one of four areas, or mix and match:
  • teaching and education
  • translation and interpreting
  • culture and linguistics
  • business and industry
  • Produce your own translations and build up interpreting experience in real and simulated work environments, so you can prove your skills to employers
  • Have the opportunity to study a third language from Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish
Options to customise your degree If you're interested in a career in teaching, you can choose to enhance your degree with additional, widely recognised qualifications in Initial Teacher Training (ITT) or Teaching English as a foreign language Careers and opportunities You’ll graduate as a skilled multi-linguist, ready to take on roles across a range of fields. There’s a growing demand for high quality translators and interpreters – the Association of Translation Companies advised that interpreters be added to the UK government's Shortage Occupation List while Wolfestone has called the UK's foreign language skills shortage 'an unspeakable disaster'. There's also a growing need for intercultural awareness and communication skills in business. The British Council has stated that "an understanding of other cultures and languages will continue to be important for successful international relationships at all levels" (Languages for the Future, 2017). What areas can you work in with an applied languages degree? As the world becomes more closely connected through trade, entertainment, tourism and communications, organisations need employees who can communicate effectively in two or more languages. You might specialise in a field such as law, finance or medicine, or in environments such as courtrooms, councils and police centres. This degree broadens your options so you can pursue almost any career. Being multilingual is useful in all sectors, including:
  • journalism and the media
  • international management
  • translation and interpreting
  • teaching
  • tourism
  • finance
  • marketing
You could also continue your studies at postgraduate level with a Master's in a subject such as Translation Studies or Applied Linguistics and TESOL. Whatever career you pursue, our Careers and Employability service will give support and advice for 5 years after you graduate.

Subject options

This course offers the following subject options:

  • English and Mandarin
  • French and English
  • French and German
  • French and Mandarin
  • French and Spanish
  • German and English

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • 2 foreign languages (from Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or English as a Foreign Language)
  • Investigating Language Practices
  • Language Project
  • Language, Learning and Teaching
Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • Languages
Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • Business and Markets in a Global Environment
  • Clinical Linguistics
  • Comparative European Politics
  • Development and Democracy in Latin America
  • East Asian States and Societies
  • Empire and Its Afterlives in Britain, Europe, and Africa
  • Engaged Citizenship in Humanities and Social Sciences
  • English Forms and Functions
  • Forensic Linguistics
  • France in the World: Global Actor or Global Maverick?
  • Global Security
  • Intercultural Perspectives On Communication
  • Introduction to Professional Language Services
  • Introduction to Teaching
  • Introduction to Translation
  • A third foreign language via IWLP (Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, or Spanish)
  • Language For Professional Communication 1
  • Language in Literature: Stylistics
  • Language of Human Resource Management
  • Language Project Part 2
  • Managing Across Cultures
  • Marketing and Communication
  • Modernity and Globalisation
  • Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday
  • News, Discourse and Media
  • Principles of Economic Crime Investigation
  • Professional Communication in a Global Workplace
  • Professional Experience
  • Rethinking Nazi Germany: Politics, History, Society
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Space, Place and Being
  • TESOL (Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages)
  • The Making of the German Nation
  • Transitional Justice and Human Rights
  • Trinity Certificate Teaching Practice
  • Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response
Year 3 On this degree course, you'll spend your third year in 2 countries where your chosen languages are spoken. Year 4 Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • Business and Markets in a Global Environment
  • Business Planning
  • Communication Theory
  • Creativity in the Language Classroom
  • Gender, Language and Sexuality
  • General Language Grade 6 (French, German, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish)
  • Interpreting 1
  • Interpreting 2
  • Language and Social Media
  • Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates
  • Professional Experience
  • Research Project
  • Spoken Discourse in the Workplace
  • Translation Theory and Practice
  • Written Discourse in the Workplace
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

You’ll be assessed through:

  • oral presentations
  • language portfolio
  • written essays and reports
  • case studies
  • book reviews
  • blogs
  • translations
  • commentaries
  • interviews
  • magazine production
  • group and individual projects
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future. The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows: Year 1 students: 23% by written exams, 16% by practical exams and 61% by coursework Year 2 students: 38% by written exams, 7% by practical exams and 55% by coursework Year 3 students: 100% by coursework Year 4 students: 7% by written exams, 3% by practical exams and 90% by coursework

How to apply

25Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
Q140
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
PTE Academic54An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £9250 Year 1
England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
Channel Islands £9250 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250 Year 1
International £17200 Year 1

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Placement Year and Year abroad: UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £925 | EU – £925 (including Transition Scholarship)| International (Non-EU) – £1900. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/ug-tuition-fees Our course has no compulsory additional costs. For study abroad, you may be required to pay for additional costs. These will vary depending on the placement and length of stay, starting from £100 - £1,000 to cover travel, accommodation or subsistence. Some of these costs may be levied against Turing scheme grants. Voluntary part-time placements allow time for additional paid part-time work to be obtained, enabling you to support yourself during the year.
Applied Languages (Chinese, French, German, Spanish, English as a Foreign Language) at University of Portsmouth - UCAS