BA (Hons) Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
- Part-time study available
- Industrial Placement
- International students can apply
- Overseas study available
- Work placement opportunity
Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who can not only communicate in more than one European language, but who also have the analytical skills to deal with complex information in an international multilingual environment.
Choosing languages with specialist modules equips you with these skills and opens up a wide range of careers to you in the UK and abroad: journalism, marketing, international trade, teaching, civil service, etc.
Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who can not only communicate in more than one European language, but who also have the analytical skills to deal with complex information in an international multilingual environment.
The real-world focus of this degree helps to produce graduates who are particularly employable, having often carried out work placements as part of their International Placement Year.
There are two career paths with languages:
- Specialist language occupations, such as translation, teaching, interpreting
- Occupations with languages, such as marketing, international sales, bilingual customer support, pilots, technicians and engineers, lawyers and bankers
Choosing languages with specialist modules equips you with these skills and opens up a wide range of careers to you in the UK and abroad. Choosing languages with business/marketing studies gives you a particularly vocational degree programme, enhanced by one or two international work placements.
Employers of some of our recent graduates include Air France, Chamber of Commerce, UKTI, Kellogg’s, Marks and Spencer, Astra Zeneka UK, Bank of New York Mellon and Co-operative group.
Job titles of some of our recent graduates include:
- Conference, Exhibition and Event co-ordinator
- PR Manager
- NGO Administrator
- Export Communications Consultant
- European Process Leader
- Foreign Exchange Broker
- Translator
- Proof reader
- Retail/wholesale manager
Alumni Profile
Samantha Morgan
After graduating in 2001 I joined Kellogg’s (based in Manchester) as a Germanics Credit Controller within the European Financial Services Centre. This role involved contacting the Food Service Accounts across Germany requesting payment for outstanding amounts. In September 2001 I was asked to take on the Austrian Accounts and eventually took over all accounts within Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
This role also involved liaising with Customer Services based in Bremen. It involved travel to Bremen at least 4 times a year and also customer visits to larger customers, such as Spar, Metro and Markant along with the Bremen based Sales Team in order to discuss payment terms etc. I found that unlike some other language degree graduates I had benefited from my time spent abroad working within an office environment, using the telephone and found that my understanding of the German culture helped when dealing with colleagues and customers in Germany!
Within my role I attended courses to enhance my language skills – I studied French in order to strengthen my A-Level knowledge and commenced with Dutch which enabled me to vary my role within Kellogg’s and help other team members dealing with European markets.
In 2003 I commenced a course with The Institute of Credit Management (ICM) studying towards The Certificate in Credit Management – a qualification which is widely recognised in the field of Credit Control. In December 2003 I was promoted to Senior Credit Analyst for UK and Europe. This involved working closely with the European Process Leader setting targets and monitoring results on a one to one basis for the Credit Analysts responsible for UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and France. I have since been promoted to European Process Leader and who knows where things will go from there!
Industry Links
We offer an extensive, well established network of study and work placement providers to students going on their International Placement Year, including large multinationals such as Guinness, Deutsche Bank, Mercedes-Benz and Alcatel. Our flair for international work has seen us develop a growing portfolio of international partnerships and links with foreign universities. This includes European schemes, such as Erasmus, which involve visits and exchanges of both students and staff. We have also recently set up exchange agreements with two Chinese Universities and developed links with Institutions from the Arab World.
We also maintain close links with professional organisations such as PLUG (Professional Languages at Universities Group), CILT (The National Centre for Languages,) the Chartered Institute of Linguists – where some of our staff are examiners - and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. The School is very active in community interpreting (for the courts, the NHS etc.) and has made a major contribution to the development of Diploma of Public Service Interpreting training in the region.