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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

2025 - 2026
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University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

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:

  • Investigating Language Practices
  • Language, Learning & Teaching
Optional modules
  • French Grade 1&2 - General Language
  • French Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
  • German Grade 1&2 - General Language
  • German Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
  • Language Project (French)
  • Language Project (German)
  • Language Project (Spanish)
  • Mandarin Grade 1&2 - General Language
  • Mandarin Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
  • Spanish Grade 1&2 - General Language
  • Spanish Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
  • French General Language Grade 3
  • German General Language Grade 3
  • Spanish General Language Grade 3
  • General Language Grade 6 (English)
Year 2 Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • 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: Language As Evidence
  • French General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
  • French General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
  • French General Language Grade 4
  • German General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
  • German General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
  • German General Language Grade 4
  • Global Security
  • Intercultural Perspectives On Communication
  • Introduction to Teaching
  • Introduction to Translation
  • Language and Social Justice
  • Language for Professional Communication (French)
  • Language for Professional Communication (German)
  • Language for Professional Communication (Spanish)
  • Language of Human Resource Management
  • Language Project (Mandarin)
  • Language Project Part 2 (French)
  • Language Project Part 2 (German)
  • Language Project Part 2 (Spanish)
  • Managing Across Cultures (Fheq5)
  • Mandarin General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
  • Mandarin General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
  • Marketing & Communication
  • Modernity and Globalisation
  • Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday
  • News, Discourse, and Media
  • Principles of Economic Crime Investigation
  • Professional Experience
  • Puritans to Postmodernists: American Literature
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Spanish General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
  • Spanish General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
  • Spanish General Language Grade 4
  • Tesol (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
  • Transitional Justice & Human Rights
  • Trinity Certificate Teaching Practice
  • Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response
  • Working With Languages Today
  • World and Transnational Cinema
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
  • Advanced Language Project
  • Business & Markets in a Global Environment (Fheq6)
  • Business Planning
  • Corpus Linguistics and Lexicology
  • Creativity in the Language Classroom
  • Dissertation
  • Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law
  • France in the World: Global Actor Or Global Maverick?
  • French General Language Grade 6
  • Gender, Language and Sexuality
  • German General Language Grade 6
  • Holocaust Literatures
  • International Security in the Asia-Pacific
  • Interpreting 1
  • Interpreting 2
  • Introduction to Teaching
  • Italian General Language Grade 6
  • Language and Social Media
  • Major Project
  • Mandarin General Language Grade 6
  • Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates
  • Professional Experience
  • Research Project
  • Spanish General Language Grade 6
  • Spoken Discourse in the Workplace
  • The European Union: a Global Power in the Making?
  • Translation Theory & Practice
- Writing for Different Audiences

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

29Jan

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.
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.
PTE Academic62An overall score of 62 with a minimum of 59 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
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
70%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

**Undergraduate fees for 2025 entry will be available shortly.** For more information about fees, go to https://www.port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Applied Languages (Chinese, French, German, Spanish, English as a Foreign Language) at University of Portsmouth - UCAS