Modern Languages

Modern languages at degree level means far more than the ability to speak another language. It means developing a deep familiarity with the cultural, literary, and intellectual worlds that language carries, the capacity to move fluently between different ways of thinking and communicating, and an understanding of how languages shape and reflect the societies in which they are used. Language study at this level develops close reading skills, critical analysis, cultural awareness, and the ability to communicate with precision and nuance across different registers and contexts.

At the University of Reading, this programme is studied over three years, completed fully in that time. You will work intensively on your chosen language or languages, developing all four skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to an advanced level. Alongside language study, you will engage with the literature, culture, history, and contemporary affairs of the societies in which your language is spoken, situating linguistic knowledge within a rich contextual framework.

Reading has a strong tradition in modern languages, combining academic rigour with practical language competence, and the programme develops both dimensions throughout. You will learn to read primary texts in the original language, to construct critical arguments in both English and your target language, and to engage with cultural and literary questions with sophistication.

This three-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, which is a defining feature of the degree. Living and studying or working in a country where your language is spoken is transformative, accelerating your linguistic development and deepening your cultural understanding in ways that classroom study alone cannot achieve. Graduates in modern languages go on to careers in international business, diplomacy, translation and interpreting, teaching, journalism, publishing, the civil service, international law, and a wide range of other fields where linguistic and cultural competence are valued.

The combination of analytical rigour, language proficiency, and international experience that the programme develops is genuinely versatile and highly transferable.