Spanish and Portuguese

Spanish and Portuguese are sister languages with distinct characters, histories and literary traditions. Together they are spoken by hundreds of millions of people across Europe, Latin America, Africa and beyond, and studying both gives you access to an extraordinary range of cultures, literatures, histories and contemporary societies. At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time programme develops your command of both languages to an advanced level while you also engage deeply with the literatures, cultures and intellectual traditions of the Iberian Peninsula and the wider Lusophone and Hispanic worlds.

You will develop sophisticated reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in both Spanish and Portuguese, working with a range of registers and contexts. Alongside this language work you will study literature, film, history, politics and culture, examining how Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking worlds have evolved and how they relate to each other and to global currents of thought and creativity. You will build the analytical and argumentative skills that come from close engagement with complex texts and ideas, and you will develop the cultural sensitivity and intercultural understanding that serious language study demands.

Careers for graduates with high-level competence in two major world languages are genuinely wide-ranging. Translation and interpreting, international business, diplomacy, journalism, the civil service, NGOs, education, publishing and the cultural sector all offer opportunities. The ability to work in both Spanish and Portuguese is a significant differentiator in the graduate market, opening possibilities across Europe, Latin America and Africa.

Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in Hispanic studies, Lusophone studies, translation or related fields, and the combination of language and cultural expertise supports research careers in several disciplines.