Three Modern Languages

Studying three modern languages simultaneously is one of the most demanding and rewarding intellectual projects a student can undertake. Each language opens a distinct cultural and literary world, and the process of moving between them sharpens your sensitivity to how meaning is constructed differently in different linguistic traditions. Multilingualism also has real practical value: in an increasingly globalised economy, the ability to communicate fluently in several languages and to understand the cultural contexts that give those languages meaning is a genuine professional advantage.

At the University of Bristol this four-year full-time degree offers considerable flexibility in how you build your programme. You can choose from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, with Portuguese available for beginners. The degree includes a foundation year, which gives you additional time to develop linguistic foundations and academic skills before entering the main programme.

A sandwich year and work placement opportunities are also built into the structure, giving you the chance to develop professional experience alongside your language and cultural study. The degree as a whole combines practical linguistic training with the study of literature, history, culture and thought produced in each of your chosen languages.

Graduates from modern languages degrees go on to careers in a remarkably wide range of fields. The combination of linguistic fluency, cultural awareness and analytical skill that three languages develops is valued in international business, diplomacy, the civil service, journalism, publishing, translation and interpretation, law, education and the arts. Many graduates enter roles where their language skills are directly deployed, while others find that the intellectual attributes the degree develops are what employers value most.

Postgraduate study in translation, comparative literature, European studies, linguistics or area studies is also a common route for those wishing to continue academically.