Many people assume learning languages can only further your career if you work in teaching, translation, or the travel industry. Watch this video to hear how people in many different professions have benefitted from speaking languages.
From an employer's perspective too, there's growing evidence of the impact of language skills. A 2021 report from Aston Business School (comprising a survey of 415 UK Small Medium Enterprises) statistically shows that language capabilities add 30% in value to exporting success.
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How to learn a language
Learn about the concepts and skills required to learn languages successfully. This free course, How to learn a language, introduces the skills and strategies for language learning, setting realistic goals when learning languages and keeping motivated, practise speaking skills and vocabulary learning strategies. It will enable you to evaluate ...
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Open Centre for Languages and Cultures
Check out a range of FREE language courses in this dedicated hub.
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Intermediate Spanish: A trip across Latin America
In this free course you will embark on a journey off the beaten track, to see the natural wonders of Latin America and some of its people. Intermediate Spanish: A trip across Latin America invites you to discover how people in South and Central America have adapted to the different environments which have created the conditions in which ...
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Upper intermediate French: discovering French cinema
This free course, Upper intermediate French: discovering French cinema, will help you discover aspects of French and francophone cinema. At the same time, you will also focus on grammatical points, such as expressing a comparison in French or understanding the structure of a sentence in the infinitive.
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6 hours
Level: 2 Intermediate
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Beginners’ Italian: food and drink
This free course, Beginners' Italian: food and drink, focuses on buying drinks and snacks in an Italian café, as well as on greeting and introducing yourself in Italian. It does not require any previous knowledge of Italian.
Free course
4 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Intermediate German: The world of work
This free course, Intermediate German: The world of work, concentrates on developing cultural knowledge and practical language skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and interacting in a variety of situations.
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Croeso: Beginners' Welsh
This free course, Croeso: Beginners' Welsh, is taken from Croeso, a beginners' language module that concentrates on Welsh as a tool for communication, but it also provides some insights into Welsh societies and cultures through printed and audio materials. It will be of interest to all those who want to improve their language skills in order to ...
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4 hours
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Exploring the English language
How has the English language changed over the course of the last 500 years? What are the social and political contexts that have affected how these changes have come about? This free course, Exploring the English language, will consider the development of the English language from the 15th to the 19th century.
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9 hours
Level: 2 Intermediate
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Language in the real world
This free course, Language in the real world, explains and illustrates why a knowledge about how language works (i.e. ‘linguistics’) is helpful – some might say essential – for different aspects of our everyday lives. It provides an introduction to ideas around what language is and to the field of Applied Linguistics, which is dedicated to ...
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6 hours
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The Open Centre for Languages and Cultures
For many more short courses that will help you get started with learning languages, check out the Open Centre for Languages and Cultures.
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Getting started with Spanish 1
If you want to learn a new language for work or for leisure, this free course will introduce you to one of the most widely spoken languages in the world – Spanish. Whether this is the first time that you are learning Spanish, or you have already picked up some words and phrases from travelling across the Spanish-speaking world, this course ...
Free course
8 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Getting started with Chinese 1
Have you always wanted to learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese? Are you fascinated by the sound, the script and its ancient civilisation? If so, this introduction will get you started on the essentials of reading, writing, speaking and listening in Chinese through a variety of online activities. A perfect introduction for absolute ...
Free course
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Getting started with German 1
Almost 100 million people speak German as their main language. Most of them live in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, making German one of the most widely-used languages in Europe. Although now associated with economic success and advances in science and technology, German has a long-standing reputation as the language of poets and thinkers, die...
Free course
6 hours
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Getting started with Italian 1
Are you fascinated by the Italian culture and lifestyle, cuisine, historic cities, art and beautiful landscapes? Have you always loved the sound and musicality of the Italian language? Perhaps you’ve visited an Italian city and wished you could chat with local people. Or maybe you would like to be able to read a menu, talk about yourself, or ...
Free course
8 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Getting started with French 1
Whether you want to visit, work or live in a French-speaking environment, you will get more out of the experience if you can communicate effectively with people. In this short course you will begin to develop your reading and listening skills in French and learn to speak and write the language to communicate in everyday situations. You will...
Free course
6 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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