Modern Languages with Translation is for independent-minded students who want a combination of language learning (either from beginners or post-A-Level) and an inter-cultural dimension, starting in the first year and throughout your degree. As a language graduate you will possess excellent communication skills and you will have had an opportunity to work (and/or study) in one or two countries in the optional placement year. You will also be equipped to pursue optional modules that will prepare you in different ways for the world of work - in Translation, Education, Marketing, and Politics and International Relations.
Modern Languages with Translation
This video depicts Przemek’s experience as a 2nd year student who studies English and Spanish combined with Business specialisation.
“After studying in the University of Paris-Nanterre for the first half of my year abroad, I had the pleasure of undertaking my work placement at a Spanish international school in a small town called La Garriga, near Barcelona. Living in La Garriga gave me the opportunity to truly live as a local and immerse myself into the rustic, Catalan way of life, as well as teaching my own classes in English. This experience helped my Spanish and Catalan to improve even more! The school provided me with accommodation, which made it easy to settle in as I lived with lots of students just like me. My six months in Spain was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I would recommend this experience to anyone, and my advice is to seize every opportunity that presents itself to you, and be confident!”
Hannah Moulai
“My year abroad experience was slightly atypical because instead of going to university in one country and then doing a work placement in another, I wanted to do two work placements instead. My job in Santiago was fantastic and I learnt so much Spanish because no one in Chile really speaks English. I would highly recommend people to go to South America on their year abroad because you get such a different experience to staying in Europe. It was incomparable to anything I have ever experienced in Europe: the people, the food the culture everything was totally different to my experience in Nice in the second semester. In France, I worked for a Non-Governmental Organisation called the European Telecommunications Standards Institute on the events team. My job was to organise events within the technology sector to bring major companies together in the South of France to discuss the future of technology. I am so lucky that I got the job I did because it boosted my CV and gave me so much experience for the real world, working for a big company where you are actually taken seriously and your input matters.”
Fran Glover
“I had an amazing time in Uruguay where I studied for three months to improve my Spanish. There were a lot of opportunities to explore the country and to travel elsewhere. The Universidad de Montevideo gave me lots of support and helped to immerse me into the Uruguayan culture and way of life. It was a great experience living in South America and meeting people from all over the world. Next, I will be going to Antibes to work in a small car-hire company for six months where I will be developing my professional and linguistic skills in France.”
William Pears-Runeckles
You can choose to complete a work placement on your Year Abroad. Challenging, rewarding and insightful, the experience will improve your language fluency and add serious weight to your CV.
“I really enjoyed my year abroad. I worked in the International Relations office at the Université de Rouen in northern France and I was in charge of welcoming Erasmus students. Every day was different and interesting as I had the opportunity to organise outings for people from different cultures and backgrounds and the experience exposed me to French culture and history. I’d definitely recommend to anyone enthusiastic about looking for a future career that involves culture and languages to go for a work placement during the year abroad. Not only you will come back to Oxford Brookes with more developed language skills, but you will also have had work experience to prepare you for 'le monde du travail' once you graduate.”
Elena Boateng, French and International Relations
“For my Year Abroad, I went to Antibes to work for a small company called Midi Location as the Office Assistant. Midi Location is a car rental company, so my job was to offer the best customer service possible to all clients, as well as organising what cars were going where and ensuring they were delivered at the right time in the right condition. It was an active job which was great as I never stayed in the office all day. My tasks included taking cars to and from the airport, ports and villas, cleaning cars and maintaining professional contact with clients. What was exciting was the fact that the company works closely with the super yacht industry as many of the cars are rented to the boats for long periods of time. The people I worked with in the office were extremely kind and we are still in contact with one another. Antibes is a small town with the most fantastic surroundings. With Nice, Cannes and Monaco on your doorstep I was able to explore the Cote d’Azur whilst making some amazing friends. It is a town of expats so you meet French Canadians and other people from many walks of life. The town is home to the largest port for the largest yachts in the Mediterranean so, even in the quiet season, there are always people around.”
Kitty Cavendish, French and Publishing Media
“I spent my year abroad working at Disneyland Paris in a hotel boutique. It was a really great experience both personally and professionally. I was able to improve my oral French, adapt to a professional working environment, and I made a lot of friends from all over the world. With Disneyland being only 40 minutes away from the centre of Paris, I was also able to explore the city on my days off and immerse myself in French culture. I was also able to benefit from being able to go on the rides at Disneyland for free! I would recommend people to do a work placement if they can, because it really exposes you to working life in France, and helps you improve your French oral communication skills.”
Clarissa Fennell, French and Politics
