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Learning Languages

We are keen to encourage students to improve their language skills, and will support them in doing so.

The University Language Centre is located in Downing Place. Its mission is to:

Increase multilingualism amongst students and staff of the University; promoting, encouraging and supporting the learning of languages for personal, academic and professional purposes.

Whether you want to learn a new language from scratch or improve your knowledge of a language in which you already have some ability, the Language Centre can help. As well as running in-person language courses, from beginner to advanced, the Language Centre maintains resources for personal use in over 170 languages in the John Trim Centre for Independent Language Learning and a suite of materials for e-learning available via LC Online (Raven password required).

Cambridge University Language Programme (CULP)

Through CULP, the Language Centre offers courses in a range of Languages to all students and staff of the University. These range in ability from beginner (ab initio) to advanced and are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The languages included in the CULP General Courses for 2017/18 are:

Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Turkish.

There are also Specialist Courses for those in certain disciplines, focusing on the use of particular languages for academic or professional purposes.

Magdalene will usually provide financial support to students wishing to undertake a CULP course, by covering 50% of the tuition fee (on the condition that you complete the course). Please speak to your tutor if you wish to apply for a CULP course grant from the College.

English as a Second Language

The Academic Development and Training for International Students (ADTIS) section of the Language Centre runs academic communication and language skills programmes for students for whom English is a second language.

ADTIS runs two main academic communication and language skills programmes, which provide tailored support using authentic materials directly relevant to students’ degree courses. The face-to-face teaching is complemented with specifically designed online courseware and focuses on helping the student to improve both their English language and their academic skills.