Make the most out of your language-learning experience at Brandeis.
The World Languages and Cultures website serves as a hub of information, whether you seek to fulfill a Brandeis Core requirement, study a language for your personal interest, find opportunities to engage in language advocacy work or simply meet Brandeisians who study and speak two or more languages.
'Brandeis Welcomes All Language Learners' (4:54)
'Brandeis students advice for beginners' (3:48)
Why Learn a Foreign Language?
The reasons for learning languages are as diverse as the people who study them. You may wish to enrich your travels abroad and interactions with other cultures. You may desire to converse with a bilingual neighbor or friend across the globe in their native language. Or perhaps you're looking to enhance your job prospects with a multinational corporation. Whatever your reasons, you will benefit from this special experience of learning another language.
Explore more reasons to learn a language
Go Above and Beyond
Although Brandeis only requires the intermediate range of proficiency, which is usually achieved after three semesters of college-level study, you can use your time at Brandeis as an opportunity to go beyond the minimum requirement and really grow your proficiency in the language you have been studying — or even take on a new language!
Multilingual Brandeis
Patrick Brown, MA'12, PhD'19, did not grow up speaking a foreign language. But his wish to pursue his deep interest in Russian history made him realize that to fully immerse himself in this topic, he would have to master the language of the country.
Studying Russian at Brandeis, while simultaneously doing his graduate course work in the department of history, helped him to meet that lofty goal.
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Nelson Mandela