You spend two thirds of your time studying two languages and their related cultures. General language study lays the foundations for successful practice of translation and interpreting.

Cultural modules (such as film, history, linguistics or literature) give you crucial background knowledge that enhances your translation and interpreting skills.

There are two routes through the programme, depending on your current level of language knowledge.

Students with A level or equivalent in one language

You study translation and interpreting for the language you studied at A level (or equivalent) - either French, German or Spanish.

You study another language from beginners’ level, choosing from Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish. This second language enables you to qualify for postgraduate study of translation and interpreting or for use in other careers.

Students with A level or equivalent in two languages

You study translation and interpreting for both languages you studied at A level (or equivalent). You can choose from French, German and Spanish.

You will take the following compulsory modules:

• TRI1001 Interpreting Theory and Practice 1
• TRI1002 Translation Theory and Practice 1

You will then take one of the following modules:

• FRE1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) French
• GER1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) German
• SPA1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish

You will also take either one module of another Level B language (if you enter the programme with two languages at A level or equivalent) OR one pair of modules of a Level A language from the following list:

• CHN1065 Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese I and CHN1066 Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese II
• FRE1065 Level A (HE Entry Level) French I and FRE1066 Level A (HE Entry Level) French II
• FRE1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) French*
• GER1065 Level A (HE Entry Level) German I and GER1066 Level A (HE Entry Level) German II
• GER1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) German*
• JPN1065 Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese I and JPN1066 Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese II
• POR1065 Level A (HE Entry Level) Portuguese I and POR1066 Level A (HE Entry Level) Portuguese II
• SPA1065 Level A (HE Entry Level) Spanish I and SPA1066 Level A (HE Entry Level) Spanish II
• SPA1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish*

*You must have an A level or equivalent in the language to take Level B (HE Intermediate) language module at Stage 1.

You then select optional modules from the following list to bring your total credits to 120:

• FRE1006 La France de 1789 à nos jours
• GER1016 Deutschland zwischen 1871 und 1945
• LAS1010 An Introduction to Latin America
• SML1018 Introduction to Literature
• SML1019 Introduction to Linguistics
• SML1021 Introduction to International Film
• SML1022 Introduction to Cultural Studies
• SPA1019 Introduction to History, Culture and Society of the Iberian Peninsula

You take the following compulsory modules:

• TRI2001 Interpreting Theory and Practice 2
• TRI2002 Translation Theory and Practice 2

You take one of the following modules:

• FRE2061 Level C (HE Advanced) French
• GER2061 Level C (HE Advanced) German
• SPA2061 Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish

You take a Level B or Level C language module. The level depends on the level of language taken at Stage 1:

• CHN2010 Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese 
• FRE1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) French
• FRE2061 Level C (HE Advanced) French
• GER1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) German
• GER2061 Level C (HE Advanced) German
• JPN2010 Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese 
• POR2010 Level B (HE Intermediate) Portuguese
• SPA1071 Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish
• SPA2061 Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish

You will take one optional module for each language studied, according to the level taken. If you are taking Chinese or Japanese, you take one module from Level C options only. 

Level B Options (to go with intermediate language modules)

• FRE1006 La France de 1789 à nos jours
• GER1016 Deutschland zwischen 1871 und 1945
• LAS1010 An Introduction to Latin America
• POR2001 Cultures and Societies of the Portuguese-Speaking World
• SML1018 Introduction to Literature
• SML1019 Introduction to Linguistics
• SML1021 Introduction to International Film
• SML1022 Introduction to Cultural Studies
• SPA1019 Introduction to History, Culture and Society of Iberian Peninsula

Level C Options (to go with advanced language modules)

• FRE2005 Classic French Cinema
• FRE2009 Paris: Aspects of History and Culture
• FRE2013 Ethnography for Language Learners (French)
• FRE2044 Linguistic Variation in French
• FRE2045 French Caribbean Literature
• GER2010 A Cultural History of Berlin: Cabaret, Catastrophe, Capital
• GER2011 M for Murder: Crime, Law and Justice in Modern German Literature and Film
• GER2013 Nature and Ecology in German Culture
• GER2031 Beginners’ Dutch (if you are also studying German Level C)
• GER2036 Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland bis 1990
• LAS2028 Diversidad Cultural en America Latina
• LAS2030 Comparative History of Hispano-America and Brazil: from Independence to the Mexican Revolution (1789/1810-1917)
• LAS2032 Caribbean Imaginaries: Image, Text, Music
• SML2014 An Introduction to Italian Language and Culture (if you are also studying Spanish Level C or French Level C)
• SPA2019 World Spanish
• SPA2021 Introduction to Catalan (if you are also studying Spanish Level C or French Level C)
• SPA2025 Representations of Revolution, Dictatorship and Democracy in Spain and Latin America

You spend your year abroad either studying at a university or on an approved work placement or a combination of these in a country (or countries) relevant to your degree. You may spend the whole year in a country where one of your chosen languages is spoken, or divide the year between more than one country.

If you study Chinese or Japanese you must spend the year in China or Japan at a university in the relevant country. It is recommended that you use the summer vacations either side of your year abroad to visit French-, German-, Portuguese- or Spanish-speaking countries according to the other language you are studying.

During your year abroad, you take the following compulsory module:

• SML3004 Year Abroad ePortfolio (YAeP)

You also choose one of the modules below:

• SML3006 Study Abroad
• SML3007 Year Abroad Work Placement Report 1
• SML3008 Year Abroad Work Placement Report 2
• SML3009 Year Abroad Project 1
• SML3010 Year Abroad Project 2

You take the following compulsory modules:

• TRI4001 Interpreting Theory and Practice 3
• TRI4002 Translation Theory and Practice 3

You take one pair of the following modules, depending on the language studied at Level C in Stage 2:

• FRE4081 Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Advanced Writing Skills AND FRE4082 Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes
• GER4081 Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Advanced Writing Skills AND GER4082 Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes
• SPA4081 Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Advanced Writing Skills AND SPA4082 Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes

You take one Level C or a pair of Level D language modules listed below, depending on the level of language taken at Stage 2: 

Level C

• CHN4010 Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese
• FRE2061 Level C (HE Advanced) French
• GER2061 Level C (HE Advanced) German
• JPN4010 Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese
• POR4010 Level C (HE Advanced) Portuguese
• SPA2061 Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish

Level D

• FRE4081 Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Advanced Writing Skills AND FRE4082 Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes
• GER4081 Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Advanced Writing Skills AND GER4082 Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes
• SPA4081 Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Advanced Writing Skills AND SPA4082 Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes

You take one Level C and one Level D module from the lists below following in sequence with the languages taken at Stage 2. If you are taking Chinese or Japanese, you choose one module from the Level D list only.

Level C Options (to go with advanced language modules)

• FRE2005 Classic French Cinema
• FRE2009 Paris: Aspects of History and Culture
• FRE2013 Ethnography for Language Learners (French)
• FRE2044 Linguistic Variation in French
• FRE2045 French Caribbean Literature
• GER2010 A Cultural History of Berlin: Cabaret, Catastrophe, Capital
• GER2011 M for Murder: Crime, Law and Justice in Modern German Literature and Film
• GER2013 Nature and Ecology in German Culture
• GER2036 Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland bis 1990
• LAS2028 Diversidad Cultural en America Latina
• LAS2030 Comparative History of Hispano-America and Brazil: from Independence to the Mexican Revolution (1789/1810-1917)
• LAS2032 Caribbean Imaginaries: Image, Text, Music
• POR4003 Lusophone Borderlines: Borders and Crossings in Portuguese-Speaking Cultures
• SPA2019 World Spanish
• SPA2025 Representations of Revolution, Dictatorship and Democracy in Spain and Latin America

Level D Options (to go with further advanced language modules)

• FRE4003  Occupation and Resistance: Literary and Cinematic Responses to the Second World War in France
• FRE4006  Contemporary French Cinema
• FRE4007  Les valeurs républicaines, le système d'enseignement et le social renewal 
• FRE4014  Historical Perspectives on the French Language
• FRE4015 From Experimental to Explicit: Translating Women's Writing in French
• FRE4016  Contemporary Life Writing in French: Textual and Visual Experiment
• FRE4017  Du Surrealisme au Street Art: Theories et Pratiques de la Ville
• GER4004  Intermediate Dutch*
• GER4014  German Representations of the Holocaust
• GER4015  A Comparative History of German and English: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax and the Lexicon
• GER4016  The Future: Its Past and Its Future
• LAS4001   Inter-American Relations from Spanish-American War (1898) to the end of the Cold War (1989/1991)
• LAS4005  Multilingualism and Society in Latin America
• LAS4010  Cultura y Política en Colombia
  
• SML4004  Intermediate Italian*
• SML4099  Dissertation
• SPA4002  Intermediate Catalan*
• SPA4005  Cultura Popular en Latinoamérica y España
• SPA4006  Spectres of the Past: Memory in Contemporary Spanish Culture
• SPA4007  Spanish and Romance Word Analysis

* You must have taken the relevant language at Stage 2 to take this module 

Study at the cutting edge

The School of Modern Languages produces high-level original research in the cultures of the contemporary societies with which it engages. This research feeds directly into our teaching, giving you the chance to really get to know the modern societies connected to your chosen languages.

We have particular research expertise in:

• Film Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Linguistics
• Medieval Studies

Teaching methods

The majority of practical language modules are taught through classes led by native speakers. You also work in language laboratories and undertake self-study in our Language Resource Centre.

Assessment methods

Assessment involves oral and language laboratory work and written examinations at the end of each Stage, as well as coursework submitted during the year.

During your year abroad in Stage 3 you are required to complete a personal learning record (a diary exercise consisting of three short pieces of work) and either write a project in the relevant language or submit marks from modules taken at the exchange university.

Find out more

Visit our Teaching and Learning pages to read about the outstanding learning experience available to all students at Newcastle University

We are keen to admit the brightest students onto our courses, regardless of background. In 2020 we will be making a number of unconditional offers across a range of subjects to students from the UK who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement. These offers will be made to students who we believe will make a substantial contribution to our student community, and who we really want to study with us.

If you receive an unconditional offer from us, this demonstrates our confidence that you have the necessary qualities to succeed in your exams at school or college and to excel on your chosen degree. The unconditional offer will allow you to focus on your studies so that you can achieve excellent results.

The criteria for receiving an unconditional offer will vary across different subject areas. You will be identified for an unconditional offer on the basis of your overall academic profile which will include:

• a minimum GCSE achievement level
• a minimum A level (or IB) prediction threshold
• an excellent personal statement and reference

If you accept your unconditional offer, it means that you have secured your place at Newcastle whatever you achieve in your final exams. We are confident that applicants who receive an unconditional offer will repay our confidence in them by continuing to work hard and achieve excellent grades.

ABB including French, German or Spanish at grade A.

AABBB at Higher Grade, including French, German or Spanish at grade A. Combination of Highers and Advanced Highers accepted.

Scottish qualifications can be taken in more than one sitting.

A minimum of 32 points with Higher Level French or German or Spanish at grade 6 or above.

H1H1H1H2H3 at Higher Level, including French, German or Spanish at grade H2.

A minimum of 30 level 3 credits at Distinction and 15 level 3 at Merit is required. Evidence of study in the relevant languages to a suitable level is also required.

Applicants offering a BTEC National Diploma will be considered on an individual basis.

D3,M2,M2 in Principal Subjects including French, German or Spanish at grade D3.

We welcome applications from students offering an Extended Project and value the skills of research and independent learning that it is designed to develop.  If you offer an Extended Project, it will be taken into account as part of your application profile, but we will not usually include it in offer conditions for this degree programme.

BCC including French, German or Spanish.

The PARTNERS Programme is Newcastle University’s supported entry route for students from schools and colleges in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Find out more about the PARTNERS Programme.

Applicants offering a BTEC National Diploma will be considered on an individual basis.

The PARTNERS Programme is Newcastle University’s supported entry route for students from schools and colleges in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Find out more about the PARTNERS Programme.

BBCCC at Higher Grade, including French, German or Spanish at grade A. Combination of Highers and Advanced Highers accepted. Scottish qualifications can be taken in more than one sitting.

The PARTNERS Programme is Newcastle University’s supported entry route for students from schools and colleges in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Find out more about the PARTNERS Programme.

For this degree you will need a minimum score of IELTS 7.0 or equivalent.

Visit our International Students web pages to find out more about our English language admission requirements and English language support courses offered by INTO Newcastle University.

ABB at A level is typically the minimum required for entry to an undergraduate course. You can check the equivalent grades for qualifications offered in your country. 

We will also consider your application if you have lower or non-standard qualifications.

2019 and 2020 entry:

£9,250

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year.

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Please note:

• The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by the UK government.
• As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.
• See more information on all aspects of student finance relating to Newcastle University.

2019 and 2020 entry:

£9,250 You will pay the same tuition fees as UK students for the duration of your course.

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year.

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Please note:

• As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.
• See more information on all aspects of student finance relating to Newcastle University.

2020 entry*:

£18,000

2019 entry*:

£17,175

*Please note:

• You will be charged tuition fees for each year of your degree programme (unless you are on a shorter exchange programme).
• The tuition fee amount you will pay may increase slightly year on year as a result of inflation.
• If you spend a year on placement or studying abroad as part of your degree you may pay a reduced fee for that year.
• See more information on all aspects of student finance relating to Newcastle University.

You may be eligible for one of a range of Newcastle University Scholarships in addition to government financial support.

• Newcastle University Scholarships
• Government financial support

You may be eligible for one of a range of Newcastle University Scholarships in addition to government financial support.

• Newcastle University Scholarships
• Government financial support

We offer a range of scholarships to eligible international students:

• Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarships
• Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Scholarships
• Vice-Chancellor’s Global Scholarships

We also offer International Family Discounts which are available for all international students with a close family member who has graduated from or is now studying at Newcastle University.

Newcastle University offers Sanctuary Scholarships for eligible undergraduate students (excludes MBBS and BDS students) from asylum-seeker and refugee backgrounds. 

Some of our subject scholarships and sports scholarships are also available for international students.