A distinguished feature of the University of Tübingen is its wide range of 40 languages which are taught here - reflecting the faculty’s international outlook. This broad expertise in many languages enables students and scholars to work with original text material and authentic sources in their respective research areas.
The variety includes study programs on languages, literatures and cultural studies – not only in modern (Western) world languages, but a wide range including Arabic, Greek, and even Sanskrit as well as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Language skills are an obligatory element in some of the Faculty’s degree programs, or may be optionally studied as additional qualifications.
Beyond the Faculty, the university’s Foreign Language Center (Fremdsprachenzentrum) offers language courses in nine languages (Arabic, Catalan, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Swedish and Spanish) for beginners as well as advanced learners.
Language learning is often primarily associated with the acquisition of linguistics knowledge – like grammar and vocabulary. However, to communicate successfully and to develop a deeper understanding for a new language, it is of great importance to go beyond these purely linguistic areas. Gaining knowledge about the culture and the customs of other countries is a crucial part for successful language learning. Therefore, the Intercultural Communication and Cultural Studies focusses on teaching cultural knowledge.
