Beginners' Modern Greek and Czech

Modern Greek and Czech with Slovak at beginners' level is an unusual but richly rewarding combination, designed for students who arrive with no prior knowledge of either language. Modern Greek connects you to a continuous living tradition stretching back through Byzantine literature and the classical world to the earliest written records of European civilisation, while Czech and Slovak, which share a high degree of mutual intelligibility, give you access to two Central European cultures that have played a formative role in the continent's history, from the Bohemian Kingdom and the Habsburg Empire to the twentieth century's upheavals and the Velvet Revolution.

At the University of Oxford, this four-year full-time programme takes you from complete beginner level to an advanced command of both languages, combining intensive linguistic training with deep engagement in literature, history, culture, and ideas. Oxford's approach to modern languages emphasises reading significant literary and historical texts in the original, and even as a beginner you will be working towards that goal from an early stage. You will study the grammar and written forms of each language systematically alongside spoken communication, and develop the ability to read, translate, and critically engage with texts across a wide range of periods and genres.

The programme builds exceptional skills in linguistic analysis, close reading, cultural comparison, and academic argument.

Graduates of this kind of combined modern languages programme at Oxford go on to careers in diplomacy, the civil service, journalism, translation and interpreting, international law, publishing, cultural institutions, business with European reach, and academia. The combination of rare linguistic competence and Oxford's analytical training is distinctive in the graduate market. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in modern languages, European history, linguistics, or related fields, and the programme is excellent preparation for careers requiring intercultural fluency and intellectual rigour.