Chinese and Spanish

Chinese and Spanish is a combination that spans two of the world's most widely spoken languages, together giving access to the world's second-largest economy and the populations of Spain and Latin America across more than twenty countries. The combination is also increasingly significant geographically: Chinese commercial and political influence across Latin America has grown substantially in recent decades, meaning that graduates with genuine competence in both languages occupy a position of unique analytical and communicative advantage in understanding one of the defining economic and political relationships of the twenty-first century.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year degree develops genuine proficiency in both Mandarin Chinese and Spanish alongside a thorough engagement with the cultures, histories, and contemporary dynamics of the Chinese-speaking and Spanish-speaking worlds. Learning Chinese involves mastering a writing system and tonal pronunciation system that are very different from anything familiar in European languages, and the four-year degree structure gives sufficient time to develop real linguistic competence alongside substantial cultural knowledge. The Spanish strand develops your fluency in spoken and written Spanish and your understanding of Hispanic literature, culture, and politics across the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America.

Edinburgh's language departments have strong research traditions in both Asian studies and Hispanic studies.

Graduates with Chinese and Spanish are in strong demand across international business, diplomacy, and professional services. Law firms with Chinese or Latin American practices value associates with these language skills. Financial services, commodities trading, and infrastructure investment are areas where the China-Latin America nexus is particularly active, and graduates who can communicate in both languages are rare and sought after.

Translation, interpreting, journalism covering global affairs, and roles in embassies and international organisations are further pathways. Academic research in Chinese studies, Latin American studies, or comparative international politics draws those who continue to postgraduate study.