Polish and Spanish

Polish and Spanish is a language combination with genuine intellectual interest and strong professional logic. Polish is the most widely spoken West Slavic language, the official language of one of the European Union's largest member states, and a language with a rich literary tradition that spans some of the most turbulent political history of the twentieth century, from the catastrophe of the Second World War through the Communist period to the democratic transformation that followed 1989. Spanish, as noted elsewhere, is one of the world's great languages, spoken across twenty countries with an enormous literary and cultural heritage.

At University College London, this four-year degree develops your competence in both Polish and Spanish to a high level of fluency, alongside a thorough engagement with the cultures, literatures, and histories of the countries and communities in which they are spoken. In the Polish strand, you will develop speaking, reading, and writing skills in Polish and engage with Polish literature and culture, including works by writers who have occupied a central place in the European literary imagination. In the Spanish strand, you will develop fluency and engage with the full breadth of Hispanic literature and culture across Spain and Latin America.

UCL's School of European Languages, Culture and Society provides a strong academic environment for both strands, with research expertise in Slavic languages and Hispanic studies.

Graduates with Polish and Spanish have a combination of languages that is both rare and commercially and professionally significant. The Polish diaspora in the UK and the economic relationships between the UK, Poland, and Latin American countries all create demand for people who can work effectively in these languages. Translation, interpreting, European affairs, international business, and journalism covering Eastern European or Latin American affairs are natural pathways.

Polish cultural organisations, diplomatic posts in Polish or Spanish-speaking countries, and EU institutions that use Polish as a working language provide further destinations. Some graduates continue to postgraduate study in Slavic studies, Hispanic studies, or European cultural history.