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THE LANGUAGE CONTEXT
Catalonia has about seven million inhabitants and its own language and culture make up its distinctive character.
Catalan is the main language at UVic-UCC and, together with Spanish, is co-official throughout Catalonia. Since Catalan is spoken across the whole region, we strongly recommend that you register for the Catalan language courses offered at the University.
The International Relations Office and the main UVic services offer information in Catalan, Spanish and English.
CATALAN AND SPANISH LANGUAGE COURSES
Our university offers free Catalan and Spanish courses for international students.
| Basic Catalan | Hours / week | ECTS European credits / semester | Autumn semester | Spring semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalan A1 | 3 | 3 | OK | OK |
| Catalan A2 | 3 | 3 | - | OK |
We will inform you about the start and end dates of each course during the Orientation Days.
Those students who wish to can sit official examinations offered by the UVic Language Services.
InterCat: it provides resources, guides and activities to enable you to start with your Catalan!
| Spanish Courses | Hours / week | ECTS European credits / semester | Autumn semester | Spring semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish A1 (Level 1) | 3 | 3 | OK | OK |
| Spanish A2 (Level 2) | 3 | 3 | OK | OK |
| Spanish B1 (Level 3) | 3 | 3 | OK | OK |
| Spanish for Professional Purposes (B1 & above) | 4 | 6 | OK | OK |
We will inform you about the start and end dates of each course during the Orientation Days.
The UVic Language School is an official DELE* Examination Centre, so as an international student you will be able to take official examinations in Spanish offered by the Instituto Cervantes.
*DELE stands for “Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera”:
The Instituto Cervantes was founded by the Spanish government in 1991 to promote the Spanish language and Spanish and Latin American culture.
Spanish testing
We would like to help you improve your language skills from the very beginning. You can do the Spanish language test, which will automatically give you the level you have.
Catalan – Parla.cat
Parla.cat is a virtual learning space with materials for learning Catalan and tests for students to find out their level of knowledge of Catalan.
Self-assessment
The Common European Framework of Reference: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe.
What is the level best suited to your Catalan and Spanish language skills?
- Basic User: A1 and A2
- Independent User: B1 and B2
- Proficient User: C1 and C2
We recommend that you check your language skills yourself, but you can contact us for any assistance you may require.
The UVic has its own Language School and all international students that take part in an exchange programme at UVic can attend courses there - English, French, Italian or German. These courses are fee paying and subject to enrolment at the Academic Administration Office.
If you wish to study at the UVic Language School, remember to fill in an application form at the School and take the language level test.
Bear in mind that they are academic courses and you must do all assignments and exams satisfactorily in order to get a final grade and a UVic-UCC language certificate. With this document you will get ECTS European credits, which you may need for further recognition at your home institution.
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart” (Nelson Mandela)
The UVic Language Services works for the University and wider community to further three main goals:
- promote the use of Catalan as the main UVic-UCC language
- promote the use of other languages for communication within the framework of the European Higher Education Area
- respond to the diverse language needs of UVic
Language Services activities fall into four groups:
- training (Catalan courses for international students, Self-Access Centre)
- language support activities (welcome activities, language volunteers, conversation exchanges)
- proofreading and translation of all kinds of documents and interpreting services
- provision of language resources (language criteria, model documents, terminology, learning resources, teaching support)
The Self-Access Centre is a service designed for the self-study of Catalan, French, English and German. It is addressed to everyone interested in learning a language who cannot attend a standard course. UVic students (also international students!) and staff have free access to this Centre.
The Centre offers teaching and learning materials: text books, graded readers, periodicals, audiovisual material, etc. It also offers language advice, conversation groups and tandems. It has a database with self-study references and an online list with people interested in language exchanges.