Emphasis in teaching

The primary goal of our language education programs is to help students reach an appropriate level of general competence in all four basic language skill areas (listening and reading comprehension, oral and written expression). The introductory course in Business Language is also based on these fundamental skills and is basically the starting point for all further courses included in the curriculum. In this course, students will learn business-specific forms of communication, gain basic economics skills and focus on the crucial socio-cultural and intercultural foundations of the language(s) they have chosen.

In-depth study and repetition of the most important grammar issues on all four levels (i.e. in the courses Business Communication I-IV) help students attain the desired level of competence and optimize language skills.

The language skills can be broken down as follows:

General language and professional skills

  • Oral: Comprehension and expression: Students should be able to hold a conversation, debate a topic, negotiate, summarize, gather information, etc.

  • Written: Reading comprehension and writing style, based on business texts; mastering the most important forms of business correspondence.

Communication skills

Adequate use of language and register depending on the communicative situation.

Socio-cultural and intercultural skills

Students should be familiar with the cultures of France and French-speaking countries, Spain, Latin America, and Italy, from various perspectives (business life, politics, society, the arts, etc.). Based on acquired skills, students should be able to use their French/Spanish/Italian appropriately and effectively in a professional context. Given the numerous different aspects of business and economics, graduates should be able to face professional challenges by mastering and applying new language skills quickly.