In response to the global demand for multilingual professionals, Concordia College is introducing four unique undergraduate academic certificates in world languages tailored for the workplace beginning Spring 2024. These certificates will enable students to communicate effectively in diverse international settings, enhancing their career prospects.
- Chinese for the Workplace
- French for the Workplace
- German for the Workplace
- Spanish for the Workplace
The certificate program involves four courses. After completion, students will have a professional portfolio demonstrating their skills.
Students will also gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the cultures of the target language, enabling a human touch and nuance that online translators lack.
According to analysis by Preply, 40% of multilingual employees said language skills helped them land a job, and they earned 19% more than single-language speakers. They were also more likely to have received a raise in the last year.
Learning another language has also been well-documented to have cognitive benefits and can strengthen other aspects of learning.
Students will gain a number of skills through the certificate program including:
- Interpreting and comprehending essential workplace written communications.
“Not only will these certificates give job applicants a competitive edge, they’ll be able to better connect with co-workers who have different backgrounds,” said Dr. Gay Rawson, chair of the world languages and cultures department at Concordia. “Whenever you can learn languages, it’s an opportunity to grow community.”
Concordia College offers undergraduate majors and minors in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish, along with a major in international business and a minor in each of those languages. There are also a number of study away programs where students can immerse themselves in other languages and cultures around the world.
Concordia’s Graduate and Continuing Studies offers a path to earn both a master’s degree in world language instruction and a Minnesota teaching licensure in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hmong, Karen, Somali, and Spanish. Graduate certificates in world languages were introduced in Fall 2019 and prepare language educators to teach through dual-credit programs with two- and four-year partner institutions.
For more than 60 years, the Bemidji area in northern Minnesota has been home to the renowned Concordia Language Villages, which is a program of the college. The immersive language-learning camp has programs in Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, French Voyageurs, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.