We offer languages from two of the world’s major language families: Indo-European and Uralic. Alongside the Slavonic languages – Czech, Polish, Macedonian, Serbian/Croatian, Slovene, Belorussian, Russian, and Ukrainian – which are widely spoken across the region, you can also study Romanian, a Romance language closely related to Italian, French, and Spanish. Other options include Albanian, the Baltic languages Latvian and Lithuanian, as well as Estonian, Finnish, and Hungarian—the three Uralic languages that are official in the European Union (with other Uralic languages spoken by ethnic minorities in Russia).
Learning one of the region’s languages will not only strengthen your communication skills, but also deepen your understanding of the cultural richness of our world. It enables you to engage with different ways of life across Europe and to move more easily between languages and cultural contexts. After all, we can’t truly understand others without speaking their language – so why not learn one of the languages from Central or Eastern Europe?
Czech
Czech is a language spoken by approximately 10 million people, mostly in the Czech Republic. It belongs among the West Slavic languages and is largely mutually comprehensible with Slovak.
Estonian
Our Estonian courses provide an introduction to Estonian language, culture and history.
Polish
Polish (język polski) is a West Slavonic language based on the Latin alphabet. It is used throughout Poland (about 40 million users) as well as by Polish minorities and migrants all over the world.
Romanian
Romanian is a Neo-Latin language with an important Slavonic influence. It is the official language of Romania and Moldova (also called Moldovian).
Russian
Russian gives you direct access to a fascinating cultural and historical tradition and brings you closer to one of the world’s most dynamic geopolitical regions.
Serbian/Croatian
Learning Serbian/Croatian will enable you to communicate with people from across the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia in their own language.
Slovene
All SSEES social science undergraduate degrees offer the opportunity take Slovene language as an elective module. Students in other UCL departments may also select Slovene as an elective.
Ukrainian
Find out more about learning Ukrainian – ‘the language of nightingales’ - is fascinating and opens a new perspective on a vibrant and diverse country and its culture.
Other Languages offered as Short Courses
Modules that focus on the languages and culture of the region available to UCL students
Student Blog
Languages as a Gateway to the World
Sofi Vanyan, Undergraduate student, tells us why studying languages at SSEES matters.
Find out moreContacts
- SSEES Admissions Office
- Ms Evgeniia Drozdova (Admissions Tutor: Languages and Culture)
- Dr Riitta Valijarvi (Programme Coordinator: Languages and Culture)
- Evening Courses