Language Courses

Online Language Courses and Programs

EdX offers free online language courses to learn English, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and more. Whether you are learning languages online in order to study or work abroad or simply want to explore different cultures, you will find courses to help you on your way. There are courses designed for people who seek to do business in other countries, for students preparing for AP language exams and for people that simply want to improve their grammar and writing skills.

Language Learning

Get started writing and speaking Spanish with two self-paced courses from La Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. The first course is 7 weeks long and teaches basic conversational skills and verb conjugation. Practice writing and speaking everyday phrases and get an introduction to Spanish culture. Go further with part two, a 4-week, self-paced online Spanish course that teaches more advanced phrases and vocabulary.

Are you traveling to China for work or study? MandarinX offers a free, 4-course program in Mandarin Chinese. Learning to speak Chinese can seem like a daunting task to people unfamiliar with Chinese language characters and sounds. The first course in the program breaks down all the basic characteristics of the language and establishes a solid foundation for the next stage in your learning. Understand Chinese tones and language structure before you embark on this challenging and rewarding journey into speaking Mandarin Chinese.

Are you learning English and want to improve your conversational English speaking skills? Tsinghua University offers a free, self-paced online course designed specifically for this purpose. Listen to English dialogues and discussion to understand spoken English and cultural norms. Learn unique words and phrases common to basic conversation, including polite ways to start and end discussions. And if you’re learning English as a second language and plan to take the TOEFL® or IELTS exams, edX has online courses to help you prepare. Both courses are free and designed to help you improve your score.

Job Opportunities for Multilingual Employees

Learning a second or third language can open up a variety of exciting job opportunities. With the growth of international trade and globalization, companies need employees that can both speak the language and understand the culture of the country or countries where they do business. Roles in business development, marketing, healthcare, science, information technology and engineering at multinational companies become options for multilingual employees. Effective communication across geographic and cultural boundaries is the key to success for many of these positions and having fluency in multiple languages can be a great asset to your CV.

Learning a new language can also create opportunities for you to work as an interpreter. A recent search of Indeed.com showed strong demand, over 2,000 open job listings, for interpreters in a variety of languages. Fluency in a second language is a unique and rare skill that can be used for career growth and advancement.