BA (Honours) Languages with International Business – French
Four years full-time (including one year work placement)
UCAS code • R1N1
Location • City Campus
Subject area • Languages
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At a glance
Study two languages with international business to expand your career horizons and take advantage of a demand for graduates with knowledge and expertise in this area. You spend 18 months abroad with six months spent in a foreign university and 12 months working in a French speaking organisation, perfecting your language skills and developing your business experience.
Key points
• Take advantage of a demand for business graduates with language expertise.
• Use our high-tech digital language labs to improve your language skills.
• Spend six months studying abroad and 12 months working in a French-speaking organisation abroad.
• Study French plus an additional language from either Spanish, German or Italian.
What is languages with international business?
Increasing numbers of businesses are operating across national borders or competing against rivals from other countries. The field of international business involves an understanding of the particular challenges and decisions faced by firms and managers who operate in this international context. Knowledge and understanding of other languages and cultures helps them to do this effectively.
This course
Study two languages and develop the business and language skills needed to take advantage of a growing demand for international business graduates with language expertise.
You study French with another foreign language. You can choose your additional language from a selection of • Spanish • German • Italian. Italian is offered at beginner level only. Your non-language modules studied abroad covers international business topics, such as management in a global context.
You study two languages, made up of either
• two languages at post-A level/AS level
• or one at post-A level/AS level and one at post-GCSE or beginner level
Use the latest methods to quickly increase your language fluency in modern facilities designated for language students. This includes high-tech multimedia digital language laboratories and computer facilities, as well as social areas for informal learning. We encourage a strong student community across our language courses.
This also includes a peer mentoring programme and tandem language practice with native speaking language assistants, which helps to improve your conversation skills and helps you get to know other students on your course.
Studying French and an additional language with international business provides you with the theoretical knowledge, practical understanding and language expertise required to pursue various careers in business or management, with global, international or UK-based multinational organisations.
As part of your course, you spend 18 months abroad. This includes six months at one of our partner universities. You spend this study period in the country of your weaker language.
You spend 12 months on placement in an organisation based in a French-speaking country. If you have two A level languages you can discuss your options with your tutor and choose which language is spent on placement and which is spent as study abroad.
Your placement is a great opportunity to gain valuable international business experience. It helps you develop your skills and language ability, and significantly enhances your employability.
You can apply for placements with international companies such as Orange Business Services, France and France Telecom.
Key areas of study
Key areas include • French language • your chosen additional language • business, society and culture • language across cultures • contemporary issues in international business • perspectives in international business.
We have a longstanding reputation for delivering business and language courses. This means you benefit from our extensive links with businesses and other universities internationally.
Find out more about BA (Honours) Languages with International Business – French
Related courses
- BA (Honours) International Business with Languages – French (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with TESOL – French (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with International Business – German (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with International Business – Spanish (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with Marketing (French) (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with Marketing (German) (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with Marketing (Spanish) (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with Tourism (French) (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with Tourism (German) (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) Languages with Tourism (Spanish) (Full-time)
- BA (Honours) International Business with Languages – Spanish (Full-time)
You apply for this course through UCAS.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• examinations • coursework • presentations • group work • translation and interpreting exercises • written assignments • project work
Find out about work placements and how we can support your placement experience.
Optional year-long work placements are normally gained by competitive interview and are not a guaranteed part of a course.
Key Information Set 
Kal Atwal – studying at Sheffield Hallam (2:08)
Kal Atwal, managing director of comparethemarket.com talks about studying business studies with spanish at Sheffield Hallam, and the time she spent abroad to develop her language skills.
Kal Atwal – tips for success (2:53)
Kal Atwal, managing director of comparethemarket.com talks about her tips for success in business including the importance of being optimistic when things aren't going so well.
Christine Lyne
Languages subject group leader
`I have worked in the languages subject group at Sheffield Hallam University for over 20 years, teaching Spanish, business English and academic study skills for international students.
`After graduating with a BA (Honours) in Applied Language Studies I worked in Latin America for three years and travelled extensively throughout the region. Since returning to the UK, I have taught in several further education and higher education institutions and pursued my research interests in a variety of fields. These include, developing interactive materials for virtual learning environments, encouraging learner autonomy, using e-portfolios to assess independent learning and developing translation and interpreting skills in a vocational context.
`As well as having the opportunity of teaching languages at all levels, something which I enjoy immensely, I am also involved in developing international links with Spanish speaking universities and Spanish placement companies. Ensuring students have a positive and rewarding experience during their time abroad is one of the key aspects of my work.
`I am very proud to lead a team of committed, inspirational tutors who provide outstanding teaching and support to language students at Sheffield Hallam. '
Dr Armelle Blin-Rolland
Lecturer in French
I was born in Brest (Brittany). After gaining my first degree in German studies at the University of Western Brittany, I moved to Bangor, North Wales and completed an MA in European studies and a PhD in French studies, while teaching French as a graduate teaching assistant.
After obtaining my PhD I worked as a teaching fellow at the University of Bath for one year, teaching French and French in the international business context, before taking up a position as lecturer in French at Sheffield Hallam University.
Teaching
• French language at undergraduate level
• business, society and culture
Research interests
• adaptation from/into literature, film, TV and comics
• French-language popular culture (bande dessinée in particular)
• theories of voice in literature and film
• the fantastic in French-language film and comics
Rachel Bower
Senior lecturer in French and business English
Having specialised in French, German, international marketing and international contract law at university, my first career was in international sales and marketing, where I utilised my language skills on a daily basis to secure sales, develop the company brand, and organise the company's presence at overseas exhibitions.
I then launched my own languages consultancy business offering bespoke language support to international companies and SMEs. Having made the transition into education, I have worked in a range of contexts, my most recent role being national lead for the Labour government's National Teaching and Learning Change Programme, which aimed to improve teaching and learning in a range of curriculum areas across the post 16 sector. Our regional and national events enabled language teachers to share best practice, and to develop new skills, including coaching skills to enable their colleagues to continue to improve language teaching and learning in their institution.
I bring a dynamic and enthusiastic teaching style to classroom activities and was awarded the Sheffield Business School Teaching Excellence award in 2011. I have carried out research projects in listening strategies in the target language, autonomous learning and in employability skills for linguists, for which I was made a Fellow of the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning at the University of Plymouth.
Above all, I am passionate about language learning and the unique skills which a languages graduate brings to the workplace.
Teaching interests
• listening in the target language
• experiential learning in real-life scenarios of languages in the workplace
• developing speaking confidence in the target language
• job application and interview skills in the target language
Teaching
• French and business English at undergraduate level
Research interests
• listening in the target language
• languages and entrepreneurship
• employability skills in the languages graduate
Dr Ania de Berg
Lecturer in German
I came to Sheffield Hallam in 2013 after having worked at universities in Germany, Poland and the UK, including the University of Sheffield, University of York and Leeds Metropolitan University.
I hold an MA and PhD in German and I have taught both the German language and more specialised content courses. I love teaching, and my aim is to communicate my own enthusiasm to my students and help them become confident communicators across cultures as well as accomplished linguists.
My publications include a monograph on German-language travel literature and a co-edited volume on remembrance in Austrian literature and film. In recent years, I have become particularly interested in issues of intercultural communication.
Teaching
• German at undergraduate level
• German business, society and culture
Teaching interests
• use of interactive tools in the classroom
• original sources (press,TV, film and literature) as didactic materials
• teaching `outside the classroom' – projects, workshops and other activities that foster independent thinking and communicative skills
Research interests
• intercultural communication
• travel literature
• modern German and Austrian culture
Maria Scheule
Lecturer
I was born in Germany and moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland to study English literature and language. After completing my studies, I moved to England where I decided I wanted to teach. I went on to study my PGCE at Sheffield and later completed my teacher training in French and German.
I began teaching at Sheffield Hallam 12 years ago. My main area is teaching international business and German, although I have also been involved in events management degrees over the past two years. I am responsible for student work placements in Germany and I am also involved in widening participation.
I am the representative for Sheffield Hallam University in the Yorkshire and Humber consortium for routes into languages, a national project which encourages pupils to study languages in secondary school.
Dr Anja Louis
Senior lecturer in Spanish
Since completing my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Hispanic Studies at Birkbeck College (University of London), I have worked in both the private and public sectors throughout Europe. My professional experience includes managerial positions in the international book business, lectureships at higher education institutions both in the UK and Spain, and running an international coaching business. During my rich and varied working life I have led cross-cultural teams, managed international projects, worked on the design of computer programmes and delivered weekly literary talks on a Hispanic radio programme.
In the classroom I frequently introduce my own professional experience to provide students with real-life scenarios. My teaching style is centred on participatory forms of learning and I actively encourage self-directed inquiry or research. I am caring, creative and gregarious; I strive to motivate students to find their own voice and achieve their own forms of success. I feel honoured to have been nominated for the Inspirational Teacher’s Award 2012 by my students.
Teaching interests
• inquiry-based learning
• the interface of teaching and coaching
• film as a learning tool
• cross-cultural awareness and transnational identity
After having published widely in the interdisciplinary area of law and Spanish popular culture, my current research interests have moved into fields of an intercultural nature:
• intercultural communication
• transnational cinema
• cross-cultural coaching and training
Profiles
Christine Lyne
Languages subject group leader
Dr Armelle Blin-Rolland
Lecturer in French
Rachel Bower
Senior lecturer in French and business English
Dr Ania de Berg
Lecturer in German
Maria Scheule
Lecturer
Dr Anja Louis
Senior lecturer in Spanish
Kayleigh Thomas
BA (Honours) Languages with Tourism
`This course presented me with a variety of brilliant opportunities such as learning a new language as a beginner and spending a year and a half studying and working abroad. These experiences have been invaluable for me. I have gained in confidence, am more independent and my language skills are now much better than I could ever have imagined.
`The work placements which I completed in France and Spain have broadened my horizons and improved my fluency and proficiency in languages at the same time as giving me important experience of the working cultures of other European countries, something which is becoming more and more beneficial in an increasingly globalised market.
`The staff team in the language department are helpful and encouraging, their enthusiasm for language learning is infectious. In the future I hope to continue using the skills that they enabled me to acquire and maybe even start to learn more languages!'
Profiles
Kayleigh Thomas
BA (Honours) Languages with Tourism
