Different
institutions at the University of Hamburg support students and teachers
of the University of Hamburg with the learning of diverse languages. In
the following, we'll introduce these institutions and their services.
First, an overview of the services:
Courses for other languages which do not appear in this table can
be found directly by contacting the individual institutions below.
PIASTA offers a Tandem Service: Language learning in tandem is a language exchange between two students who meet to learn the native language of his or her partner. For example, if a German student would like to learn French and discover more about the francophone culture, then she would meet with a French partner who would like to learn German. The Tandem Service organizes these contacts and also offers an advising service for the organization of a tandem partnership. Furthermore, a journal for the documentation of the language learning process is available which offers guidance and tips for learning foreign languages in tandem. You can find more information here.
The Volkshochschule (VHS) Hamburg, in connection with the University of Hamburg, offers courses on campus in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Low German (Niederdeutsch), Dutch, Swedish, Latin, Chinese, Turkish, German as a Foreign Language and German Sign Language. All courses provide target-oriented general language knowledge.
For the successful completion of these courses, you may receive elective credits. The language courses can be completed on different levels. The three language competence levels are A1 to B1 and are based on the Common European Framework of References for Languages developed by the Council of Europe.
Courses from the VHS may require a fee but, in comparison to other programs, are still inexpensive. You can find more information here.
The Language Center
offers language courses for students of all faculties. A new program is
offered every semester. The courses are subject specific so that
students can learn the language according to his or her different
subjects of study.
To participate in a course, all students must
complete a placement test with the Language Center. In certain cases,
you can also provide a proficiency certificate from the VHS (specific
requirements for this can be found here).
The dates for the placement test are normally at the beginning of the
semester and are posted on the website. Further information about
registration and courses are available here.
The Language Center offers courses in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian (language competence levels B2 and C1).
Institute for Scandinavian Studies
Institute for German Sign Language
Institute for Greek and Latin Philology
Institute for Romance Languages and Literature
The University of Hamburg offers, free of charge, German courses for students. These classes take place twice a week for 90 minutes each in several groups. Requirements for participation are, at least, basic knowledge of the German language. You can receive 8 ECTS points for regular and successful participation. You can find more information here.
German
courses for exchange students in the School of Business, Economics and
Social Sciences. Exchange students from other universities can also
participate in these courses. You can find more information here.
In
addition to the courses that the VHS (Volkshochschule) offers on campus
in cooperation with the University of Hamburg, the VHS also offers
external language courses. These are not free of charge but, in
comparison to other courses, still inexpensive. Furthermore, credit
points aren't available for these courses. You can find information
about the courses and registration here.
The Adult Education Center in Norderstedt (VHS = German "Volkshochschule") offers reasonably priced language courses (starting from 2 € per hour) in Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Croatian, Greek, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Thai, Turkish as well as Esperanto and Low German. There are also many courses in German as a Second Language (levels A1 to C1). The current courses are listed at www.vhs-norderstedt.de. You can register online for most of the courses. If you need a placement test before registration, please call 040-535 95 900.
The
Adult Education Center in Norderstedt is easily accessible by subway
(U1). The classrooms are only minutes away from the stops “Garstedt” and
“Norderstedt Mitte”.
For further information on foreign language courses please call Mr. Nicolas Vecchini (040- 535 95 912), for further information on German courses please call Ms. Camilla Grupen (040-535 95 915).
Other external services for language courses and language trips
You can find an overview of other external services for language courses and language trips here.
You can find private language schools for German as a foreign language in your area with a search engine from the Sector Network German as a Foreign Language.