Why study a language?

Studying a language can give you skills in many areas such as:
  • foreign affairs departments, intelligence and security organisations
  • local government and community-based organisations
  • trade, commerce and communications industry
  • travel and tourism
  • education sector and translation services
  • health organisations
  • IT and engineering

As well as improving skills in your native language, learning a new language can:
  • enhance career paths locally and internationally
  • play a role in Australia’s strategic, economic and international development
  • facilitate linguistic and cultural sensitivity in social interactions
  • contribute to social cohesiveness through better communication and understanding
  • enrich learners intellectually, educationally and culturally

Why Deakin?
Deakin University currently offers three languages vitally important to Australia: Arabic, Chinese and Indonesian.

Pathways to Study a Language
You can study a language as a major or an elective towards your degree. Alternatively, you could consider enrolling in a Diploma of Language part-time, as a stand-alone award, see www.deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/shss/courses/undergrad/language for further information.

Arabic, Indonesian and Malys, and Chinese languages spoken across the world

Arabic is the national language of: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

Indonesian and Malay, of which Indonesian is a dialect, are the national languages of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore

Chinese is the official language of: China, Taiwan and Singapore

students on hiking trip
students learning traditional dance
a student in a traditional minangkabau house learning skills in other cultures
students in Tunisia

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