Learning other languages has always formed a critical part of a well-rounded education. In today's global economy, the ability to communicate in languages other than one's own has become an increasingly valuable asset sought after by employers across the public and private sectors. Our substantive programs prepare students for success in an increasingly interconnected world, in fields such as the language services industry—interpreting, localization, and translation; education; research; writing, publishing, and the media; health, legal, and social services; business; government; international relations; the cultural heritage sector—museums, libraries, and archives.

In addition to development in the four basic language skills -- speaking, listening, reading, and writing -- a major aim is to gain understanding of the diversity of human culture as represented in several of the world's languages, literatures, and other cultural media.

Ultimately, these aims contribute to the development of well-rounded and well-informed 21st-century global citizens who are not only able to communicate and interact with others locally, nationally, and internationally, but who are also able to reflect on the world and themselves through the lens of other languages and cultures.