UB Programs At-A-Glance

World Languages Program

Department of Linguistics

College of Arts and Sciences
609 Baldy Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-1030

Phone: 716.645.2177
Fax: 716.645.3825
Web: wings.buffalo.edu/world-languages

Karin Michelson
Chair

Mark A. Ashwill
Staff Associate

About the Department

The World Languages Program (WLP) is a unique section of the Department of Linguistics that offers tutorial and classroom instruction in nine less commonly taught languages. American Sign Language, Arabic, Irish Gaelic, Polish and Russian are taught in a classroom setting, while the languages below are taught using a small group format.

  • Danish
  • Greek (Modern)
  • Hindi
  • Thai
  • Ukrainian


The University at Buffalo's Linguistics department offers a comprehensive program covering the major areas of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and discourse/ pragmatics. Our courses focus on the interface between language and cognition, language and society, empirically grounded linguistic theory, and both cross-linguistic studies and in-depth studies of individual languages other than English. Faculty research areas emphasize semantics, Native American languages, linguistic theory, adult and developmental psycholinguistics, typology and universals, computational linguistics, and sociolinguistics. Department resources include a Computational Linguistics Research laboratory, a Phonetics Laboratory, and a Linguistics Library.

The Linguistics department also houses programs in German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Russian, as well as the World Language’s Program.

Degrees Offered

The World Languages Program is a non-degree granting program.

About Our Degrees

The World Languages Program is a non-degree granting program.

About Our Courses

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

Note: Not all courses are offered every semester. The program reserves the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment. Please contact the World Languages Program for more information about these and other courses that may have been auled since the undergraduate catalog went to press.

Why Study A Foreign Language?

"A nation's welfare depends in large measure on the intellectual and psychological strengths that are derived from perceptive visions of the world beyond its own boundaries . . . " (President's Commission on Foreign Languages, 1979)

Foreign language proficiency and familiarity with other cultures are practical and often vital skills in today's global society. Those whose linguistic repertoire is limited to one language are at a distinct disadvantage, whether the task at hand involves conducting research using original source materials, negotiating a business deal, or forging a friendship. In aulition to being practical, knowledge of foreign languages is personally rewarding. It enables students to discover other ways of thinking and viewing the world, and to better understand their own culture. For many, it is also a means of strengthening ethnic and cultural identity.

More and more businesses work closely with companies in other countries. They may need many different kinds of employees who can communicate in different languages and understand other cultures. No matter what career they choose, students that have learned a second language will have a real advantage. A technician who knows Russian or German, the head of a company who knows Japanese or Spanish, or a salesperson who knows French or Chinese can work successfully with many more people and in many more places than someone who knows only one language. See the document Knowing Other Languages Brings Opportunities.

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (910 Clemens Hall, 716-645-2191, http://rll.buffalo.edu/rll/) offers courses in the following programs: French, Italian, Latina/Latino Studies, Portuguese and Spanish.

About Our Faculty

Dr. Mark A. Ashwill, Staff Associate

Program Coordinators:

  • Arabic: Mr. Issa Roustum
  • American Sign Language: Mr. Lee Dray
  • Danish: Dr. Doris Sorensen
  • Greek (Modern): Mr. Stefanos Papazaharias
  • Hindi: Mrs. Mamta Bhargava
  • Irish: Mrs. Margaret McGrath
  • Ukrainian: Mrs. Olga Tourtchina

Special Academic Opportunities

Languages Across the Curriculum

Enables students to use their foreign language skills in non-language courses; affiliated with World Civilizations I and II (UGC 111 and UGC 112).

Global Ambassadors Program

K-12 outreach involving international students and others with international experience; co-sponsored by the Office of International Education.

Japanese and Spanish for Executives

Cross-cultural and language training for business people. Includes E-Business Japanese, a four-month certificate program that combines on- with offline (classroom) instruction.

Exploratory Language & Culture Program

This program is for elementary schools.

Medical Spanish

Participants acquire a working knowledge of Spanish for use in clinical settings and learn to interact with Spanish-speaking patients in a more meaningful, productive and culturally sensitive manner.

Extracurricular Activities

See the UB Student Association.

Career Information

Skills gained in this program include:

  • Making fine verbal distinctions and grasping subtleties of meaning in and between multiple languages
  • Considering cultural preferences in planning and design
  • Adapting programs and products to the cultural background of the clientele or audience
  • Using original publications, rather than translations, for research
  • Analyzing written materials on a variety of subjects and identifying significant facts
  • Selecting appropriate idioms to exchange ideas across language barriers
  • Using a large vocabulary in multiple languages correctly
  • Grasping verbal messages and interpreting them into another language without losing the implications or spirit of the original
  • Using correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure while identifying errors
  • Interviewing and interacting with people who are culturally diverse


The Department of Education reports that U.S. corporations are beginning to place greater value on second language proficiency and awareness of other cultures in potential employees. Proficiency in another language as well as the research and analytical skills developed through the study of foreign languages and cultures are assets for individuals who enter a variety of careers.

The following job titles are possible job opportunities for those who have a background in modern languages. Further training, coursework and/or education may be necessary to obtain these positions:

  • Administrative assistant
  • Announcer (broadcast)
  • Buyer/buyer assistant
  • Caseworker
  • Consulting
  • Editor/editorial assistant
  • Employment interviewer or Affirmative Action officer
  • Financial planner
  • Foreign correspondent
  • Foreign language teacher or ESL/EFL teacher
  • Foreign service officer
  • Foreign student advisor
  • Importer-exporter
  • Journalist
  • Librarian
  • Media sales
  • Passenger service representative
  • Performer
  • Professor
  • Public relations
  • Sales representative
  • Translator/interpreter
  • Travel agent
  • Travel guide
  • Tutor
  • Urban/community planner
  • Wholesaler


Work Environments

Employment may be found in many of the following types of organizations:

  • Advertising/communications
  • Arts management
  • Banking
  • Diplomacy
  • Education
  • Entertainment/theatre
  • Human service agencies
  • Law
  • Library science
  • Medicine
  • Sales and marketing
  • Science
  • Social work
  • Travel and tourism


Career Hints

It is strongly recommended that students determine how they would like to utilize their language skills early in their course of study so that they may plan accordingly for the appropriate coursework and learning experience (such as internships). As the world is becoming more accessible and integrated through communication technologies, trade programs and immigration/emigration, people who have multiple language skills are more employable. These graduates are well prepared for the workforce of the millennium.

Post-undergraduate opportunities

Many students who complete the Linguistics department's undergraduate programs routinely continue their studies in graduate and professional schools, with financial support in the form of Fulbright awards, prestigious fellowships, and teaching assistantships.

Aulitional Resources

Links to Further Information About This Program