Spanish for Business - Beginner Level (October 2024)

This certificate is open to undergraduate or postgraduate students from all faculties in the university as well as members of the general public. The course can be accessed online, at any time allowing students to study at their own pace and in their own time as well as having the opportunity to attend optional weekly one hour tutor-contact sessions. The optional contact hour with a Spanish tutor will take place every Thursday during term time. Class will begin at 6pm and end at 7pm. See dates below.

Semester 1 Dates - optional contact hour: Thursday 10, 17, 24, 31 October; 7, 14, 21, 28 November; 5, 12 December 2024

Semester 2 Dates - optional contact hour: Thursday 16, 23, 30 January; 6, 13, 20, 27 February; 6, 13, 20, 27 March 2025

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, it is expected that learners will: be able to communicate and interact effectively at a fundamental level in practical business contexts; identify and use a variety of grammatical structures when expressing opinions, ideas, and preferences; develop competence in formal and informal greetings and be able to exchange information about themselves; alphabet and numbers; personal details; formal and informal greetings; daily routines; dates and times; reservations and travel; grammar and pronunciation; be able to complete forms and write short business letters focused on familiar topics; understand and use numbers within a variety of contexts, including time, money, and telephone numbers; follow and initiate specific conversational patterns, including asking and answering questions, booking accommodation, scheduling appointments; develop a greater awareness of Hispanic culture; acquire valuable transferable skills in managing and motivating themselves, setting and achieving goals and working in a virtual learning environment

Course Description: You will develop your linguistic skills with particular reference to business contexts as the course equips you with the language you need to operate in a range of basic business situations. Each topic makes extensive use of oral exercises to help with pronunciation and vocabulary, along with the related grammatical points.

Depending on how you learn languages, you can spend more time on one exercise and less on another. You decide, but it is very important that you attempt each lesson in full, as each exercise or dialogue will slowly build up your knowledge of this new language and help you become familiar with the sounds, expressions and uses of the Spanish language in a business context.

Prerequisites: This is an introductory course designed for students who wish to get started with Spanish. There are no prerequisites. This course is aimed at those with very little or no prior knowledge of Spanish.

Spanish for Business is offered as three modules (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced).

Is there a minimum age to register for a Language Centre course?

You must be a minimum of 18 years old to register for an in person course and a minimum of 16 years old to register for any on-line Language Centre course.

What are the course fees?

There are different fees depending on registration type. All course fees are payable on enrolment.--Student fee: £60.00--Staff fee: £60.00--General Public: £120.00

What format does the course take?

This online course is self paced, accessible over two semesters. It is a self-guided course which includes a series of teaching items, interactive activities, dialogues, discussions and quizzes. Within the online discussion forum, you can discuss course content with other students and the course instructor. This course can be completed in full online. However if you prefer, you can avail of weekly support from your tutor via the course discussion forum and as part of group tutorials, which will be online.

What support is available?

The following support mechanisms, which are entirely optional, are available to all students of this course each Thursday evening from 6-7pm.

Online Classroom Tutorials will be held throughout the duration of the course. Topics will be based on content taken directly from the online course. (see contact dates in calendar above)

Virtual Classes for those who prefer to avail of tutor time from home, or those wishing to revise topics, an online tutorial will be delivered on the week following the face-to-face class. These live session will revise the content covered in the previous week’s face-to-face class. (see contact dates in calendar above)

Live Q&A Discussion Forum Sessions 1hr Tutor online Drop-In scheduled sessions. Your language tutor will be available (online at the same time) to answer your question. Join in online from home. (see contact dates in calendar above)

How is the course assessed?

This course is continuously assessed online You will complete a number of online assessment throughout each lesson to test your knowledge as you progress. Lesson 10 is a revision lesson and does not contain any assessment element. You will have unlimited attempts to complete assessments before the course deadline, which is early May. For questions which require manual grading (pronunciation questions), your Spanish Tutor will provide you with feedback and guidance throughout the duration of the course on a number of your submissions, to help you perfect your pronunciation ahead of the final due date.

Are these courses accredited?

A Language Centre at Queen's Certificate will be awarded to all students who pass the module. The pass mark is 50% and student submissions are evaluated based on a number of criteria, including pronunciation, accuracy of vocabulary, grammatical an syntactical accuracy, listening competence and comprehension skills.

Note to QUB Students, language modules (Languages for Specific Purposes) now count towards the University's Degree Plus Award (with Route A recognition being awarded for completion of the advanced module). Degree Plus Award is a new award for Queen’s students designed to provide official recognition of extra-curricular activities including Language Centre language courses which are open to all students whatever their degree subject. Employers are looking for graduates who can demonstrate that they have the skills needed for workplace success – the Degree Plus Award will help you do this!

This certificate is open to undergraduate or postgraduate students from all faculties in the University as well as members of the general public. Students will receive a certificate for completion of each module (Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced). Students who complete all three modules will be awarded a Certificate in Spanish for Business, which is recognised under Route A of the Degree Plus program.

How are course materials accessed?

All course materials are accessible online, via desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile. You will receive an email shortly before the course start date, with instructions on how to login to your course.

Is my registration fee transferrable?

Yes, if you feel after your first class that the level of language is too high/low, you can transfer to another class, provided that there is available space.

What's the refund policy?

All refunds before the start of the course must be requested in writing. Refunds are paid as follows:

Please note EVENTBRITE will charge 6% administration fee on all refunds

Before (and including) 25 September– full refund

26 September to 3 October (inclusive) – 50% refund

No refunds available from 4 October (inclusive)

Refunds are not normally paid after the beginning of classes. Any such request must be made in writing to the Language Centre Manager and must be related to reasons beyond your control and supported by written evidence. These refunds will be at the Language Centre Manager’s discretion. All refunds, where agreed, will be subject to an administrative fee of £10.00 for QUB staff and students and £40 for members of the public.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

You can email any queries you have to [email protected]

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