Classes & certificates

Master the basics of German: numbers, the alphabet, introducing yourself, and having simple conversations while learning about German culture. We use an integrated approach that will quickly have you speaking and writing. No prerequisites.

Refine and deepen your ability to discuss past events. Learn the future and conditional tenses, and become familiar with the subjunctive mood. Polish your verbal communication skills as you discuss education, the workplace and cultures of the Hispanic world.

Italian 1 is designed for beginning learners who wish to gain practical knowledge of the Italian language and familiarize themselves with Italian culture. Learn the vocabulary and grammar necessary to communicate effectively in key social situations and while traveling.

Continue to learn German conversation and grammar in a fun and relaxed environment. Polish your German listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and learn while you learn about the history and traditions of German-speaking people. Prerequisites: German 3 or instructor's consent.

This practical high-beginner's course blends the best practices of our in-person instruction with active online learning outside the classroom. Improve your ability to converse about more topics in the present tense, take your first steps in the past tense and grow your comprehension skills.

Explore the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world with this beginning-level language class. Master the basics of Spanish with a proven communicative approach that combines our popular in-person class with robust online resources to keep you learning between classes.

This highly practical intermediate course will review the Spanish past tenses while teaching you to converse about celebrations, traditions and festivities in the Spanish-speaking world.

Open to anyone who wants to study French for reading and translation. We cover essential grammar and vocabulary to provide knowledge that is especially useful for students preparing for the French graduate-level reading knowledge exam.

Open to all students who want to study German for translation. Great for meeting graduate program language requirements or for genealogy work. Key skills you'll learn include taking advantage of similarities between English and German, expert dictionary use and recognizing easy grammar cues.

Offered three times a year and open to all, this course on Italian reading and translation covers the essential grammar and vocabulary to prepare you for your Italian graduate-level translation exam or other research. When you have completed this course, you will have a solid foundation in the Italian language.

Develop the skills you need to read and accurately translate Spanish texts to English, using texts from various disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Start with the basics and work your way through more challenging grammatical concepts that appear in the scholarly texts you translate.

Benefit from all of the materials in our basic course with additional interactive exercises, 60 percent more instructor-graded translations, more advanced readings and a final capstone project tailored to your academic or professional field. Hone your Spanish-to-English translation skills.

These translation exams test reading knowledge of French, German, Italian or Spanish and meet the requirements of UW–Madison graduate programs. Register at least one week prior to your chosen exam date. No refunds after registration. Honorlock will proctor these exams.

Struggling with French pronunciation? Want to become more comfortable speaking French? This six-lesson online course contains clear explanations, practice exercises and sets of drills to help you understand and refine the fundamentals of French pronunciation with one-on-one feedback from your instructor. Enrollment is ongoing; you’ll have two months to complete the course. A great preparation or review! No prerequisite needed. Audiobook: "Secrets of French Pronunciation" by Camille Chevalier-Karfis. Please contact your instructor for purchase information.

One of the best ways to improve your spoken Spanish is by improving your writing. Learn to tell your story in a well-written narrative. A Spanish writing expert guides you through those tricky past tenses, gives you personalized feedback and helps you compose better sentences and paragraphs.

This refresher course has something for everyone. Brush up your Spanish writing by eliminating common errors while gaining better skills. Perfect the use of written accent marks, articles, gender, word order and tricky verb conjugations. Gain confidence by learning to proofread your own writing.

In as little as six months, greatly improve your professional proficiency in Spanish and gain the cultural knowledge you need to conduct business in Spain and Latin America. Learn to communicate professionally via email, telephone, video conferencing and in-person.

Join other Francophiles as you learn the basics of French with listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Learn to introduce yourself, use numbers and talk about cities, hotels and travel. Textbook and workbook required.

Build your vocabulary as you improve your ability to converse in the present tense and become familiar with past tenses. Practice conversing while learning relevant cultural information.

Refine and deepen your ability to converse in the past and future tenses as you discuss families, work, travel and customs in France and the Francophone world. Prerequisite: French 2.