Language Courses
Dive into the multilingual world of SEA-EU, where over 90% of students bring English skills, and nearly half are familiar with Spanish, French, and German. While Polish and Croatian expand our linguistic horizons, we’re enhancing language learning opportunities across the alliance. Following the addition of new partners in 2022, Italian, Norwegian and Portuguese were added to our pool of languages. With courses in national languages and specialised programs, we’re committed to broadening linguistic competencies, embracing Croatian, French, German, Maltese, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Italian and English, enriching our community’s global communication and cultural understanding.
Virtual Tandem Language Exchange
The SEA-EU Virtual Tandem Language Exchange is a program that pairs participants with native or near-native speakers for one-on-one language practice, enhancing speaking and listening skills.
What are the benefits of participating in our SEA-EU Virtual Tandem Language Exchange?
- You can improve your speaking and listening skills hands-on.
- You have access to native speakers from across the SEA-EU Alliance.
- You get to define what you want to learn, when and how … flexibly.
- You have the option of meeting your partner virtually as well as physically, depending on your location.
- You can get to make friends and learn about a new culture.
- And most importantly: Just have fun!
Virtual Language Courses
The SEA-EU Virtual Language Courses is an activity based on the principle of reciprocity. Below, we list courses offered by each SEA-EU partner university to participants from other partner universities.
We strengthen our alliance by coordinating and maintaining an up-to-date list of language courses. Thereby, SEA-EU students and staff can obtain centrally all the information needed for enrolment into these online courses. The list is updated regularly as new courses become available.
Conditions of enrolment:
- The course offers are meant for SEA-EU Alliance Universities’ students and staff: Registration is only considered if made with a valid institutional email address.
- No ECTS credits will be awarded.
- A certificate of participation will be issued, upon attendance to >75% of the course.
- An evaluation of the course by participants is appreciated at the end.
- Registration is binding.
- No guaranteed spots.
We strongly encourage participants to self-assess their current language skills and check the course content description and/or learning outcomes of each course prior to registration.
New Virtual Language Courses
Portuguese Language Course (A1.1)
An introductory Portuguese course for participants with no prior knowledge of the language, focused on basic communicative and grammatical structures for everyday and academic situations.
Target group: University staff (academic)
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours
Enrolment deadline: October 6th
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: None
Course teacher: Sara Vitorino Fernandez
Contact person / Information: svfernandez@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: 09:00–11:00 (Portugal time) / 10:00–12:00 (CET)
Dates: 13 October to 5 November 2026 (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Delivery mode: Online
Detailed description
By the end of this course, using basic grammatical and communicative structures, participants will be able to interact (orally and in writing) using familiar words and basic sentences to describe personal details and simple academic situations; write short context-driven texts including time, date and place; and fill in forms with personal information.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Greet others
- Share personal details
- Enquire about and state the time, and talk about locations
- Discuss daily habits and routines
A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
Mediating Specialised Discourse in English (2nd edition)
A course designed to develop participants’ skills in mediating specialised knowledge for academic outreach contexts, with a focus on audience-aware communication to enhance knowledge transfer and accessibility.
Target group: Master’s and PhD students, lecturers, and researchers in marine sciences
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours (2 sessions per week × 2 hours)
Enrolment deadline: September 29th
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: B1 (CEFR)
Course teacher: Sandra Isabel Rodrigues
Contact person / Information: siprodrigues@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays
Dates: 6 October to 27 October 2026
Delivery mode: Fully online (synchronous sessions)
Detailed description
This 15-hour course develops participants’ ability to activate discourse and language-use strategies to mediate specialised vocabulary, terminology and phraseology according to audience and communicative purpose. The course adopts a discourse-centred and action-oriented approach, combining discourse-focused activities (reception, mediation) with action-oriented scenarios (interaction, production), and is based on CEFR 2020 guidelines for language mediation.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Apply discourse strategies to mediate specialised vocabulary, terminology and phraseology for diverse audiences
- Adapt communication (language, style and register) to suit specific purposes and audiences in academic outreach contexts
- Clarify complex concepts through paraphrasing, reformulation, and the use of synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms and hyponyms
- Facilitate understanding through comparisons, metaphors, analogies and examples
- Transform and adapt specialised texts across genres and registers (e.g., adapting a research paper for a public audience)
A certificate of attendance will be awarded upon satisfactory participation and attendance.
English for Conference Presentations
A course for university staff aiming to deliver clear, well-structured presentations at academic and professional conferences in English at an independent-user level (B1): structuring a presentation, using audience-appropriate academic English, describing research with precision, managing visual aids, and handling audience questions with intercultural awareness.
Target group: University staff (academic)
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours (10 lessons × 1.5 h)
Enrolment deadline: October 27th
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: B1 (CEFR)
Course teacher: Vanessa Oliveira
Contact person / Information: vonunes@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays (November); Thursdays only (December), 17:30–19:00 (Portugal time) / 18:30–20:00 (CET)
Dates: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 Nov; 3, 10 Dec 2026
Delivery mode: Remote learning (online)
Technical requirements: Laptop/PC with stable internet connection, camera and microphone
Detailed description
By the end of this course, university staff will be able to deliver clear, well-structured presentations at academic and professional conferences in English at an independent-user level (B1): structuring a presentation; using clear, audience-appropriate academic English; describing research aims, methods and results with precision; managing visual aids (slides, charts); and handling audience questions, with intercultural awareness.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Open a presentation: introduce themselves, the topic and its relevance; state aims
- Structure, signpost, sequence and transition between sections
- Describe research aims, methods and procedures
- Present and interpret data; describe trends; compare results
- Highlight key findings and make cautious claims (hedging)
- Explain visuals (slides, charts) and direct audience attention
- Handle questions: clarify, reformulate and respond diplomatically
- Network and deliver a short pitch
- Show intercultural awareness with international audiences
A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
English for Professional Settings
A practical English course designed to help participants communicate effectively in professional and workplace situations at an independent-user level (B1): describing academic background, skills and experience; handling job interviews; writing CVs and professional statements; and developing intercultural awareness in recruitment contexts.
Target group: General (SEA-EU students and staff)
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours (10 lessons × 1.5 h)
Enrolment deadline: September 22nd
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: B1 (CEFR)
Course teacher: Vanessa Oliveira
Contact person / Information: vonunes@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 17:30–19:00 (Portugal time) / 18:30–20:00 (CET)
Dates: 29 Sep; 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29 Oct 2026
Delivery mode: Remote learning (online)
Technical requirements: Laptop/PC with stable internet connection, camera and microphone
Detailed description
By the end of this course, participants will be able to communicate effectively in professional and workplace situations in English at an independent-user level (B1): describing their academic background, skills and experience; answering and asking interview questions with appropriate register; writing concise CV entries and short professional statements; using workplace vocabulary; and showing awareness of intercultural expectations in recruitment.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Introduce themselves and describe their role, responsibilities, background, skills and experience
- Describe achievements using the STAR structure (Situation–Task–Action–Result)
- Answer common and behavioural interview questions with appropriate register
- Ask relevant and politely framed questions during interviews
- Make and soften requests; express opinions and disagree diplomatically
- Write CV entries, cover letters and professional statements
- Write professional emails (requests, follow-up)
- Demonstrate intercultural awareness in recruitment contexts
A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
Practical English for Administrative Work with Legal English Elements
The course aims to integrate SEA-EU administration into the internationalization process, improve the quality of service for international clients, build an open and inclusive organizational culture, and increase the university’s attractiveness in the international market.
Total workload: 20 hours (10 meetings)
Class size: 25 participants
To apply: Register before 17.05.2026
More info
The course aims to integrate SEA-EU administration into the internationalization process, improve the quality of service for international clients, build an open and inclusive organizational culture, and increase the university’s attractiveness in the international market. The curriculum will focus on administrative terminology, client service, business correspondence, organizing meetings, and document management, as well as enhancing formal communication skills. Additionally, the programme will be supplemented with selected basic elements of Legal English relevant to everyday administrative work.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- communicate effectively in English in administrative and international settings
- use administrative and basic legal English vocabulary in professional communication
- write formal business correspondence and emails in English
- discuss topics related to university administration and higher education
- apply formal English structures used in administrative communication
- communicate professionally in multicultural environments and support international cooperation
Additional details:
- Technical Requirements: Laptop/PC with a stable Internet connection, a camera and a microphone.
- Classes will be held via Microsoft Teams.
- A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
- Applicants will receive feedback regarding their qualification status (accepted or not accepted) on 18 May 2026.
- Participants who are accepted to the course will also receive detailed further instructions, including organizational information and course access details, prior to the start of the course.
Start-End Date/ Time: 21.05.2026-26.06.2026
21.05.26 12:00-13:30
22.05.26 10:00-11:30
28.05.26 12:00-13:30
29.05.26 10:00-11:30
11.06.26 12:00-13:30
12.06.26 10:00-11:30
18.06.26 12:00-13:30
19.06.26 10:00-11:30
25.06.26 12:00-13:30
26.06.26 10:00-11:30
The initiative is implemented as part of the project “Support for synergistic and complementary activities of the SEA-EU 2.0 project – SEA-nergy”, which is part of the NAWA program “Support for European University Alliances”, funded by the European Funds for Social Development.
Workshop: Framing citation in academic texts 2
Workshop: Framing citation in academic texts
Target group: Academic staff
Prerequisites: C1 Advanced level in English
Start-End Date/ Time: 2 workshops of 3-hour duration each to take place as follows:
- 2nd Workshop: 29th May 2026 (9.00-12.00)
More info
Workshop: Framing citation in academic texts
Target group: Academic staff
Prerequisites: C1 Advanced level in English
Course offered by: Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology, University of Malta
Course teacher: Dr Natalie Schembri
Contact person/ Information: sea-eu@um.edu.mt / natalie.schembri@um.edu.mt
Detailed description: Virtual English Language Course from UM in advanced level citation skills in academic texts
Start-End Date/ Time: 2 workshops of 3-hour duration each to take place as follows:
- 2nd Workshop: 29th May 2026 (9.00-12.00)
Course Content:
By the end of each course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the concept of framing in citation
- Analyse citations in academic texts across a given set of parameters
- Write effective citations in academic texts in line with accepted practices in their disciplines
- Write citations that strengthen their textual voice in citation environments
Additional details:
- Technical Requirements: Laptop/PC with a stable Internet connection, a camera and a microphone.
- Workshops will be held via Zoom
- Total workload: These would be equivalent to two 3-hour workshops
- Class size: 12 participants
To apply:
- 2nd Workshop: 29th May 2026 https://forms.gle/SL1Z45PixdnmqzDU9
- Registration deadline: 15th May 2026
Attendance commitment: As places are limited to 12 participants, registration implies a commitment to attend both workshop sessions. If you are unable to attend, please inform us at the earliest opportunity so that your place may be offered to a colleague.
Participants will be notified 3 days before the course and receive connection details 2-3 days before the start of the course.
German C1 intensive course
Title: German C1 intensive course
Target group: Students and/or staff
Prerequisites: B2 German – Language level will be based on the CAU placement test
Course offered by: German as foreign language department, Kiel University
Course teacher: Svenja Schilling
Contact person/ Information: schilling@zfs.uni-kiel.de
Detailed description: German C1 intensive course
Start-End Date/ Time: 20 July – 14 August 2026
In Kiel, in person, 5 days per week 09:00 – 13:30
Application deadline: 31 May 2026
More info
Course Content:
The course is based on a textbook and covers a complete proficiency level. Skill-based tests are administered, and upon successful completion, participants can earn 10 ECTS credits and qualify for the next level in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF)
For ECTS recognition, please contact your study programme coordinator at your home university.
Additional details:
- This course is part of a summer school taking place at Kiel University.
- A placement test will be offered to confirmed participants prior to travelling to Kiel.
- Course cost, which includes the textbook, materials, opening and closing gathering and costs related to activities of the course, will be covered by Kiel University (only relevant for non-CAU participants)
- Travel, accommodation and other expenses should be covered by the participants.
Total workload: 10 ECTS
Class size: max. 20
To apply: Email apply-seaeu@uv.uni-kiel.de to express interest after having secured funding for their travel and accomodation.
Register before 15 May 2026
German B2 intensive course
Title: German B2 intensive course
Target group: Students and/or staff
Prerequisites: B1 German – Language level will be based on the CAU placement test
Course offered by: German as foreign language department, Kiel University
Course teacher: Svenja Schilling
Contact person/ Information: schilling@zfs.uni-kiel.de
Detailed description: German B2 intensive course
Start-End Date/ Time: 20 July – 14 August 2026
In Kiel, in person, 5 days per week 09:00 – 13:30
Application deadline: 31 May 2026
More info
Course Content:
The course is based on a textbook and cover a complete proficiency level. Skill-based tests are administered, and upon successful completion, participants can earn 10 ECTS credits and qualify for the next level in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF)
For ECTS recognition, please contact your study programme coordinator at your home university.
Additional details:
- This course is part of a summer school taking place at Kiel University.
- A placement test will be offered to confirmed participants prior to travelling to Kiel.
- Course cost, which includes the textbook, materials, opening and closing gathering and costs related to activities of the course, will be covered by Kiel University (only relevant for non-CAU participants)
- Travel, accommodation and other expenses should be covered by the participants.
Total workload: 10 ECTS
Class size: max. 20
To apply: Email apply-seaeu@uv.uni-kiel.de to express interest after having secured funding for your travel and accomodation.
Register before 15 May 2026
German B1 intensive course
Title: German B1 intensive course
Target group: Students and/or staff
Prerequisites: A2 German – Language level will be based on the CAU placement test
Course offered by: German as foreign language department, Kiel University
Course teacher: Svenja Schilling
Contact person/ Information: schilling@zfs.uni-kiel.de
Detailed description: German B1 intensive course
Start-End Date/ Time: 20 July – 14 August 2026
In Kiel, in person, 5 days per week 09:00 – 13:30
Application Deadline: 31 May 2026
More info
Course Content:
The course is based on a textbook and cover a complete proficiency level. Skill-based tests are administered, and upon successful completion, participants can earn 10 ECTS credits and qualify for the next level in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF)
For ECTS recognition, please contact your study programme coordinator at your home university.
Additional details:
- This course is part of a summer school taking place at Kiel University.
- A placement test will be offered to confirmed participants prior to travel to Kiel.
- Course cost, which includes the textbook, materials, opening and closing gathering and costs related to activities of the course, will be covered by Kiel University (only relevant for non-CAU participants)
- Travel, accommodation and other expenses should be covered by the participants.
Total workload: 10 ECTS
Class size: max. 20
To apply: Email apply-seaeu@uv.uni-kiel.de to express interest after having secured funding for your travel and accomodation.
Register before 15 May 2026
Academic English for Developing Readers and Writers 2
Duration: 7 weeks Contact Hours: 2 hours/week (14 hours total)
Start-End Date/ Time: Thursdays, from 26 March to 21 May 2026 (09:00–11:00)
Target group:
- Students with intermediate knowledge of English (B2 – C1 CEFR), who already possess basic reading/writing strategies but require structured training in critical thinking, academic argumentation, and essay writing.
- Learners preparing for undergraduate studies in humanities, sciences, or social sciences.
Prerequisites: B2 – C1 CEFR
Register before Friday 20th March 2026
More info
Course offered by: International School for Foundation Studies – University of Malta
Course teacher: Prof Ruth Bellizzi
Contact person/ Information: ruth.bellizzi@um.edu.mt
Detailed description: This course builds on the foundations of academic English introduced in Academic English Foundations and aims to equip students with the reading and writing skills necessary to engage critically with academic texts and to produce structured academic essays. Through guided practice, students will learn how to construct arguments, integrate sources, and develop their academic voice. The course also strengthens oral communication skills, particularly in discussions and presentations, encouraging students to present reasoned arguments supported by evidence. The course emphasises strategies for critical reading, essay writing, and effective oral communication. It is designed to prepare students for more advanced academic demands at undergraduate level.
Participants will be notified 3 days before the course and receive connection details 2-3 days before the start of the course.
For further information kindly view this document.
Workshop 1: Framing citation in academic texts
Target group: Academic staff
Prerequisites: C1 Advanced level in English
Start-End Date/ Time: a workshops of 3-hour duration to take place as follows: 1st Workshop: 24th April 2026 (9.00-12.00)
Registration deadline: 10th April 2026
More info
Course offered by: Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology, University of Malta
Course teacher: Dr Natalie Schembri
Contact person/ Information: sea-eu@um.edu.mt / natalie.schembri@um.edu.mt
Course Content:
By the end of each course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the concept of framing in citation
- Analyse citations in academic texts across a given set of parameters
- Write effective citations in academic texts in line with accepted practices in their disciplines
- Write citations that strengthen their textual voice in citation environments
Additional details:
- Technical Requirements: Laptop/PC with a stable Internet connection, a camera and a microphone.
- Workshops will be held via Zoom
- Total workload: These would be equivalent to two 3-hour workshops
- Class size: 12 participants
For further information kindly view this document
Attendance commitment: As places are limited to 12 participants, registration implies a commitment to attend both workshop sessions. If you are unable to attend, please inform us at the earliest opportunity so that your place may be offered to a colleague.
Participants will be notified 3 days before the course and receive connection details 2-3 days before the start of the course.
Specialised English: University environment
Specialised English conversation course with a lexical focus on the university environment, at an intermediate–advanced level. The course has been specifically designed within the framework of the SEA-EU Virtual Language Platform programme.
More info
Spanish A1.2
Intensive beginners course:
1. Describing people: appearance and personality.
2. Talking about habits and daily routines.
3. Talking about likes, dislikes and preferences.
4. Talking about family and friends.
5. Present tense (irregulars verbs).
6. Making comparisons in Spanish.
7. Basic Spanish prepositions.
