Language Preparation

“The limits of my language means the limits of my world” are the famous words of the renowned philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.  

Studying or doing a traineeship abroad is a great way to broaden your horizons, including your language skills. Foreign language skills are also often required when applying for jobs. According to VDAB, this is the case in up to 75% of job vacancies.

You can improve your language skills while you are abroad, but it is important to have a basic level before you leave.

On this page, you will find plenty of useful tips to help you improve your language skills. You will also find specific tips for practising French, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Enjoy learning!

Odisee campus Brussel

What language skills do you need?

You can improve your language skills while abroad, but you should already have a basic level before you leave.

The levels are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 

Want to test your level for free? You can do that right now with the free language test via the Online Language Support (OLS) of the European Commission. 

Which language should you learn?

It depends on your exchange and where you are going! You should have a good level of the language you will use during your studies or traineeship. For example, if most of your classes are in English, you need a good level of English. It is also useful to know some basics of one of the national languages of your destination. This will help you manage everyday situations more easily.

How does Odisee support you?

Odisee will reimburse up to €150 of the registration fee for an official language course.

You can apply for reimbursement for a course in:

  • the language you will use during your exchange; or
  • one of the official languages of your host country.

Conditions

Your application for an exchange must be approved by your study programme, in line with the Education and Examination Regulations.

At the end of your language course, you need to provide:

  • proof of payment for the language course;
  • a certificate showing that you successfully completed the course.

Before you go on exchange, you will receive a mandatory online language test. You take this test in the language you will use during your exchange. This is not always the same as the language of your host country.

General Tips for All Languages

Try to incorporate the language into your daily life as much as possible with these tips:  

  • Look

    Watch TV channels, series, movies, … with Dutch subtitles if possible 

  • Listen

    • Listen to podcasts (Spotify, Pocket Casts, etc.), radio shows, audiobooks, audio stories, etc.
    • Listen to audiobooks: https://www.loyalbooks.com/ Use the filter in the left-hand menu to select the correct language. 

  • Read

    Read newspapers (online), magazines, news articles, children’s books, comic books… Subscribe to a newspaper or magazine for at least half a year. > There are discounts on international magazines via 4uCampus. 

  • Practice

    • Use (free) apps: Duolingo, Lingibli, Hell-Hello, Learn 41 Languages – Mondly (partially free), Fun EasyLearn, Tandem (chat and video calls), Memrise, Language Transfer, Busuu, … Compare them and find the one that suits you best. 
    • Learn specific vocabulary related to your programme or field of study. 

  • Talk

    • Chat in Ghent: Join a live conversation at the TaalCafé Mundial, an international meeting place in Ghent where you can practice languages with native speakers and others. 
    • Chat in Brussels: Find a language buddy in Brussels on Patati. Through Patati, you can meet people in Brussels who share your interests but speak a different native language. Practice Dutch in exchange for another language—wherever, whenever, and with whomever you want. 
    • Chat and talk online via the Tandem app.

  • Language Immersion

    Take a summer language course and immerse yourself 

    • CLT through KULeuven 
    • ESL language travel 
    • EF language course 
    • Vacation in the destination country 

French

Read, listen, and watch via the French Documentation Center  

  • Extensive collection of magazines, comic books, children’s books, young adult literature, reference works, and materials about the various regions of France. 
  • The go-to media library for materials about French, France and the French-speaking world.
  • Educational and instructional materials for French as a foreign language for all levels and types of learners.  
Read press articles at Alt128 
Daily language practice in your inbox: Better French Now 
Practical & Everyday French: the “Comme une Française” app (partially free) 
Practice online (grammar): Digischool, Bonjour de France, Français facile, Ortholud, Le Point du FLE, HLRNET 
International French-language streaming app and TV channel: TV5MONDE 

Healthcare terminology:  

English

Podcasts  BBC Radio 4: In Our Time  
Online vocabulary exercises: Using English, BBC Learning English, LearnEnglish British Council 
Free online course Lingoneo 
Daily language practice in your inbox: Improve Your English Now 
Academic Vocabulary: Academic Word List, Academic Collocation List  
Reports (sometimes accompanied by an article or transcript):National Public Radio 

Dictionaries 

Healthcare: 

Website for practicing grammar and academic vocabulary: ExamEnglish 

Websites for practicing grammar: 

Spanish

Listen via News in Slow Spanish (South America), Audiria, Radio Ambulante, Voa Noticias, Podcast from Spain  
Watch videos:Videos 
App: Now Better Spanish 

Online vocabulary exercises: 

Healthcare: medical glossary 

Language Travel: 

Summer course at a Spanish university through UniSpain
Daily language exercises in your inbox: Improve Your Spanish Now 

Portuguese

Practice Online (Paid) Practice Portuguese (from Portugal) 
Apps: Porolingo, Portuguese vocabulary 
Take a course through VivaCultura, which also offers intensive one-on-one instruction 

German

Listen to the news on various topics Deutschlandfunk  

Podcasts Deutschlandfunk.de/podcasts  
App: Better German Now 
Free online course Lingoneo 
Talk: Deutschin Leuven hosts a monthly German Stammtisch, specifically for German: https://www.facebook.com/DeutschKULeuven/  
Learn for free online Deutsch Lernen (grammar) 
Daily language practice inyour inbox: Improve Your German Now

Italian

Read an online newspaper DueParole: articles written in simple Italian, intended for non-native speakers (not always up to date). 
ReadFocus: the website of a pseudoscientific journal featuring many short articles on various topics 
Read Italy’s most widely read newspapers via Corriere della Serra  
Listen to the news and watch video clips on Rai (the state broadcasters' website) 
Online exercises: Let's Learn Italian, Verbix (a verb of your choice is conjugated in all possible tenses) 
Dictionary: Dizionario (check spelling or pronunciation if in doubt)