World Languages

Would you like to be able to communicate in another language? Are you interested in learning about other cultures or your own family or community heritage? Do you want to explore real-world language use and cultural resources?

Why study a language at HFC?

Studying a language involves much more than grammar and sentence structure. At HFC, we focus on communication and cultural competences, encouraging meaningful language production to fit real-world contexts. You will speak, listen, read, and write in another language while gaining a sense of cultural awareness that many academic institutions and employers require. We offer opportunities for you to build proficiency in American Sign Language, Arabic, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, with multiple levels of courses for each language.

What are my options for language courses and programs?

A woman standing in front of a white board.
  • American Sign Language
  • Arabic
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Spanish

What are my career opportunities?

A group of people sitting around a desk.
  • Adding a language as a major or a minor to another program at a 4-year institution expands your career prospects
  • Bilingual and multilingual employees can be compensated at a higher level than their peers
  • Being bilingual or multilingual helps connect to patients, clients, and students in many career fields, including areas such as automotive, health and medical, business, social services, law enforcement, athletics, education, and more
  • HFC’s language courses serve as the foundation for continuing education for interpreters and translators

What are my placement and transfer options?

A group of students sitting.
  • A year of high school language study is generally the equivalent of one semester of college
  • All 131, 132, 231 and 232 courses, as well as ASL-135, count toward the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) Category 5
  • ARA 130 is designed to teach the Arabic alphabet and basic conversational skills, and serves as the pre-requisite for ARA 131. This course does not transfer to most institutions
  • ASL-130 and SPN-130 do not qualify as program requirements for language courses or the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA), but do qualify for the Category 4 General Education requirement for HFC programs
  • Please note that the Learn4ward guaranteed transfer agreements include all credit hours earned at HFC

Faculty

Lists the faculty associated with this program and their contact information.

Maggie Rutkowski, M.A.
World Languages - FT Faculty
mrutkowski2@hfcc.edu
313-317-6887