The interest in learning Spanish in Asia has increased dramatically in the past few years, particularly in the context of tertiary education where Spanish programmes have seen an unprecedented growth in number and size in the last decade. The University of Hong Kong was the pioneer in offering Spanish courses at university level and the last few years have seen a remarkable increase in the number of students choosing Spanish as part of their university degree. The Spanish Section currently offers a Major and Minor Programme for undergraduate students as well as a non-credit bearing programme open to undergraduate and postgraduate students at HKU.
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY SPANISH
- Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world, only behind Mandarin and English, and it is in second place in terms of native speakers. It is spoken by more than 500 million people.
- Spanish is the second most employed language for international communication in the world and it is also one of the official languages in the United Nations and affiliated organizations.
- Spanish is the third most used language on internet and is ranked second in two of the most widely used social networks in the world (Facebook and Twitter).
- Spain is the third most popular tourist destination in the world. Many visitors combine tourism with learning the language, which can open doors to work and travel in the 21 countries where Spanish is the official language.
- Don Quijote de la Mancha by Cervantes is the second most translated book in the world after the Bible. Other famous writers in the Spanish-speaking world are Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende or Jorge Luis Borges.
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY SPANISH AT HKU
- HKU has been a pioneer in the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language in Hong Kong. The Spanish Programme began in 1993 and has been growing ever since.
- HKU is the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong offering a Major programme in Spanish.
- HKU students have access to credit-earning internships in Spanish-speaking institutions such as Chambers of Commerce, Consulates, and other companies.
- HKU has exchange agreements with various universities in Spanish-speaking countries:
- In Spain: Autonomous University of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Navarra, Nebrija University and University of Alicante.
- In Mexico: Tecnológico de Monterrey (with 33 campuses) and University of Monterrey.
- In Chile: Pontificia Católica Universidad de Chile.
- In Uruguay: University of Montevideo.
- HKU has the support of many Spanish-speaking institutions (for example, 7 consulates) in Hong Kong, collaborating in the organization of cultural events, providing awards for deserving students and generally helping in the promotion of the Spanish language and culture.
