Cardiff University students gain access to new interactive Language Hub

This March, Senghennydd Library hosted the launch of an exciting new Languages Hub open to all students who are learning a language at Cardiff University.

The Language Hub is a dedicated learning zone for students' independent language learning, and is an initiative instigated by the University's Languages for All team.Languages for All (LfA) offers undergraduates and postgraduates at Cardiff University the opportunity to improve their language skills alongside their chosen course of study.*

The hub, which is open to LfA students and all other languages students, offers a comfortable space to use a wide selection of resources which include foreign language newspapers and magazines, language-learning packs and reference works.

The library also stocks a number of films in languages other than English, and learners can either watch them individually using one of the hub's six PCs and headsets, or with other language students on the large flat-screen TV and DVD player. The computers can be utilised in a variety of ways to increase language learning including: using the language resources on the University's virtual learning environment Learning Central; reading online newspapers or websites in other languages; watching videos, listening to the radio from different countries or keeping up-to-date with language learning blogs.

Dr Catherine Chabert, Director of Languages for All, stresses the importance of independent study for language students: "Self-studying forms an integral part of language learning – this is when you consolidate what you have learnt through practising, listening, reading or by watching a foreign film in its original version. I am pleased that we now have a dedicated space for Languages for All students."

The Language Hub will also be used as a meeting place for LfA's Language Exchange Scheme, a pilot programme where advanced students can practise the language they are learning with native or advanced speakers. Besides giving students an opportunity to use the language they are learning outside the classroom, the scheme also gives non-LfA students the chance to meet new people, and practise either their English or another language in exchange.

The Language Hub will also be used later this year as an access point for LfA's online independent self-study courses, allowing students to utilise the latest resources and technology to improve their language skills.

The Language Hub is located inside Senghennydd Library, and is open to all students studying languages. Please ask a librarian if you wish to book the room for groups.

For further information on the Language Hub and independent study, please contact Languages for All at languagesforall@cardiff.ac.uk, or call 02920 875602. You can also visit their Drop-In Centre at the School for Modern Languages from Monday – Friday from 9:00 to 17:00, and at the Global Opportunity Centre on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 14:00 to 17:00.

* The Languages for All scheme is open to students carrying out a degree at Cardiff University. Those studying towards a certificate or diploma are not eligible.