BA Bulgarian and Yiddish
About this course
Bulgarian and Yiddish is an exceptional pairing that brings together two languages with profoundly different histories, literary traditions, and cultural significances, each of which offers a distinctive window onto the complexity of European and world history. Bulgarian is a South Slavic language and the official language of Bulgaria, with a literary tradition dating back to the medieval period and a culture shaped by the Byzantine inheritance, Ottoman rule, and modern European history. Yiddish, a Germanic language written in Hebrew script and historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities across Central and Eastern Europe, carries a rich literary and cultural heritage, from the medieval period through to the great flowering of Yiddish literature and theatre in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before the Holocaust devastated its speakers. At University College London, this four-year joint honours programme divides equally between Bulgarian and Yiddish. You will study speaking, listening, reading, writing, and translation in both languages, developing genuine communicative competence alongside a deep engagement with the literary, historical, cultural, and political contexts of each language community. Modules range across literature, history, film, linguistics, and politics in both traditions, with a wide variety of options to tailor your degree to your particular interests. In the third year you will spend time abroad split between two countries where your languages are spoken, giving you the extended cultural and linguistic immersion that is essential to reaching genuine fluency. Graduates with expertise in Bulgarian and Yiddish alongside strong analytical and communication skills are well placed for careers in translation and interpreting, international organisations, academic research in Slavic or Jewish studies, journalism, archival and heritage work, cultural diplomacy, and organisations concerned with the history and contemporary life of the communities whose languages you study. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in linguistics, Slavic studies, Jewish studies, or translation.
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