German or portuguese undergad?

I am thinking of applying to study Spanish and one other language at university, but I'm really struggling to make a choice on what to choose for my ab initio language. I've narrowed it down to German or Portuguese, but even then, I'm not sure.
Does anyone have any opinions? Do they recommend one over the other?
I did German for GCSE and loved it. I got a 9 and I wanted to continue it for A-level, but I wasn't able to do both Spanish and German. It really fascinates me as a language, but culturally less so.
I had a brief stint of learning Portuguese, but it was only Duolingo, so it doesn't really count. I found it pretty difficult, but that's what interests me about it. It is so similar yet so different to Spanish, and culturally, it fascinates me more. I guess it just feels like Portuguese could be more useful? Not that German isn't very useful.

i would like to do my masters in International Relations, and work in an embassy of sorts, or something related to that. I know this seems like more of a rant than a question but if anyone has any thoughts please reply because I'm really torn between the two/

Reply 1

MiaMiaMiana

I have no experience whatsoever but thinking about the world I would say German would be the better option (which kills me as a Portuguese person). You are more likely to encounter people that speak Spanish or German, although there are a lot of people that speak Portuguese it's more likely that they'll speak Spanish or German. So from a usefulness point definitely German. However you could do Portuguese which would give you a skill that is less common and could make you stand out more. I would recommend German though. P.s I know nothing of languages at university level I am just thinking of a wider context. Good luck at university!!

Reply 2

Jane Martine

German definitely - I know a lot of Graduates with German who got great jobs - banking, consultancy, Government fast track schemes etc - I don't think there is the same level of interest in Portuguese 🥺

Reply 3

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Original post

by hanalei24

I am thinking of applying to study Spanish and one other language at university, but I'm really struggling to make a choice on what to choose for my ab initio language. I've narrowed it down to German or Portuguese, but even then, I'm not sure.
Does anyone have any opinions? Do they recommend one over the other?
I did German for GCSE and loved it. I got a 9 and I wanted to continue it for A-level, but I wasn't able to do both Spanish and German. It really fascinates me as a language, but culturally less so.
I had a brief stint of learning Portuguese, but it was only Duolingo, so it doesn't really count. I found it pretty difficult, but that's what interests me about it. It is so similar yet so different to Spanish, and culturally, it fascinates me more. I guess it just feels like Portuguese could be more useful? Not that German isn't very useful.
i would like to do my masters in International Relations, and work in an embassy of sorts, or something related to that. I know this seems like more of a rant than a question but if anyone has any thoughts please reply because I'm really torn between the two/

Hi hanalei24, 👋

It's really great you're interested in studying languages at university. University of Sheffield has a really great BA on Modern Languages and Cultures where you can choose two main languages to study (so this could be Spanish and Portuguese, or Spanish and German, for instance.) If you're interested in learning a little more about this course, you can view the webpage here. I know a few people currently studying in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies, and they love it! 😀

In terms of which ones to choose from, it would really come down to personal preference. If you would prefer to choose Portuguese and you feel you would enjoy it more, then go for that one. However, if you are more concerned with job opportunities after the course, I would be inclined to say German. Having a degree in Spanish and German would open up more job opportunities in different language-speaking countries. While Portuguese would still be very useful, it's very common for people in Portuguese speaking countries to also have some understanding of Spanish, so you could use that when communicating. But German would open up countries that don't have latin languages as their primary ones, such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, to name a few.

I hope this is helpful and good luck making your decision! If you want anymore information about studying at Sheffield, please let me know and I'd be more than happy to help. 😊

Best wishes,
Phoebe
Student Ambassador - PhD in English Literature

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