CEUS is home to comprehensive programs in a number of Critical and Less Commonly Taught languages. We provide high-quality language instruction in a range of settings, from interactive classrooms to online courses.
Our languages
Three years of instruction are available in most languages, and fourth-year is an option for many. The language programs are proficiency-oriented and prepare the students for real-life communication in the foreign language, a highly valued professional skill. The cultural learning in our language classes is an integral part of global education.
Languages Offered
Estonian
Finnish
Hungarian
Kazakh
Kurdish
Kyrgyz
Mongolian
Persian
Tibetan
Turkish
Uyghur
Uzbek
The Five Central Eurasian Language Families
The Uralic or Finno-Ugric family includes Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian. It is a unique language family -- totally different from the Germanic, Slavic, or Romance -- in the heart of Europe. Finnish even inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagined Elvish language! The following languages are regularly taught at IU:
- Hungarian
- Finnish
- Estonian
The Turkic family includes not just the Turkish of Turkey, but many languages in Central Asia and even China as well, such as Uzbek, Kazakh, and Uyghur. Almost 150 million people speak one or another Turkic language – and they are all pretty closely related! Turkish is a part of the ROTC Project GO (Global Officers). The following languages are regularly taught at IU:
- Turkish and Ottoman
- Uzbek
- Uyghur
- Kazakh
- Kyrgyz
The Iranian family starts with Persian or Farsi, the language not just of modern Iran, but of poetry, history, and traditional Islamic culture from Turkey to India. We also occasionally teach Tajik, a Central Asian language like Persian but written with the Cyrillic alphabet, and Pashto, the main language of Afghanistan. Persian is a part of the ROTC Project GO (Gobal Officers). The following languages are regularly taught at IU:
- Persian
- Kurdish
Mongolian is the language of Genghis Khan and of the nomadic herders who still pasture their flocks on the Mongolian grasslands. Today Mongolia has become one of the world’s premier off-beat tourist destinations.
Tibetan is the language of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people struggling to preserve their heritage. The language is a gateway into a fascinating Buddhist Himalayan culture, with key links to both China and India.
Register for the Fall 2019 CEUS Placement and Proficiency Exam
Exam date: Friday, August 23
Registration deadline: 5 PM Wednesday, August 21
Send the completed registration form by email to ceus@iu.edu with the subject line "Language Exam."
Registration form can be found here REGISTRATION FORM.
Placement Exams
Placement Exams are required for students entering any CEUS language with previous language experience both formal and informal. Exams are available for the following languages:
- Estonian
- Finnish
- Hungarian
- Kazakh
- Kyrgyz
- Kurdish
- Mongolian
- Pashto
- Persian
- Tibetan
- Turkish
- Uyghur
- Uzbek
- other Central Asian languages depending (Dari, Tajik, etc.)
Undergraduates: May fulfill the undergraduate language requirement by testing through the intermediate level. There is no charge for the exam for any IU student.
Graduate: May fulfill the research language requirement by testing through the Intermediate level. There is no charge for the exam for any IU student.
Proficiency Exams
Undergraduates: May fulfill the undergraduate language requirement by testing out of the intermediate level. There is no charge for the exam for any IU student.
Undergraduate Native Speakers: Beginning April 16, 2012, undergraduate students whose native language is not English and who graduated from high school in a non-English speaking country may fulfill the foreign language requirement by providing documentation. It is no longer necessary for these students to take a proficiency test in their native language. For more information and an application see the College of Arts and Sciences website.
Graduates: May fulfill the research language requirement by testing through the Intermediate level. There is no charge for the exam for any IU student.
Non-IU students
Non-IU students may take an exam to demonstrate proficiency. Exams can be scheduled throughout the year. A $125 fee will be accessed for this service. For more information contact the Department at 812-855-2233 or ceuslc@iu.edu.
The Department maintains a list of students available for translation work.
For more information contact the Department at 812-855-2233 or ceus@iu.edu.