What French level do I need to enrol in the Diploma in French Language?

B1 (intermediate) on entry, assessed at application. The Diploma takes you to B2 (upper-intermediate) by completion. Students entering at lower levels are typically routed to the Certificate in French Language first.

Does the Diploma in French Language cover Quebec French?

Standard metropolitan French is the teaching variant; Quebec, Belgian, Swiss and Francophone African variations are addressed in the cultural literacy strand. Students with specific Quebec or African work interests can build their translation portfolio in that variant with tutor sign-off.

Is the Diploma in French Language recognised by Alliance Française?

The course is aligned with Alliance Française reading and listening materials and prepares students well for DELF and DALF examinations, which are sat separately. The Diploma is a UK higher-education qualification at Level 4.

Can the Diploma in French Language be done online?

Yes. Live tutorials run in UK working hours with recordings; distance learners set their own pace within deadlines. Speaking assessments are conducted by video. Heritage speakers and students based abroad are well accommodated.

Does the Diploma in French Language prepare me for CIOL DipTrans?

DipTrans (Diploma in Translation, CIOL) is a postgraduate-level translation examination. The Diploma in French Language builds the language base; CIOL DipTrans typically sits two qualifications later, after the Advanced Diploma or Bachelor's. The Diploma is the right starting point on that pathway.

Diploma in French Language in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in French Language at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification that takes intermediate French speakers to upper-intermediate (B2) standard for working use in translation, business and public-service contexts. You will read French news and commercial text at speed, write structured French at professional level, and speak with confidence in meetings, presentations and bilingual encounters.

French remains one of the most useful working languages in UK and international organisations — and one of the most widely taught at school but underdeveloped after. The Diploma is designed to take that base and push it to a level employers actually pay for.

Key Features

Career-ready UK qualification at Level 4 — nine to twelve months full-time, twelve to eighteen months part-time.
CEFR B2-aligned assessment design across reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Translation portfolio module — short news, commercial and public-service text FR-EN and EN-FR.
Francophone business and public-service strand — France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (Québec), Francophone Africa.
Alliance Française-aligned reading and listening materials, refreshed annually.
Top-up route into LSJHML's Advanced Diploma and Bachelor's degree in modern languages.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in French Language is structured around the upper-intermediate French an employer actually values — reading complex source material accurately, writing structured text at professional level, and speaking with the cultural awareness Francophone settings require.

Advanced grammar — subjunctive, conditional, complex tenses, register, formal/informal address.
Reading — news French (Le Monde, Libération), commercial correspondence, short literary text.
Listening — French broadcast (France 24, RFI, Radio France) at native speed.
Speaking — formal presentation, meeting French, structured discussion.
Writing — reports, summaries, professional emails, short translation.
Translation — FR-EN and EN-FR across news and commercial text.
Francophone cultural literacy — France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and Francophone Africa.
Sociolinguistic awareness — registers, regional variation, the politics of French.

Who This Diploma Is For

Intermediate French speakers (B1) wanting to push to upper-intermediate (B2) for working use.
Working professionals using French ad-hoc who need a recognised UK credential to underwrite progression.
Heritage speakers wanting formal academic French and a credible UK qualification.
Career-changers entering translation, French-language sales or public-service roles.

Career Pathways

Diploma in French Language graduates move into junior translation, bilingual editorial and customer-facing roles where French is a daily working language. Typical roles include:

Junior French Translator (agency roster, in-house at a multilingual organisation)
Bilingual Editor (FR/EN at a content publisher or trade title)
French Teacher (CIOL-registered — adult education, private tuition, primary supplementary)
Localisation Specialist (software, e-commerce, gaming with Francophone markets)
French-speaking Customer Relations (international firm, professional services)
Foreign Service Officer (entry-level, embassy or consulate roles requiring French)

The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for LSJHML's Advanced Diploma and Bachelor's top-up in modern languages.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary school (A-Levels, BTEC, or international equivalent).
French at B1 level or above on entry (assessed at application).
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement.
Mature applicants (21+) may apply with two years of relevant work experience.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.