Do I need prior Turkish to enrol in the Diploma in Turkish Language?

No. The standard route starts from beginner level. Applicants with prior Turkish sit a short placement test and are offered an accelerated entry route. Heritage speakers without certification confirm their level at interview for the Diploma in Turkish Language.

Does the Diploma in Turkish Language cover the cultural and political context of Turkey?

Yes. Current-affairs seminars and culture modules are built in. The Diploma in Turkish Language treats cultural literacy as part of working professional competence — politics, economics, EU-Turkey relations, the Cyprus question, regional dynamics.

Can I take the Diploma in Turkish Language online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus syllabus with live tutor sessions, recorded grammar lectures and structured speaking practice in small groups. Distance learners follow the same outcomes with milestone-based deadlines.

Will the Diploma in Turkish Language lead to a Yunus Emre Institute certificate?

The course tracks Yunus Emre Institute standards but the institute administers its own external examinations. Many graduates of the Diploma in Turkish Language sit those exams shortly after completing the Diploma at LSJHML.

Is the Diploma in Turkish Language suitable for translators?

Yes — at junior level. The translation laboratory builds the working translation skills entry-level employers expect. For full professional translator status, CIOL offers separate qualifications that pair well with this Diploma.

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

Course Overview

The Diploma in Turkish Language at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification that takes beginners and intermediate learners of Turkish to a confident working level — the point at which a UK firm with Turkey operations, an NGO running programmes in the region, or a postgraduate department would take you seriously as a junior user of the language.

The course is aligned with Yunus Emre Institute standards and the Chartered Institute of Linguists' professional-use framework. By the end you will be reading Hürriyet or Cumhuriyet with confidence, holding a working-pace meeting in Turkish, and translating short news and business texts in both directions.

Key Features

Yunus Emre Institute-aligned curriculum covering beginner to upper-intermediate Turkish.
Translation laboratory covering news, business and short policy texts in both directions.
Turkish current-affairs seminars grounded in current Turkish-language press across the political spectrum.
Business-Turkish module — meeting protocol, formal correspondence, contract vocabulary.
Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online, or distance learning with tutor support.
Credit-transfer pathway into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in Turkish Language is structured around the working practice of a professional user of Turkish. You graduate able to hold a substantive conversation in Turkish, translate a short text in either direction, and read the cultural and political context that distinguishes working professional fluency from holiday Turkish.

Turkish grammar — agglutination, vowel harmony, evidential mood, complex morphology.
Reading the Turkish-language press across the political spectrum.
Translation theory and practice — register, equivalence, cultural transposition.
Business Turkish — meeting protocol, formal correspondence, contract vocabulary.
Listening for working speed — broadcast news, podcasts, recorded business meetings.
Composition — essays, briefings, summaries in Turkish to a working standard.
Turkish current affairs — politics, economics, EU-Turkey relations, the Cyprus question.
Cross-cultural communication between the UK and Turkey.

Who This Diploma Is For

Beginner and intermediate Turkish learners ready to step up to a recognised UK credential.
Heritage speakers wanting a structured UK qualification for the professional market.
Working professionals in trade, finance or NGO work who need a credential for a Turkey-facing role.
Translators and interpreters adding Turkish to an existing language portfolio.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Diploma in Turkish Language move into junior translation, area-analyst and bilingual support roles across UK and international employers. Typical first or next roles include:

Turkish Translator (junior, in-house or agency)
Turkey Markets Analyst (consultancy, trade body)
Bilingual Communications Specialist (firm with Turkey operations)
Foreign Service Officer (Turkey desk, government or NGO)
Turkish-speaking Account Manager (UK firm with Turkish customer base)
Area Researcher (think tank, NGO)

The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for the Advanced Diploma, a Bachelor's degree top-up in Turkish or Middle East Studies, or a Master's in Translation or Area Studies.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary school (A-Levels, BTEC, or international equivalent).
No prior Turkish required for the standard route; accelerated entry for applicants with prior Turkish.
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.