Study a Language | Language Resource Center

Language Resource Center

Study a Language

Columbia University students are able to study over 50 languages. Browse the listings below to discover the wide range of opportunities for language study on and off campus.

Explore Our Languages

A background of Akkadian cuneiform script carved into dark stone.

A magnified image of illustrated funereal rites written in hieroglyphs on a papyrus scroll.

Ancient Egyptian

A section of illuminated manuscript featuring a decorative rectangular banner with intricate geometric patterns, surrounded by arabic calligraphy.

Three lines of Aramaic text written in ink on a sheet of parchment.

A woman wearing traditional Armenian dress stares at the viewer in front of a nondescript background.

An image of the Shaheed Minar monument in Bangladesh, adorned with wreaths of orange flowers and Bengali banners in front of its white columns and large red circle.

A scenic view of the historic Stari Most bridge in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, spanning a vibrant turquoise river surrounded by old stone buildings.

Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian

An elevated view of golden and white Buddhist pagodas in Myanmar overlooking a river and misty landscape.

A vibrant close-up of Cantonese opera performers wearing elaborate, colorful costumes and ornate headdresses surrounded by decorative flags.

A close-up of Antoni Gaudí's sculptural chimneys on the rooftop of Casa Milà in Barcelona, set against a bright blue sky and a mosaic-patterned wall.

Red lanterns with Chinese characters written upon them hang in row upon row.

A crowd of protestors gather at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic for the Demonstration for Independent Justice.

A large windmill with sails retracted and several people sunning on the shores of a river.

A magnified image of a handmade mancala board, hewn from wood and containing small stones as playing pieces.

A night view of the illuminated Helsinki Cathedral rising above the city harbor under a twilight sky.

An illuminated gothic cathedral faces a work of graffiti on an opposing building, featuring a wide-eyed man holding up his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

Several students stand in front of the FUBiS-branded (Freie Universität International Summer and Winter Program) Buddy Bear, smiling.

An ancient Minoan fresco depicting the bull-leaping ritual, with acrobatic figures performing stunts over a charging brown-and-white bull against a blue background.

Greek (Classical)

A scenic overlook of Santorini's white-washed buildings and domed structures nestled on the hillside, facing the Aegean Sea with volcanic islands in the background.

Two large glass beverage dispensers filled with tea sit on a table next to a small chalkboard sign that reads "haitian tea party," with flowers in the background.

A white tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) with blue stripes and long, knotted fringes (tzitzit) draped over a dark green wooden railing inside a synagogue.

The ornate, multi-tiered entrance of Ganesh Pol at the Amber Palace in Jaipur, India, featuring detailed fresco paintings, mosaic work, and stone steps leading up to the main archway.

An elevated, nighttime view of the illuminated Széchenyi Chain Bridge spanning the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary.

Four young men wearing white t-shirts and traditional black headbands look downward, with lush green trees and a colorful banner in the background.

An old, stone cottage with a slate roof stands in a grassy field next to a low stone wall, with rolling green hills and misty mountains in the background.

A wide-angle view of the ancient Colosseum in Rome, showing its iconic stone arches and tiered exterior walls under a clear blue sky.

An elevated view of two people carrying umbrellas as they walk down a wet, winding path lined with blooming cherry blossom trees.

A long row of ancient stone statues depicting serene-faced devas (deities) holding a balustrade, located at the entrance gate of Angkor Thom in Cambodia.

A view looking down a narrow, sloped street lined with traditional Korean hanok houses, with modern city skyscrapers and the N Seoul Tower visible in the distant background.

A Roman mosaic depicting two theatrical masks: a pale, wide-eyed tragedy mask on the left and a grinning, bearded comedy mask adorned with ivy leaves on the right.

A panoramic view of a snow-capped mountain range rising above hazy, dark blue foothills under a clear blue sky.

Two young men sit on rugs in an outdoor courtyard of a building adorned with intricate blue and yellow floral mosaic tiles, focusing on open books in front of them.

An aerial view of Krakow's Main Market Square in Poland, showing the historic Cloth Hall, St. Adalbert's Church, and pedestrians walking across the sunny plaza.

Two boys demonstrating Capoeira, the Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music, in a beach scene at sunset.

A smiling man in a turban poses cheerfully against a vibrant pink door and yellow and purple walls.

Indigenous Andean women wearing vibrant, traditionally embroidered clothing and floral skirts, standing with a fluffy, decorated llama against a mountainous background.

A tall ship with glowing scarlet sails glides down a river at night, illuminated by a dramatic display of white spotlights beaming into the sky.

Ancient terracotta relief carvings on a stone wall, depicting rows of figures in various active and standing poses, including dancers and archers.

An elevated view of the Temple of the Tooth complex in Kandy, Sri Lanka, featuring traditional white buildings with tiled roofs situated next to a calm lake, surrounded by lush green trees.

A vibrant cobblestone street lined with brightly colored colonial buildings in pink, purple, and yellow, adorned with potted plants and shaded by trees.

Panoramic landscape view of the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above a misty cloud layer and an African savanna dotted with acacia trees.

Panoramic twilight view of the Stockholm, Sweden waterfront and the Riddarholmen island skyline under a pink and orange sunset sky.

A traditional kolam or rangoli design outlined in white powder and filled with colorful flower petals on a dark floor.

An ancient stone mandapa frame with intricately carved pillars housing a seated stone Nandi bull sculpture at the Warangal Fort ruins.

Close-up of open, Classical Tibetan manuscript pages from the Tibetan Book of the Dead featuring block-printed script and illustrations of Buddhist figures.

Tibetan (Classical)

A young Buddhist monk with a shaved head looking back towards the camera amidst a crowd of other monks wearing red robes.

Tibetan (Modern)

Panoramic view of the historic Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) in Istanbul, Turkey, rising above the surrounding city buildings under a cloudy sky.

Turkish (Modern)

Low-angle panoramic view looking up at the ornately decorated domes and arches of an Ottoman-style mosque, featuring intricate Arabic calligraphy and red-and-white striped patterns.

Turkish (Ottoman)

Panoramic view of the golden domes and bell tower of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery complex next to the Holodomor Memorial candle tower in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Top-down aerial photograph of traditional wooden boats lined up on the sandy shoreline of Lake Retba (Lac Rose) in Senegal, contrasting against the bright orange-pink water.

Two women wearing traditional Vietnamese garments and headwear standing outdoors against a blurred, foggy background.

Historic black-and-white photo of a street scene in New York featuring a Yiddish theater storefront with signs and posters in Yiddish.

Panoramic view of the Lagos, Nigeria city skyline along the waterfront under an overcast sky.

Silhouetted hands waving South African flags against a sunset sky.