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Studies & Degrees in Spanish for specific purposes, business, tourism, health or law

Spanish for specific purposes is Spanish teaching aimed at one professional or academic field. The Instituto Cervantes defines it as teaching that helps learners master specialised communication: the language used by professionals in a particular work setting or by experts in an academic discipline. The best-known fields are business Spanish, Spanish for tourism, legal Spanish, Spanish for international relations and medical Spanish.

A course does not teach the profession. It teaches how to do the job in Spanish. Students work on the vocabulary of the field, on its typical documents and on its typical situations: a business meeting or commercial letter, a hotel reception desk, a patient interview, a contract or a court hearing. The term Español con Fines Específicos (EFE) has been in general use since the early 1990s, and teaching is usually divided into Spanish for professional purposes and Spanish for academic purposes.

Qualifications and levels

These are language courses, not degrees. They are offered by private language schools and by university language centres, and they usually end with the school's own course certificate.

  • Entry level. Most courses ask for an intermediate level first. Alcalingua, the language centre of the Universidad de Alcalá, asks for more than CEFR level B1 for its four courses. Spanish Courses Gran Canaria Academia El Capitán requires a minimum of B1. Some schools accept all levels in tailor-made courses: Speakeasy BCN in Barcelona states that its business Spanish courses suit beginners and advanced learners alike.
  • Format. Courses run as small groups, as one-to-one classes or as an add-on to a general intensive course. Company courses are often built to order, in person or online.
  • Official diplomas. The DELE diplomas of the Instituto Cervantes are official qualifications of general Spanish that cover all CEFR levels, from A1 to C2, and do not expire. They certify the level of Spanish, not a professional speciality. A specific-purposes course can be combined with DELE preparation.
  • Course certificates. Students who need a certificate for an employer or a university should ask the school what its certificate states (hours, level, field) and what recognition it has.

Where to study it

Our directory lists 22 schools for this subject. Fifteen are in Spain, two in Argentina, and there is one each in Chile, Guatemala, Germany, Bolivia and Mexico.

Some examples from the directory show the range. Alcalingua in Alcalá de Henares offers four separate courses: business Spanish (company organisation, planning and financing), Spanish for tourism (hotels, travel agencies and trade fairs), Spanish for the health sciences (the study and practice of medicine, medical institutions and specialities) and legal Spanish (procedural and criminal law, the Constitution and the judiciary). Academia CILE in Málaga lists special courses in business Spanish, Spanish for tourism and legal Spanish. Spanish Courses Gran Canaria Academia El Capitán in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria teaches business Spanish, from commercial correspondence to economic agreements, and Spanish for sectors such as tourism and call centres. In Guatemala, Spanish School Sol Latino in Quetzaltenango teaches one-to-one, which allows the content to be adapted to each student.

The country matters for some fields. Legal systems, health systems and business customs differ between Spain and the countries of Latin America, and so does part of the vocabulary. Students should choose the country where they plan to work, or ask the school how it handles these differences.

One neutral quality sign for a language school is accreditation by the Instituto Cervantes. Its SACIC system accredits centres that teach Spanish as a foreign language. Students can ask a school whether it holds this accreditation.

Careers

These courses support a career that the student already has or is preparing for. Typical learners are:

  • staff of companies that trade with Spain or Latin America
  • hotel, travel and customer service staff
  • doctors, nurses and other health professionals who treat Spanish-speaking patients or plan to work in a Spanish-speaking country
  • lawyers, translators and interpreters who work with Spanish documents
  • university students who will take a degree or an exchange semester in Spanish

A language course does not give the right to practise a regulated profession such as medicine or law. That depends on the recognition of the professional degree in each country.

Frequently asked questions

Which level of Spanish is needed for a specific-purposes course?

Usually an intermediate level. Alcalingua and Spanish Courses Gran Canaria Academia El Capitán both ask for CEFR level B1. Some schools build tailor-made courses for lower levels.

Is there an official diploma in business or medical Spanish?

The official DELE diplomas certify general Spanish at CEFR levels A1 to C2. For a specific-purposes course, students should ask the school which certificate it issues and what recognition it has.

Can a specific-purposes course be taken online?

Some schools offer it. Speakeasy BCN, for example, gives its business courses in person in Barcelona or online.

Is it better to study in Spain or in Latin America?

It depends on where the language will be used. For legal, medical and business Spanish, the terms and the institutions differ between countries.