Modern & Medieval Languages

The remarkably flexible four-year MML degree at Cambridge develops an intimate understanding of the languages, cultures, and peoples of other places. Students choose two languages from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, or combine one of these with either Classical Latin or Classical Greek.

Overview

Ucas code

R800

Campus code

X

Typical offers made per year

10

Typical Undergraduate cohort

31

Minimum offer level

A Levels: A*AA

IB: 42 points, with 776 at Higher Level

Other qualifications: check what other international qualifications are accepted at Cambridge

STEP (SIXTH TERM EXAMINATION PAPER)

COURSE DURATION

BA (Hons) 4 years, full-time including a year abroad

Essential subjects

A-level/IB Higher Level in at least one of the languages taught by the MML Faculty.

Desirable subjects

None

ADMISSIONS ASSESSMENT

Admissions Assessment: Written assessment consisting of 40-minute discursive response in Foreign Language, and 20-minute discursive response in English. More information can be found here.

Submitted Work: Two recent pieces of written work, these can include timed essays. Ideally, one should be in English and the other in the language you wish to study at Cambridge (please contact the Director of Studies if you want to discuss what combination of items would be appropriate in your particular case).

Why Choose St John's for Modern & Medieval Languages?

Illuminated manuscript page with writing in French from Roman de la Rose in the College Library

With several teaching Fellows in the College and two additional Directors of Studies, we cover multiple languages and a wide range of MML specialisms. This gives our students access to focused academic expertise whatever their chosen language combination.

We have a lively and large cohort of linguists in St John’s, with around 40 undergraduates, plus MPhil and other postgraduate students. This together forms a supportive, engaged and active community within the College.

St John’s employs its own French Lector/Lectrice and German Lektor. Native speaker tuition is available to our students in any of the languages taught by the Faculty.

Our student-led Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics Society promotes community and engagement across year groups and languages, which is especially important in a subject with a Year Abroad. It runs talks, events and an annual dinner.

Watch this video to find out more about studying Modern & Medieval Languages at St John's College.

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Our academics

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Patrick Boyde

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Georgina Evans

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Maria Manuel (Manucha) Lisboa

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor David R Midgley

Fellow

Course structure and information

Your studies will range across literature, linguistics, history, thought, film and art, with a third year spent abroad.

Find out more about the course structure and what to expect when studying at St John's College.

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Supporting your studies

University language courses

We offer students full financial support for taking one of the University's language courses, where this is different from a language that you have selected as part of your course.

This gives AMES, MML and History & MML students the opportunity to add another language to their collection, or students in other subjects to take up a language alongside their main discipline.

Financial and travel support for linguists

All our Linguists are eligible to apply for generous book and travel grants. The College's active Modern Languages Society organises a range of activities and helps foster contacts that can be particularly useful when you come to plan your year abroad.

St John's also has long-established student exchange arrangements with the Universities of Heidelberg and Pavia.

Film, music and language collections

As well as providing access to more books than you could ever read, the College Library houses an extensive collection of films, music and language materials to support and supplement your studies. The DVD collection includes a wide range of western European cinema, a smaller selection of Russian and Japanese titles, and an assortment of film versions of literary works.

The CD collection consists mainly of classical music plus numerous recordings of the College Choir. There are also multimedia language-learning materials available in more than 20 languages. All items can be used in the Library's AV Room or borrowed. Headphones and external CD/DVD drives can also be borrowed from the Library.

Discover student life

meet our students

My Directors of Studies at St John’s have inspiring intelligence that motivates you - yet they’re friendly and very human

Ishaan, Modern & Medieval Languages (MML)

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My Directors of Studies at St John’s have inspiring intelligence that motivates you - yet they’re friendly and very human

Ishaan, Modern & Medieval Languages (MML)

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I chose languages for my degree because I listened to a lot of Francophone and Hispanic music and wanted to explore these cultures more. I aim to be a global citizen, and knowing languages is a valuable skill. The MML course at Cambridge attracted me because it’s diverse - it’s not just about French and literature, but also film history, philosophy, art, and more. Along the way, I’ve learned Spanish and Portuguese, which has made me well-rounded and given me key life skills.

In my third year, I studied in Buenos Aires and then volunteered in Paris. The year abroad was incredible - it offers personal and academic growth that’s hard to match.

Cambridge is competitive and challenging, but in a positive way that pushes you to exceed expectations. There's an active MML Society at St John's that organises talks, parties and dinners and I've been the Co-President. I also have a radio show where I play international music from the languages I speak. It’s been a great passion project and helped me develop my public speaking skills.

Applying

We seek to admit the brightest and most committed students from each school or college, so work really hard to ensure that your results and predictions are as strong as possible. For MML, a range of subjects feed into candidates’ strengths in this varied and flexible degree course, so we are interested in how you are doing in all your school subjects, not just the languages.

We want to hear about how you explore your passion for languages outside the school curriculum and how this has influenced your ideas about where you might want to take your languages in the future.

There’s no need to have travelled to countries where your chosen languages are spoken, or to converse with native speakers. Instead, successful applicants can show us how they have taken the initiative to engage with their chosen languages, in whatever form that works for them.

All aspects of culture can prompt us to think in new ways and teach us more about languages and the places where they are spoken. Tell us what you have read, watched or listened to, and why you found it interesting – whether it’s music, film and TV, novels, non-fiction, news articles or podcasts.

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If you are applying to study a language from scratch, it is important to show that you have thought about what draws you to it. We appreciate that you may use translation to engage with material in that language; the important thing is that you have started to explore it. It is good to discuss the steps you have taken to find out how a new language works, and any related reading and viewing you’ve done.

If you are invited for interview, this will be approximately 40 to 50 minutes long with the Director of Studies and an interviewer for each language (one of which may be covered by the Director of Studies) The interview time is split between the two languages you are applying to study.

Before you attend the interview, you will be asked to choose the language you wish to use for discussion of a passage in a foreign language. Shortly before your interview, you’ll be asked to choose between two passages in that language – it doesn’t matter which you select. You’ll have 30 minutes to read and think about the passage, without consulting a dictionary or other external sources, and you can make personal notes as you wish. We understand that there may be words you do not know, or that some aspects of the text may not feel clear. This is not something to worry about! We want to see how you respond to unfamiliar expressions and ideas.

We will start by asking you to discuss in the foreign language the passage you have been preparing. We will be looking to establish your sense of what is happening in the text, what its implications might be, and how it achieves its effects. There are no specific things we will be expecting everyone to spot. We may direct your attention to particular lines which raise interesting ideas or complications, and/or ask you to try translating a line or two into English.

After a while we will move the conversation into English to further explore your interest in the language and the culture associated with it, and anything you have read or thought about in relation to it. This will sometimes include elements from your personal statement.

In the second half of your interview, we will talk about the second language you propose to study, with questions fitted to whether you have already studied it, or whether you will be taking it from scratch. If you are studying the language to A-level or equivalent, we may have a brief informal conversation in the language with you, possibly picking up on interests or ideas raised in your application or in the interview thus far. We will discuss your academic interest in your second language and the cultures associated with it, how you have developed your understanding of the language and cultures, and why you wish to study it through the course we offer.

We might ask you about any books you have read or films you have seen, which relate to the language or the countries where it is spoken (including anything you might have read in English translation).

For a language you would be studying from scratch, an interview might include simple exercises using material in the language. We will be looking to see how you work things out. It is normal for this to be tricky sometimes and to get stuck, so do not worry if you find yourself in need of help.

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Learn more

Life after St John's

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Our societies

Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics Society

St John’s MMLL Soc was founded by students studying languages and linguistics as a way to connect College members across all academic years through fun socials.

Society events range from networking sessions with alumni, informal group discussions, and cinema or theatre trips to see the latest foreign language films and plays, to our ‘year abroad’ talk and special end-of-year candlelit dinner.

We take a holistic approach to MMLL life and the community is welcoming and social, with all MMLL students at St John’s automatically a part of the society.

Find out more Visit society's website

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Notable alumni

Judith Slater

1983

Ambassador

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

Slater is the first woman to be British High Commissioner to Jamaica. Her diplomatic career has recently included postings as Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore / Southeast Asia Regional Director of Trade and Investment, and as Consul-General in Istanbul / HM Trade Commissioner for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, covering 14 markets. She has also worked in South Africa, the USA, India and Australia, and while in London headed the Nuclear Policy Section in the Non-Proliferation Department.

Paul Ritter

1986

Actor

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

Ritter, most famous for playing Martin Goodman in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner, studied Modern and Medieval Languages at St John's. He trained as an actor in Germany before returning to the UK to work at the Royal National Theatre. He starred in many film and television productions, including Quantam of Solace, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Vera and Chernobyl. He was nominated for a Tony Award, a BAFTA and twice for an Olivier Award. Operation Mincemeat, his last performance, was dedicated to his memory when released.

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