New scholarship supports languages students from lower income families

A new scholarship has been set up to support students from lower income households to do a degree in modern languages at the University of Manchester.

The RWS Brode Scholarship Programme has been set up by RWS, one of the world’s leading language and intellectual property support service providers. Named after RWS’ Chairman Andrew Brode, the fund will support 50 undergraduate students joining the University between 2019 and 2021 from a state school.

The scholarship programme includes mentoring from RWS staff, many of whom are linguists, offering support to students and careers advice. RWS will also be offering students the chance to enrol in summer internships and work experience schemes, with the potential to take on full-time graduate positions upon completion of their course.

“As one of the world’s largest language services providers, we see the growing demand for translation and interpreting services required to support our clients’ global business goals,” said Chairman of RWS Andrew Brode. “As a large employer of language graduates, we believe we have a role to play in encouraging the next generation to consider a degree in languages and support those who may not have the financial means to complete their studies.”

Professor of Latin American Studies, Head of Modern Languages and Cultures and Deputy Head of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures Karl Posso added: “Beyond the financial contribution, the opportunity for students to gain first-hand work experience through this programme will be invaluable as they consider future career opportunities. We are all very excited for the programme to start and to welcome our first cohort of students.”