Language Cafe

The Una Europa Language Café is a multicultural and multilingual peer-learning programme that provides all UCD students the opportunity to practice speaking German, Italian, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, Spanish, French, English or Irish in an informal setting. The programme promotes language development, intercultural exchange and social interaction, allowing students to improve their language skills, make new friends and learn about different cultures.

The Language Cafés are led by Language Guides, student volunteers (native or fluent C1 speakers) who facilitate conversations using non-formal education methods. The Language Guides are conversational partners who help students practice speaking a foreign language by creating a comfortable atmosphere and initiating easy and useful conversational topics.  (Please note that the Language Guides are not teachers and that the Language Cafés are not language lessons - their aim is to build confidence in students to speak a foreign language, not to offer structured language learning. While you will expand your vocabulary, you will not learn grammar, semantics, syntax, or other language components.) 

All students who attend four Language Cafés will receive a certificate of participation and will be eligible to use their participation in the program for their UCD Advantage Award application.

The Una Europa Language Café is open to all UCD students. All UCD students are welcome to register for the Language Café, no matter their study programme, level or year, or proficiency level in the language they wish to practice speaking - beginners are as welcome as intermediate and advanced language users.

You will be placed in a group with several other students, moderated by a Language Guide volunteer. You do not have to do anything special to prepare for the Café, but you should come with an open mind and an appetite for learning and growth. You will be expected to actively engage with the language, no matter your proficiency level; you should not come to the session to just sit and listen, you should try speaking the language even if you only know the basics. You will be supported by the Language Guide as well as your peers in this process.

To ensure that the sessions run smoothly and that they contribute to your learning, you are expected to attend one session per week. To make sure that you can commit to this, please take a look at the detailed schedule below. If you are available on multiple days, you can select all suitable options, and we will allocate you to one of the selected days ourselves. This will allow us to accommodate as many students as possible.

The Una Europa Language Café is held once a week for one hour (60 minutes) at the UCD Global Lounge. Please see the detailed schedule of when the Language Cafés will take place during the autumn trimester below. You are required to attend only one session per week; you should attend a minimum of four sessions overall to receive a certificate and to use the Language Café on your UCD Advantage Award application. You will be allocated to one of the days you select in the application form during the registration process.

This is an ideal opportunity for students who are interested in: 

• Becoming more comfortable speaking in a foreign language;
• Learning the basics of another language or practising speaking a language they already know;
• Preparing for their exchange or study abroad period by practising speaking the language of their host country;
• Improving their language of instruction, if studying in a language other than their native;
• Getting to know new people and making new friends;
• Developing intercultural and communication skills;
• Receiving a confirmation of extracurricular on-campus engagement; 
• Applying for the UCD Advantage Award.

If you are interested in participating in the Una Europa Language Café, you can apply by completing the (opens in a new window)application form byMonday, 13 October 2025.

You can register to practice speaking only one language. The Una Europa Language Café will run in the next trimester as well, when you can apply to practice speaking another language or continue with the one you started this trimester. Depending on the interest, places may be limited due to the room capacity.

For more information, please contact Tajana Mohnacki at (opens in a new window)tajana.mohnacki@ucd.ie.