Your training to be a foreign language assistant

With our training you acquire all the language skills and abilities you need for the foreign language assistant examination at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The training concludes with the inlingua diploma or the certificate from the Cologne or Bonn Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The full-time training takes 24 months with 10 to 20 sessions a week.

• 2 academic years
• The training may be shortened to 1 academic year with appropriate prior knowledge in both foreign languages, which is evidenced by a test.
• Full-time training with 10 to 20 sessions per week with core session times from 8am to 2pm (Monday to Friday).
• It is possible to start the training in April and October.

The part-time training takes 12 months with 4 sessions per week.

• 12 months / 180 sessions
• The training may be shortened to 1 academic year with appropriate prior knowledge in both foreign languages, which is evidenced by a test.
• Evening classes with 4 sessions per week with core sessions times twice a week from 7:10pm to 9pm or on Saturdays from 9:10am to 1pm.
• It is possible to start the course in January, April and October.

Written and spoken foreign language assistant skills

• Vocabulary and Grammar
• Speaking skills and telephone training

Business correspondence and essays

• Independently handling business correspondence
• Translating business letters and economics and politics texts

Specialist knowledge and regional studies

• Specialist knowledge and terminology (business), specifically banking
• And the stock market, foreign trade and transport, customs and
• Excise, economic geography, regional studies, culture and politics

• Evidence of a secondary school leaving certificate (Mittlere Reife from a Realschule, Wirtschaftsschule or Gymnasium, the M path from a Hauptschule, QuaBi)
• English skills equivalent to Mittlere Reife level, at least B2 CEF (placement test)
• No prior knowledge required for the second foreign language, French or Spanish.
• For applicants whose native language is not German, additional evidence of very good German skills

Our students can choose the following language combinations:

• English
• French or Spanish as second language

As a foreign language assistant you deal with foreign correspondence, take on translation work and simple interpreting jobs, conduct telephone calls in foreign languages and professionally support foreign customers and business partners. At the same time, foreign language assistants often perform commercial and administrative tasks. Besides your native language, you usually master two foreign languages, orally and in writing.

• You write letters, contracts, invoices, confirmations, delivery notes, customs documents etc. in different foreign languages
• In doing so you always observe the target language’s communicative practices and formal regulations  
• You know the specialist business language and specialist language specific to the sector
• You translate incoming documents and letters
• You conduct telephone calls with foreign business partners and take on simple interpreting jobs at meetings and business negotiations
• You are involved with working on trade fairs, conferences and congresses
• You take on general office and administration tasks
• You ensure the office organisation of foreign language correspondence and build up folders, files, databases for foreign language texts and requirements or standards for text modules

Our experienced international team of trainers provide competent, practical and professional training. The language lessons are only taught by native speakers. As a result, our students learn the correct pronunciation.