You definitively want to earn credits with your language course abroad. Don’t worry; it can be really simple, as long as you organize the procedure in advance!
Whether you are thinking to go with a well structured program or are planning a more adventurous trip, choose carefully where you want to go. If you want to get academic recognition, you will have to attend academic courses in a College or University abroad (or equivalent educational structure) in most cases. Some programs, like volunteer ones, or language schools, may also allow you to get academic credits. Carefully choose yours!
Once you know where you want to go and which program you intend to choose, you will have to gather as many information as possible about the academic courses you will attend abroad, or the tasks you will have to do if you are volunteering!
Also, check how your school transfers credits: it this a common policy, or are they more reluctant in giving out credits for academic programs abroad? Once you’ll have this information, try to prepare a short description of each course you will attend once abroad.
Get in touch with the adequate academic department before departure is very important: even if one of the courses you are going to attend is not recognized by your faculty, try to see with the counterpart department if they can offer you credits for this course.
For example, if you have chosen to attend a course called “ French history through Poetry”, if your Faculty of History is not interested in giving you credits, the Foreign Literature department may be!
Once abroad, don’t forget to go to courses, and above all, enjoy your stay!
Keep all documents that you will be given in classes, since they will be able to act like proof of your academic learning abroad.
Once back home, get your credits validated! Keep in mind the following advices: you will have to do the same procedure, by trying to get your courses abroad validated by departments. This time, you will already have attended courses and gotten grades. Also, you will have documents and proofs of the academic content of the courses attended.
Even if none department wants to recognize your program abroad (which is very unlikely if you have followed the steps above), stay positive and don’t forget that your experience abroad has given you unique skills that few of your schoolmates will have!
Some additional tips to get credits with study abroad programs:
Courses that require a certain amount of writing or research are usually granted credit once back home. If you need a certain amount of credits, be sure to include some courses that will give you credits back home no matter what.
Always keep your paperwork and bring them back home: you could find them useful if you have to prove the academic content of your courses.
Some courses abroad may use really different methods of teaching, and bring you out of classroom: even if these courses can be the most interesting ones, they can also be the harder ones if you need to get academic credit for them: gather as many documents as you can for these ones, and even ask for a letter from your teacher abroad! Also, never forget that perseverance pay off!
Remember, studying abroad is a unique opportunity, and even if you don’t get credits for your study abroad, you will have learned so much that you will quickly forget about that!
But for some other mistakes, a quick reminder could be great!
To receive information about an academic program abroad, 
