European Day of Languages
European Day of Languages History:
The European Day of Languages is
a yearly event celebrating the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe and
emphasizing the importance of intercultural understanding. Today, there are
over 200 European languages, 24 official EU languages and around 60 regional or
minority languages, not including languages spoken by people from around the
world that have migrated to the European Union. The event was a joint effort between the
Council of Europe and the European Union. Since its inception in 2001, the annual
celebration has been spent encouraging lifelong language learning across Europe
while promoting the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of the continent.
The European Day of Languages is an annual event held on the 26th of September.
European Day of Languages Facts
&; Quotes:
- 54% of Europeans are bi-lingual,
25% can speak three languages and 10% can speak at least three.
- English is the most widely spoken
(38%) foreign language in Europe.
- 98% of people in Luxembourg can
speak more than one language. However the lowest numbers in Europe are found in
Ireland, Portugal and the UK, where only 60 and 61%, respectively, of the
population can speak a second language.
- If you talk to a man in a
language that he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his
own language, that goes to his hears. - Nelson Mandela
- One language sets you in a
corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way. ‒Frank Smith
European Day of Languages Top
Events and Things to Do:
- Start learning a new language,
there are dozens of online courses and mobile apps such as, Duolingo, Byki or
BBC Languages. Local schools and colleges often run affordable face-to-face
classes too.
- Watch a film that touches on
cross-cultural and interlinguistic communication: Our favourites are Spanglish
(2004) Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006).
- Read some literature in another
language. Most translations lose some of the original meaning and feeling of
the work. So, be brave, use a a dictionary on an online translator such as
Google or Universal Translator to read some of your favourite works in their
original languages. Some of our favourite classics are:
Spanish: One Hundred Years of
Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
French: The Little Prince by
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Russian: The Queen of Spades by
Alexander Pushkin
German: The Metamorphosis by
Frank Kafka
Languages impact every aspect of
life from education to social structure to culinary choices so try making some
new food from a country whose language you do not speak.
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