European Day of Languages - what will you do?

17 July 2008

26 September is European Day of Languages - a Council of Europe initiative held annually to celebrate language and cultural diversity.

Now in its eighth year, EDL aims to:

• Alert the public to the importance of language learning
• Increase awareness and appreciation of all languages
• Encourage lifelong language learning

Most events and activities are held on the day itself but some people extend the celebrations over two or three days and others have a whole week of language-related events!

If your school, local community, business or club is planning an event to mark the occasion please let us know so that we can publicise your activities.

Whether you decide on a single activity or series of events, there are a range of resources to help you make the day special.

If you are struggling for ideas, try some of these:

• Hold a languages quiz
• Play an interactive game
• Cook a multicultural feast and learn to pronounce what you are eating!
• Hold a language taster session
• Find out more about celebrity linguists
• Do a language audit within your company to find what unknown language skills your staff have and then decide how you can put them to good use!
• Visit RLN Podcast and download free podcasts to learn basic phrases

Visit the EDL section on the CILT, the National Centre for Languages website to find a range of resources such as quizzes, interactive games, and stories from celebrity linguists.