European Day of Languages
Presented by EUi NAPA
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Speaking points:
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European Day of Languages.
Why is it important to learn
languages?
How to learn language? How EUi can
assist you…
Interesting facts about languages –
game.
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European Day of Languages
The highlight of the European Year of Languages
2001 was the European Day of Languages, which
was celebrated for the first time on 26
September 2001 in all 45 states taking part in
the campaign. On the eve of the closing event of
the Year, the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe decided to declare the
European Day of Languages to be celebrated on
26th September each year. Its aim is to
encourage language learning across Europe.
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The general objectives are:
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to alert the public to the importance of
language learning and diversify the
range of languages learned in order to
increase plurilingualism and intercultural
understanding;
to promote the rich linguistic and
cultural diversity of Europe;
to encouraging lifelong language
learning in and out of school, whether for
study purposes, for professional needs, for
purposes of mobility or for pleasure and
exchanges.
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Why a European Day of
Languages?
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There have never been more opportunities to work or
study in a different European country - but lack of
language competence prevents many people from taking
advantage of them.
Language learning brings benefits to young and old - you
are never too old to learn a language and to enjoy the
opportunities it opens up. Even if you only know a few
words of the language of the country that you visit (for
example on holiday), this enables you to make new
friends and contacts.
Learning other peoples' languages is a way of helping us
to understand each other better and overcome our
cultural differences.
Language skills are a necessity and a right for
EVERYONE – that is one of the main messages of
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the European Day of Languages.
Official web-site of European Day of Languages:
http://edl.ecml.at/
General links:
The EU’s Multilingualism website provides the latest
updates on EU initiatives and events linked to languages:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/index_en.htm
BBC English Learning portal:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
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The languages of the
European Union
The languages of the European Union are languages
used by people within the member states of the European
Union. They include the twenty-three official languages of
the European Union along with a range of others. The EU
asserts that it is in favour of linguistic diversity and currently
has a European Commissioner for Multilingualism, Leonard
Orban.
There are more member states in the EU than there are
official languages. This is because some member states share
national languages such as Dutch in the Netherlands and
Belgium, French in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
While documents for and communication with citizens
are in every official EU language as a right, day-to-day work in
the European Commission is based around its three working
languages: English, French, and German. Of these English is
used most often. Only a handful of Commissioners use a nonEnglish tongue as their working language.
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My first question?
Why is it important
to learn foreign
languages
today?
(for you as public servant
or for you as an ordinary
person)
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My answer is…
The activity of public officials associated with intensive
oral and written communication, provides extensive
language practice requires precise expression of concepts
and categories in various fields of public administration.
Therefore, a thorough knowledge of not only the native
language, but foreign is important for professional and
personal development.
Example from Canada….
 Language Requirements: In the public service, positions require
knowledge of English, French or both English and French. When
both official languages are required, the position is designated
"bilingual".
 Approximately 40% of positions in the Public Service of Canada
require knowledge of both official languages. A person knowing
one official language can reach executive level in most parts of
Canada.
 The language requirements of each position differs, and are
determined based on an objective assessment of the duties and
responsibilities of the position. If the position requires the
knowledge of both official languages, the manager will also
determine the proficiency level, in English and in French, in each
of three language skills: Reading, Writing, and Oral Interaction. 9
My answer is…
I need your’s answers…
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Personal Development
By learning a new language, you gain new horizons, but at the same
time you reinforce your own identity, and therefore also your selfconfidence. A foreign language can contribute to a stronger personality.
Cultural Reasons
It is a fundamental truth that cultures define themselves through
languages. A foreign language gives you access to another culture. It
gives you the ability to communicate and to exchange views with
people all over the world that you would otherwise not have the chance
to know.
Educational Reasons
Learning a foreign language opens up a whole new dimension. It has a
positive effect on intellectual growth and it enriches and enhances
mental development. Learning a foreign language is especially effective
at an early age. It greatly benefits reading and writing in one’s own
language; there's evidence that, like musical education, it contributes
significantly to the development of individual intelligence.
Economic Reasons
In a globalized world characterized by international links and
intercultural connections, linguistic skills are crucial for employment
and career. The knowledge of foreign languages increases job
opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a
real asset.
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Why should I learn a
language?
Work
If your work involves regular contact with speakers of foreign
languages, being able to talk to them in their own languages will
help you to communicate with them. It may also help you to
make sales and to negotiate and secure contracts. Knowledge of
foreign languages may also increase your chances of finding a
new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going
on foreign business trips.
Study or research
You may find that information about subjects you're interested in
is published mainly in a foreign language. Learning that language
will give you access to the material and enable you to
communicate with fellow students and researchers in the field.
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Language is the archives of history.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Emigration
When you move to a different country or region, learning the
local language will help you to communicate and integrate with
the local community.
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Why should I learn a
language?
Family and friends
 If your partner, in-laws, relatives or friends speak a different
language, learning that language will help you to communicate
with them. It will also give you a better understanding of their
culture and way of thinking.
Travel
 Many English speakers seem to believe that wherever you go on
holiday you can get by speaking English, so there's no point in
learning any other languages. If people don't understand you all
you have to do is speak slowly and turn up the volume. You can
more or less get away with this, as long as you stick to popular
tourist resorts and hotels where you can usually find someone who
speaks English.
The limits of my language are the limits of my universe.
(Ludwig Wittgenstein)
Studying abroad
 If you plan to study at a foreign university, college or school, you'll
need a good knowledge of the local language, unless the course
you want to study is taught through the medium of your L1. Your
institution will probably provide preparatory courses to improve
your language skills and continuing support throughout your main
course.
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Why should I learn a
language?
Secret communication
 If you and some of your relatives, friends or colleagues speak a
language that few people understand, you can talk freely in public
without fear of anyone eavesdropping, and/or you can keep any
written material secret. Speakers of such Native American
languages as Navajo, Choctaw and Cheyenne served as radio
operators, know as Code Talkers, to keep communications secret
during both World Wars. Welsh speakers played a similar role
during the Bosnian War.
Getting in touch with your roots
 If your family spoke a particular language in the past you might
want to learn it and possibly teach it to your children. It could also
be useful if you are research your family tree and some of the
documents you find are written in a language foreign to you.
Food
 Perhaps you enjoy the food and/or drink of a particular country or
region and make regular trips there, or the recipe books you want
to use are only available in a foreign language
Linguistic interest
 Maybe you're interested in linguistic aspects of a particular
language and decide to learn it in order to understand them
better.
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Range of jobs learning a
language can offer:
International Organizations
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International organizations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization,
the Red Cross, and Amnesty International will always need people with language
skills for a range of functions from administrative work to management. Most will
need a cross section of language skills plus many speakers in the main international
languages such as English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
The Foreign Service
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National governments demand huge numbers of foreign language speakers for their
Foreign Service departments. Working for the Foreign Service could mean living and
working abroad in an embassy, liaising with counterparts in other countries, listening
to intelligence reports in foreign languages and translating them and conducting
research in foreign languages.
The Foreign Service is usually a challenge to get into; however, it is well known that
language skills help bolster applicants' profiles.
Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industries
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Speaking a foreign language makes you a good candidate for positions within the
tourism and hospitality industries.
Many companies send staff to man local offices abroad, which means speakers of the
native languages are required. In addition, the international nature of such
companies usually means they have a global presence and that staff with language
skills are critical to their day to day operations and future expansion. Even at home,
where hotels, leisure complexes, restaurants receive large numbers of foreign
visitors, speakers of foreign languages are needed to offer good customer service.
Translation & Interpreting
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Once language skills have reached a good level, translating and interpreting become
an option.
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Some facts about English
language…
English is a west Germanic language, most
closely related to Frisian and Scots.
 600,000,000 speakers
In what countries within Europe English is
official language?
In Europe English is the official language in the
United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Ireland and Malta.
 It is one of the official languages of the European
Union and of the United Nations.
 English is written in the Roman alphabet.
 English, either as a mother tongue or as a
second/foreign language, is spoken by 51% of EU
citizens, followed by German with 32% and
French with 28% of those asked.
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Some facts about English
language…
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English is the language most often studied as a foreign
language in the European Union, by 89% of
schoolchildren, ahead of French at 32%, while the
perception of the usefulness of foreign languages
amongst Europeans is 68% in favour of English ahead of
25% for French.
Among EU citizens, 38% indicate that they know English,
followed by 14% mastering French or German, 7%
Russian, 5% Spanish and 3% Italian. The typical
multilingual European is a student or holds a managerial
position or was born in a country where a different
language is spoken from the language of his/her
parents.
Most books are published in English, and most are
translated in English. English, even bad, is the standard
language of scientific publications, aviation, tourism,
finance, and diplomacy.
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How to learn language?
If you talk to a man in a language he understands,
that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
(Nelson Mandela)
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Think about what you want to be able to do.
Plan your language learning in way that suits you.
How and where do you want to learn?
And what sort of methods and materials would suit you?
Choose your approach to learning
Find and choose course
Start
At the end of presentation I will
distribute useful materials.
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Do not forget…
You need communication and practice –
Discussion clubs, new pen-friends or take a
tour to England.
 You can visit different cultural event – film
and music festivals, etc.
Europe Day celebration with a wide range
of events and action – each year.
 Studying a foreign language takes patience
and hard work, but you can succeed.
 Visit our EUi… we can assist you…
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Information Center of
European Union or EUi
The main purpose of our activity - spreading
information about the European Union and its
policies among all those interested in the life
of the EU countries.
European Union Information Centre receives
information from the official institutions of the
European Union - European Commission, Council of
Europe, Eurostat, the Committee on Social Policy
Committee of the Regions, European Investment
Bank, CEDEFOP (Centre for Vocational Education).
European Union Information Centre has a wide
range of diverse publications, periodicals,
magazines, the EU statistical collections of European
economics and law, and other materials concerning
the activities of the EU.
How to contact:
http://napa-portal.academy.gov.ua:8101/euroinfo
E-mail: edc_nadu@ukr.net
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EUi and Search of information
o EUi gives access to printing and on-line
resources about EU, EU institutions and life in
Europe.
o EUi can help you to find different information
using searching engines and databases.
o EUi is your ticket to latest news about EU,
relation EU-Ukraine…
Gateway to the European Union - Official
portal to the European Union with news
and information about its activities,
institutions, policies and programs.
http://www.europa.eu
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EU-Bookshop
…http://bookshop.europa.eu
Managed by the Publications Office of the European Union, EU
Bookshop gives you online access to the European Union’s
official publications.
o You can download them as PDF files or (for some) order
copies to be sent to you at home.
o
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
Languages records:
How many languages are there in the World?
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2.000-3.000
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6.000-7.000
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10.000-12.000
Comment: It’s not easy to place a definitive number on the
world’s languages: currently estimate is 6.000- 7.000.
Many have become extinct, others are in process of
being born.
2.
Which three languages are most popular among
Internet users?
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English/Chinese/Spanish
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English/Spanish/German
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English/Spanish/Japanese
Comment: German ranks sixth (59 million) among
languages employed by internet users, behind Japanese
and French. With around 366 million users, English is
number one, followed by Chinese (184 mil) and Spanish
(102 mil).
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1.
Interesting facts
about languages – game
3.
What is the most widely spoken language in the
world?
English
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Chinese
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Arabic
Comment: Standard Mandarin is the native tongue of approx.
850 million people and official language in China, Taiwan
and Singapore. Hindi is spoken by more than 600 million
people, followed by Spanish and English.
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4.
What country has the most official languages?
India
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China
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Switzerland
Comment: Besides the two supra-regional languages of English
and Hindi, 21 languages are officially recognized in India.
The country’s constitution ensures that every minority is
granted the right to their own language.
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
What language has the fewest consonants?
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Hawaiian
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Russian
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Japanese
Comment: The language of Polynesian natives of Hawaii
consists of 12 letters, 8 of which are consonants. The
meaning of many words can only be discerned through
subtle differences in pronunciation.
6.
What language spoken today was revived only 120
years ago?
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Hebrew
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Sumerian
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Greek
Comment: Spoken Hebrew ceased to exist in second century
AD. About 120 yeas ago, a successful effort was mounted
to restore this “lost” language. Modern Hebrew, also
called Ivrit, is now the official language of the state of
Israel.
5.
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
Language Curios:
When you ask a Greek something and he answers
“ne”, its means..?
2.
no
3.
yes
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Maybe
Comment: In this case it is easy for misunderstanding to arise
since “ne” means “yes”. To say “no”, a Greek shakes his
head, raises the eyebrows, clicks with his tongues or say
“ochi”.
2.
When you order “ÖL” in Sweden, you get…?
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juice
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fuel
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Beer
Comment: Although Swedish and German belong to the same
Indo-European language group, a Swede ordering “ÖL” will
be treated to a beer. In German, you would get oil, which
in Swedish is “olja”…
1.
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
What language has 27 different words for
“moustache”?
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Hungarian
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Albanian
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Portuguese
Comment: A moustache is quite an important matter in
Albania.
4.
When a Japanese businessman offers a deal to
European business partner, and the partner
keeps silent, the Japanese will consider his offer
as ?
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rejected
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accepted
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still be discussed
Comment: The meaning of silence varies greatly in
different cultures. In Western world silence can be
interpreted as a sign of rejection. In Japan it implies
acceptance.
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3.
Interesting facts
about languages – game
5.
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What is the only Germanic language with an origin
outside of Europe?
German
Afrikaans
Swedish
Comment: Afrikaans, one of the official languages in South
Africa, evolved from its Dutch roots, incorporating various
African dialects.
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6.
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In which of European language foreign words are
avoided at all?
Hungarian
Icelandic
Polish
Comment: In Icelandic, one of the oldest European languages,
foreign words are avoided as much as possible. Iceland
even created a committee that substitutes terms of
modern life, science and engineering with new Icelandic
words…
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
European Languages:
How many official languages are spoken in the
European Union?
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13
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23
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44
Comment: There are currently 23 official languages in the
European Union; the latest additions were Gaelic, Bulgarian
and Romanian. In the European Parliament speeches can be
delivered in any official language and are translated
simultaneously.
2.
Which European country is called “Suomi” by its
citizens?
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Bulgaria
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Finland
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Estonia
Comment: The Finns call their country “Suomi”. The original
meaning of Suo-maa was “Swampland”. Officially Finland is
bilingual, though more than 90% of its citizens claim Finnish
as their native tongue.
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
What is the only country in which Latin is the official
language?
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Italy
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Vatican City
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Cyprus
Comment: In Vatican City, the world’s smallest internationally
recognized country, Latin is the official language. This
enclave, located within the city of Rome, has a little more
than 500 citizens. Vatican City is an absolute
monarchy, with the Pope at its head.
4.
What is the native tongue of most Europeans?
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English
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German
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French
Comment: German is the first language of about 100 million
Europeans and hence, the one spoken most within EU,
followed by English and French. The most popular second
language inside the EU is English.
3.
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
5.
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Which European language isn’t related to any
other?
Basque
Erse
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Rhaeto-Romanic
Comment: Basque, spoken primary in the north-east of Spain
and the south-west of France, isn’t related to any other
languages.
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6.
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Arabic was once spoken in which European
country?
Greece
France
Spain
Comment: In medieval times, the empire of Al-Andalus
controlled the Iberian Peninsula. To this day the Alhambra,
a Moorish palace in Spanish town Granada, remains a
gorgeous remnant of that empire.
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Interesting facts
about languages – game
What is the only Semitic language in European Union?
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Serbian
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Maltese
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Albanian
Comment: Maltese, besides English the second official language
on Malta, the only Semitic language within EU. After the
southernmost country in Europe joined the EU, Maltese,
which is closely related to Arabic was added to the list of
official EU languages.
8.
Which is the only Celtic language to be recognized as
an official language in Europe?
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Swedish
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Irish
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Estonian
Comment: Irish is the only Celtic language recognized as official
state language in Europe and has been one of the 23 official
languages of EU since the beginning of 2007. 1,6 million
people speak Irish, only around 7000 speakers.
7.
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Finally……
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"A different language is a different vision of life."
- Federico Fellini, Italian film director
"Those who know nothing of foreign languages,
knows nothing of their own." - Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe
"The individual's whole experience is built upon
the plan of his language." - Henri Delacroix,
French painter and filmmaker
"As the traveler who has once been from home is
wiser than he who has never left his own
doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture
should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more
steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own." Margaret Mead, American anthropologist
You live a new life for every new language you
speak.
If you know only one language, you live only
once.
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(Czech proverb)
Thank you for
attention!!!
Questions???
Suggestions???
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