Let's celebrate multilingualism!
On the 28th of September, the European Parliament celebrates Multilingualism Day. If you happen to be in Brussels during that week-end, don't miss the chance to visit the Parliament, where you will find stands on multilingual communication and European history, as well as activities that showcase multilingualism in action.
Throughout the day, you will be able to give interpreting a go in the booths of the European Parliament, you will have the chance to speak to interpreters, and take part in a Q&A session with EU translators, and learn more about the tricks of the trade from interpreters and translators alike. For those interested in the history of multilingualism, the House of European History will be organising tours to take you through the rich linguistic history of Europe.
Check the full programme of the activities planned by the European Parliament here and have a look at the website of the House of European History to book your guided tour.
If you are Brussels-based and interested in languages and translation, you might want to have a look at the Transpoesie Festival, a poetry festival that kicks off on the 26th September, to celebrate the European Day of Languages. The programme includes four reading events where poets from all around Europe will present their works in their original language, with translations in French, English, and Dutch.
Not in Brussels but interested in celebrating multilingualism and the European Day of Languages?
Worry not: have a look at the official website of the #EDLangs on the Council of Europe's website to learn about events happening close to you, ranging from conferences on translation and translanguaging (Strirling, UK), to linguistic treasure hunts (Bucharest, Romania) or a multilingual Scrabble tournament on languages (DE, EN, FR and LT) in Lithuania. You will surely find something that tickles your fancy!
If you happen to be in Paris, then you most certainly need to check out the website of the Forum des instituts culturels étrangers à Paris to have a look at a programme full of multicultural and multilingual activities.
Make sure you also follow the #EDLangs hashtag and check out the social media pages of the Commission's DG Translation (@translatingforeurope) for daily videos of tongue twisters in all EU languages. After all, the EU motto is "United in Diversity", but we could say that, in the end, we also are "United in Multilingualism".
