Michael Flucht, deputy director and head of the Language Department at the Hanoi Goethe Institute, announced the event at a press conference in Hanoi on October 26.
“Held annually by the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC), the European Day of Languages is an occasion for linguists, experts and the general public to learn more about Europe’s linguistic diversity,” deputy director Michael Flucht said.
This year’s participants are the embassies of France, Italy and Poland, as well as the Aula Cervantes, Wallonie–Bruxelles, the British Council and the Goethe Institute. The sixth European Language Day will draw the participation of the embassy of Greece for the first time.
A conference with the theme “Multilingualism in Schools” will be held on the morning of October 29 and will be a fantastic opportunity for up to 120 experts on foreign language instruction, lecturers and teachers to listen to keynotes delivered by international speakers.
In the afternoon, the Festival of Languages will be opened to all those interested in experiencing the diversity of European languages, followed by workshops and other activities.
At the Festival of Languages, which does not require registration, participating institutions will present their respective languages and countries. Through trial lessons of different European languages, visitors will have the chance to learn their first words in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish and Spanish, with the support of linguistics lecturers. Notably, the British Council will offer a trial lesson in English for disabled people, according to the delegate of the British Council.
During the event, posters, books and brochures about Europe and its languages will be showcased. Additionally, short films from the participating countries will be screened at the Goethe Institute’s exhibition hall.
This year’s European Day of Languages marks the launch of a one-week education and training event with the headline “German as a Foreign Language in Vietnam: Tasks, Suggestions, Prospects.” The event is expected to be held from October 31 to November 5.
An initiative of the Council of Europe, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2011 in Vietnam, and every year since 2001 in all of the EU member states.
