Dear colleagues,
Please see the announcement from the European Commission below. Please
share with any schools on your mailing lists.
My colleague Annemarie Künzl-Snodgrass and I will be at the European
Bookshop on Saturday the 23rd for the launch of our book Speed Up Your
German. This is part of the programme of events on that day.
Best wishes, Silke Mentchen
Dear all,
Tuesday 26 September will be European Day of Languages, a time to
celebrate the linguistic diversity of our continent and advance our own
language learning. The European Commission Representation in the UK is
organising two public events to mark the day.
- On SATURDAY 23 SEPTEMBER: a day of activities at and around the
European Bookshop in London. Includes the WORDKEYS TRANSLATION TREASURE
HUNT by Rosalind Harvey and a TALK ON IMPROVING YOUR LANGUAGE-LEARNING
SKILLS by polyglot and author Olly Richards.
- On TUESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER: an evening talk at Europe House by author and
polyglot DANIEL TAMMET, on the Mysteries and Meanings of Language.
All events are free of charge and open to everyone, but registration is
required for certain parts of the programme. Further details are below.
Please forward this email widely and share links on social media.
SATURDAY 23 SEPTEMBER:
A day-long public event to celebrate and promote languages.
VENUE: European Bookshop, 123 Gloucester Road, South Kensington, London
SW7 4TE: http://www.europeanbookshop.com/contact.php#europeanbookshop
[1]
From 10AM TO 6PM: the European Commission will have a stand outside the
bookshop with goodies, information and languages games and quizzes,
helped by an interactive touch-screen display that can give you a first
lesson in over 130 languages. Members of Cambridge University's Faculty
of Modern and Medieval Languages will also be on hand to answer
questions about studying languages. No booking necessary, just turn up!
The shop has a wealth of further material for those inspired to start a
new language or resume learning old ones. The area is also home to
several national cultural institutes offering language tuition and
libraries, including the Institut français [2] and the Goethe-Institut
[3]. There are plenty of eating and drinking options and many other
attractions in South Kensington - include a visit to us as part of a
wider day out.
At 12 NOON AND AGAIN AT 3PM: two runnings of the legendary Wordkeys
language treasure hunt, devised and led by literary translator Rosalind
Harvey. No language knowledge required. Free and open to all, but
numbers are limited and registration is essential. Meet outside South
Kensington underground station. For more details and registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wordkeys-language-treasure-hunt-for-european-day-of-languages-tickets-37786377071
[4]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulKayeEUlangs/status/908270813572411392
[5]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECinUK/posts/10155711315728684 [6]
From 7PM TO 8PM: in the European Bookshop: a talk by Olly Richards
entitled _Becoming Multilingual: The Secrets To Learning New Languages
As An Adult_. Olly is a polyglot, author and language consultant who has
taught himself more than eight languages. In this talk you'll discover
how he has learnt his languages, the methods he has used, and how you
can use his experience to get a head start in your own language
learning. Includes drinks and nibbles. Free and open to all, but numbers
are limited and registration essential:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/becoming-multilingual-the-secrets-to-learning-new-languages-as-an-adult-tickets-37786233642
[7]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulKayeEUlangs/status/908280073991618561
[8]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECinUK/posts/10155711315728684 [6]
TUESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER:
An evening talk by polyglot and author DANIEL TAMMET on _The Mysteries
and Meanings of Language_.
VENUE: Europe House, 32 Smith Square, London SW1P 3EU
TIME: 6.30pm
Daniel Tammet is an essayist, novelist and translator. He is the author
of the Sunday Times bestseller _Born On A Blue Day_, and of the
international bestsellers _Embracing the Wide Sky_ and _Thinking in
Numbers_. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2012 and
lives in Paris. His latest book, _Every Word is A Bird We Teach to
Sing_, is a collection of essays about language. Tammet's first
encounters with language included noting the shapes and textures created
by Finnish words through the neurological phenomenon of synaesthesia;
this summer a meeting at a book festival led to his first conversation
in Esperanto, a language he learned in adolescence:
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/daniel-tammet-synaesthesia-languages/
[9].
Tammet comes to Europe House to tell us of his life in languages. The
talk will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. There will
also be a drinks reception with light food. The event is free of charge
and open to all, but registration is essential, at this page:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-mysteries-and-meanings-of-language-a-talk-by-daniel-tammet-tickets-37786409167
[10]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulKayeEUlangs/status/908289100607840256
[11]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECinUK/posts/10155713932723684 [12]
If you register and cannot attend, please cancel your ticket so that
others can take your place. If you have any special access needs
(British Sign Language, Speech-To-Text Reporting or other) we will do
our best to accommodate your needs, provided we are given sufficient
notice. Please email [log in to unmask] with details.
EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES was established in 2001 by the Council of
Europe [13], a body comprising 47 European countries that deals with
human rights. For more information, including on other events around the
continent:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/initiatives/languages-day_en [14]
http://edl.ecml.at/ [15]
Many schools and other organisations put on events to mark the day, some
of which appear in the lists of events at these links. Search for an
event or add your own event to the database.
In the run-up and on the day, why not encourage family, friends,
celebrities and other prominent figures known to be language enthusiasts
to lend their support. Get them to display their language skills by
posting on social media in other languages. Use the #EDLANGS hashtag.
We look forward to seeing you on and around European Day of Languages!
Paul
***************************************
You have received this email because you have been added to a mailing
list maintained by the language officers at the European Commission
Representation in the UK
(http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/about-us/london-office_en [16]). The
list is used exclusively to inform you of language-related events and
initiatives organised by or in association with the European Commission,
and occasionally of other language-related matters we deem of
importance. It is not used for other purposes and your email address
will not be shared with anyone else.
To be removed from the list, please reply to this email with
‘Unsubscribe’ in the subject line. Inclusion in the list is open to
all on request.
***************************************
PAUL KAYE
Twitter: @PaulKayeEUlangs
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Language Officer
European Commission Representation in the UK
Europe House
32 Smith Square
London SW1P 3EU
+44 (0)20 7973 1968
[log in to unmask]
Links:
------
[1] http://www.europeanbookshop.com/contact.php#europeanbookshop
[2] https://www.institut-francais.org.uk/
[3] https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/sta/lon.html
[4]
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wordkeys-language-treasure-hunt-for-european-day-of-languages-tickets-37786377071
[5] https://twitter.com/PaulKayeEUlangs/status/908270813572411392
[6] https://www.facebook.com/ECinUK/posts/10155711315728684
[7]
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/becoming-multilingual-the-secrets-to-learning-new-languages-as-an-adult-tickets-37786233642
[8] https://twitter.com/PaulKayeEUlangs/status/908280073991618561
[9]
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/daniel-tammet-synaesthesia-languages/
[10]
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-mysteries-and-meanings-of-language-a-talk-by-daniel-tammet-tickets-37786409167
[11] https://twitter.com/PaulKayeEUlangs/status/908289100607840256
[12] https://www.facebook.com/ECinUK/posts/10155713932723684
[13] http://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/home
[14] http://ec.europa.eu/education/initiatives/languages-day_en
[15] http://edl.ecml.at/
[16] http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/about-us/london-office_en
--
Silke Mentchen
Senior Language Teaching Officer
Department of German and Dutch - University of Cambridge
Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages
Fellow of Magdalene College
Director of Studies and Tutor
Office: 01223 335017
College: 01223 332103
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