26 September has been the European Day of Languages (EDL) since 2001. It is jointly organised by the Council of Europe and the European Commission.
The aim is to:
- raise awareness of the wide variety of languages in Europe
- promote cultural heritage & linguistic diversity
- encourage people of all ages to learn languages
- promote translation, interpretation, other language-related professions.
European Day of Languages 2024
The European Day of Languages is a well-established opportunity to raise awareness about language learning and linguistic diversity.
- To celebrate the European Day of Languages, the European Commission is organizing two virtual conferences - on 26 September. Join us online!
- European Day of Languages across EU: 1-30 September - multilingual mini language courses, online quizzes, translation workshops, language fairs, travelling book exhibitions and many more events are organised in all 27 EU countries.
Check out what is happening in your country!
More events will be added later in September.
European Day of Languages - Open Day for school classes
- 24 September
- Mini language and culture courses
- Audience: pupils aged 14-16
- Venue: EU House Vienna
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Austria, Commission Representation Vienna, Austrian Association of Court Interpreters, Centre for Translation Studies Vienna
- Type of participation: registration required, claudia [dot] deutsch
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (claudia[dot]deutsch[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) (limited spots available).
We are celebrating the European Day of Languages and are inviting pupils in 9th and 10th grade to join us in the EU house. Join our interactive programme from 10am to 1pm with fun multilingual activities such as taster language classes, language quizzes and language games.
Travelling book exhibition "Asterix"
- 9-27 September
- Comic book exhibition
- Audience: children, young people and adults
- Venue: EU House Vienna, Graz Language Festival
This is the 10th edition of DG Translation's travelling book exhibition to celebrate the European Day of Languages. Asterix comics in 24+ languages will be exhibited in the EU House in Vienna and at the Graz Language Festival in September 2024. From there, the exhibition will travel Europe - first stop: Portugal.
Graz Language Festival
- 26 September
- Fair
- Audience: children, young people, pupils, students, teachers, families, wider public
- Venue: Graz Schlossbergplatz and Graz Museum
- Co-organisers: Graz Language Network, EDIC Styria, GrazMuseum, ECML Graz
- Type of participation: open to all no registration needed
Join the Language Festival in Graz and visit the European Commission's fair stand. Find out more about EU multilingualism, take our quiz and brows our multilingual exhibition of Asterix comics.
2024 European Day of Languages: “Europeans and their languages”
- 26 September at 12.00 - 13.00
- online session
This year, we will focus on the results of the 2024 Eurobarometer on Europeans and their languages and compare them with the 2012 Eurobarometer results.
We will connect live with some of the EU countries that achieved positive results, including Finland, Spain and Czech Republic. Together, we will try to identify key factors of success.
KCI Virtual Café on EDL “Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement
- 26 September at 15.00 - 16.45
- online event
This year, the EU celebrates 20 years of its biggest enlargement: on 1 May 2004, ten countries (Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined the European Union, which grew from 15 to 25 members. This historic enlargement of the EU, increasing the number of Member States by two-thirds overnight, was the culmination of a long accession process. It signalled the reunification of a Europe that had been divided for half a century. The enlargement made the EU the world's largest integrated market and increased trade between Member States, contributing to economic growth both in the EU and the acceding countries.
Have a look at the draft programme!
The 2004 enlargement languages will be in the spotlight: our interpreters will be providing simultaneous interpretation from all of them into French, German and English, providing participants with a nice opportunity to witness simultaneous interpretation in action.
Language Fair
- 28 September
- Public space event
- Audience: all public
- Venue: Sofia City Garden
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Cluster Bulgaria
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
DG Translation and members of EUNIC Cluster Bulgaria organize the traditional Language Fair again. The fair is held in an open public space with 20 stands for different languages with games, quizzes, music and activities for children. The anniversary of the 2004 enlargement will be featured at the stands of the relevant countrues. Come and celebrate with us our multicultural and multilingual Europe!
Online quiz
- 1-30 September
- Audience: all public as from 14 y.o.
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Cluster Bulgaria
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
The online language quiz is already a traditional event and is awaited eagerly by its fans. The quiz consists of 26 multiple-choice questions (in honour of the 26th of September). It will take place during the whole month of September at the following address: www.edl-bulgaria.eu. Test your knowledge, learn little known fun facts and win attractive prizes! Good luck!
Posters exhibition
- 16-30 September
- Audience: all public
- Venue: Visitors' centre, House of Europe, 124 Rakovski, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Cluster Bulgaria
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
Each year the DG Translation comes up with an idea for an original poster dedicated to the European Day of Languages (EDL) - 26th of September. We have gathered these individual posters in order to document the celebrations of EDL since that initiative first started. It is both a historical exibition as well as a showcase of the creativity and the evolution of graphic design over the last 15 years. The exibit will be acessible to the public during the whole month of September 2024 in the House of Europe in Sofia.
EDL Language Festival 2024
- 27 September
- Audience: all public
- Venue: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb (ul. Ivana Lucica 3)
- Co-organisers: The partners of the event are the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the local EUNIC cluster from which 14 embassies and cultural institutes will be taking part.
The Festival of Languages 2024 is planned as central event organized to celebrate the European Day of Languages. The Festival, over the course of the day and in 8 lecture halls, will serve to promote multilingualism and language learning with a series of over 50 different lectures, language classes, quizzes, workshops and round tables covering the richness of over 30 European languages and dialects as well as the European cultural heritage and customs. Events organized for the Festival will include introductory language courses, lectures on translation by literary and poetry translators, workshops on audio-visual translation, interpreting and machine translation, numerous quizzes, demonstrations of various machine translation tools and other yet to be planned events.
Language fair
- 25 September
- Language fair with mini language courses in parallel
- Audience: University students, schools
- Venue: University of Cyprus, Nicosia
- Co-organisers: Language Centre of the University of Cyprus
Mini-language courses in the 10 languages offered by the Language Centre of the University of Cyprus. In parallel, EUNIC members, cultural institutes and other linguistic organisations will hold a language fair in the same premises, with prizes for the participants. Short opening ceremony with the presence of Ambassadors/members of Embassies and short speeches.
European Day of Languages at Kampus Hybernská
- 26 September
- Fair
- Audience: school children aged 10-15, students of secondary schools and universities, general public
- Venue: Kampus Hybernská (Charles University)
- Co-organisers: Charles University (Institute of Translation Studies - EMT), Prague chapter of EUNIC, Embassies of EU27, European Commission Representation in Prague, National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic - National Europass contact point, Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (Erasmus+ contact point)
- Type of participation: open to all - no registration
An all-day language festival held to mark the European Day of Languages and offering a varied programme consisting of workshops, presentations, mini-lessons for individuals and groups, reading sessions, a language-themed escape game and a language-themed quiz. It includes a speak dating session for schoolchildren in the morning (9-12), a speak dating session for public (15-18) and a language themed pub quiz (19-22). The festival will also include information stands of Europass and Erasmus+.
Contact: DGT-PRAGUEec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-PRAGUE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Multilingualism is a Treasure
- 1 September - 31 October
- Contest and award ceremony with a speak dating session
- Audience: School children (aged 6-14)
- Venue: EC Representation in Prague
- Co-organisers: Kamarádi magazine, Zaedno NGO, The Ministry of Education, The City of Prague, Unicef, The House of National Minorities NGO
- Type of participation: open to schools - registration required
A speak-dating event for elementary schools and an award-giving ceremony concluding the art contest "Multilingualism is a Treasure". The contest is organized by Kamarádi (Friends), a multilingual magazine for (not only) bi-lingual children. From early September to the end of October, children submit art works that reflect their multilingual experience. The winning pupils and their classes will be invited to the seat of the European Commisison Representation in Prague to attend a mini-speak dating event and an award ceremony on 22 November 2024.
Contact: kamaradizaedno [dot] org (kamaradi[at]zaedno[dot]org)
Online Language Quiz
- 2-6 October
- Contest and award ceremony with a speak dating session
- Audience: general public
- Place: online
- Co-organisers: Goethe Institute (EUNIC member) and other EUNIC members
- Type of participation: open to all
An online quiz with questions from the central ECML multilingual language challenge quiz will run for over three weeks at the central webpage for EDL events in the Czech Republic. All respondents will be included in the final prize draw in which 10 winners will receive merchandise from DGT and from the participating EUNIC institutes.
Contact: DGT-PRAGUEec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-PRAGUE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Pub Quiz on Languages to mark the European Day of Languages
- 23-27 September
- Quiz
- Audience: general public
- Venue: pubs across the Czech Republic
- Co-organisers: EC Representation and Hospodský kvíz, s.r.o.
- Type of participation: open to all - registraion needed
The DGT Field Office and the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic join forces with "Hospodský kvíz s.r.o.,", a company that organizes regular weekly pub quizzes in restaurants and pubs across the Czech Republic, to integrate the theme of multilingualism, languages and the 20th anniversariy of EU enlargement into pub quizzes held in the week of the European Day of Languages. In over 250 pubs and restaurants across the country, the questions will be put to the total audience of some 6 000 regular participants.
Contact: infohospodskykviz [dot] cz (info[at]hospodskykviz[dot]cz)
Language quiz
- 1-30 September
- an online language quiz on the 2004 enlargement languages
- Participants: students, pupils - anyone interested in languages
- Co-organisers: ECML Denmark/National Centre for Foreign Languages
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
Multilingual poetry: Let’s schreibe una poème plurilingüe!
- 5 August - 26 September
- School contest + conference
- Participants:
- Contest (multilingual poems): children in primary, secondary and upper secondary education
- Participants at event on 26th: language teachers and language students at university
- Venue: schools/House of Europe
- Co-organisers: ECML Denmark, Institut Francais, Goethe Institute, NCFF (National Centre for Foreign Languages)
- Type of participation:
- Contest open to all schools (no registration required)
- Event at House of Europe on 26 September: Registration required.
Contest: Multilingual poetry where several languages are used in the same poem will be used as a way of attracting pupils' and students' attention to languages. In times of AI and machine translation we would like to show that languages and creativity are human skills that go hand in hand. As guidance to teachers, an expert has provided written and video tutorials. The concept of "poem" will be defined in broad terms so as to include song/rap lyrics, for example.
An additional task for the young "poets" will be to deliver a translation into Danish of their poems. This way, students will learn why poetry or lyrics cannot be translated literally, and that it is important to render rhymes and rythm, etc in the translation. The jury, composed of the partners, will find a winner in each of the three age groups.
Conference: on 26 September we will host an event for foreign language teachers with speakers providing input on creative writing in foreign language teaching. Award ceremony: Winners of the contest in the three age groups will be invited to this event where they will recite their works and receive diplomas and gift cards.
Contact: dgt-copenhagenec [dot] europa [dot] eu (dgt-copenhagen[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Web Quiz on the 2004 enlargement
- 26 September
- Online quiz
- Audience: general public, especially young people
- Type of participation: open to all
Online quiz celebrating the European Day of Languages and the 20th anniversary of the EU enlargement that brought Estonia to the EU together with nine other countries. Participants can register individually or by school class. Prizes will be drawn separately for both categories. Everybody is welcome to join and expand their knowledge of the EU and its many languages!
Radio Language Game
- 25-26 September
- Radio quiz
- Audience: general public, especially young people
- Type of participation: open to all
- Co-organisers: Tallinn European School, Estonian National Broadcasting
Put your language recognition skills to test with a special quiz on Europe's many languages! To mark the 2004 enlargement of the European Union that brought Estonia to the EU together with nine other countries, children of the European School in Tallinn have recorded excerpts from childrens' books published in different European countries in the year 2004. You have to listen to each of the recordings and guess the language. The quiz is on the web page of Vikerraadio, so it can be played any time from the morning of 25 September to the afternoon of 26 September. The participants can register either individually or as a school class. Prizes will be drawn between the best participants on 26 September during a live broadcast on Vikerraadio.
Language Café
- 26 September
- Audience: general public
- Venue: Werner Café in Tartu, Estonia
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
- Co-organisers: The EUNIC cluster
Come and join us for a free coffee and cake in Tartu's legendary Werner Café where you can listen to live performances of Estonian poetry in various European languages offered by different embassies and language institutes operating in Estonia.
Contact: dgt-tallinnec [dot] europa [dot] eu (dgt-tallinn[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Poetry recital - The Odyssey in different European languages
- 26 September
- Place/venue: Helsinki Central Library Oodi
- Audience: general public
- Type of participation: open to all
- Co-organisers: The EUNIC network in Finland, Helsinki Central Library Oodi
Come and listen to a Poetry recital of the ancient Greek epic poem Odyssey, attributed to Homer. A passage of the poem will be read in the official languages of the EU. The event takes place on the Saarikoski-matto on the third floor of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi.
EDL week at the EU@Oodi information point
- 23-29 September
- Place/venue: Europa Experience EU@Oodi at the Helsinki Central Library Oodi
- Audience: general public
- Type of participation: open to all
- Co-organisers: Europa Experience EU@Oodi
The EU@Oodi information point at the Helsinki Central Library Oodi will celebrate the European Day of Languages for a whole week! Come and participate in different language related activities. Visit the book exhibition and dive into books about Alice in Wonderland in all 24 official EU languages.
EDL Language Café
- 26 September
- Language Café
- Place/venue: Helsinki Central Library Oodi
- Audience: secondary school students and their teachers, general public
- Type of participation: registration needed for school groups
- Co-organisers: The EUNIC network in Finland, The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL), Kongressitekniikka Oy, The Federation of Foreign Language Teachers in Finland (SUKOL)
- Languages: Finnish Swedish, English
Hi language teacher! Bring your students along and come and familiarise yourselves with a wide range of European languages in our Language Café! During your visit, you and your pupils get a taste of several European languages and countries in a playful way. You even get a chance to try simultaneous interpretation in a real interpreter booth with the help of professional interpreters. The visit takes just over an hour and is free of charge. The event is aimed for grades 7−9 and upper secondary schools. The Language Café is open for the general public at the end of the afternoon.
Dictée multilingue
- 23-27 September
- Competition
- in-person and online
- Audience: secondary school pupils and their teachers
- Type of partitipation: registation needed
- Co-organisers: French "collèges" and "lycées" throughout the country
- Contact: dgt-parisec [dot] europa [dot] eu (dgt-paris[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
AI and language learning and use
- Panel discussion
- 26 September
- Place/venue: Vertretung der Europäischen Kommission in Deutschland, Unter den Linden 78, 10117 Berlin
- Audience: people interested in language learning and AI, general public, language professionals and teachers
- Type of participation: registration needed
- Co-organisers: Senatskanzlei Berlin
Everyone speaks about AI tools. They offer a wide range of opportunities but also bear challenges. On the European Day of Languages, DG Translation will organise a panel discussion, including a keynote speech, on ‘AI and language learning and use’ in the Representation of the European Commission in Berlin. Learn more about the chances and challenges AI offers in language learning and use!
Mini-language courses
- 26-27 September
- Place/venue: Libraries in Berlin
- Audience: 8-10-year old pupils
- Type of participation: registration needed
- Co-organisers: organised by EUNIC and the Berlin central library
Mini-language courses for 8-10-year old pupils organised by EUNIC and the Berlin central library.
Discovering the languages of the world
- 20-23 September
- Workshop
- Audience: School students
- Venue/place: Lesbos and Chios
- CO-organiser: Institut Francais de Grece
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
This event will bring EDL to a public outside Athens, through a series of workshops for children in different schools in the islands of Lesbos and Chios (presentations and interactive quizes). It will also include a conference on languages for the public in Mytilene and a contest on languages.
EDL quiz in Hungarian, 2024 edition
- 26 September - 10 October
- Online quiz
- Audience: general public, language enthusiasts, teachers, students
- Open to all, no registration needed
- Co-organisers: National Library of Foreign Language Literature
An online quiz of 15 questions, all linked to multilingualism in the EU or fun facts about languages (in Hungarian). Those who get 10 answers right will have a chance to win a Kindle e-book reader! The quiz will be open for 2 weeks, beginning on 26 September, and will be available here.
Contact: DGT-BUDAPESTec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-BUDAPEST[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
European Languages Cocktail Bar
- 13 September
- Fair + Mini language courses
- Place: Italian Cultural Institute, Budapest (1088, Bródy Sándor utca 8.)
- Audience: young people, students, teachers, language learners and language enthusiasts, general public.
- Open to all, no registration needed
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Hungary
Do you like foreign languages and cultures? Do you enjoy playing games? Would you like to try a delicious non-alcoholic cocktail? If yes, then visit this year's edition of the European Languages Cocktail Bar in Budapest. The European Commission and organisations working in the field of cultural relations and education await you with fun and creative language games, mini language sessions and a raffle. And did we mention there will be cocktails?
Contact: DGT-BUDAPESTec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-BUDAPEST[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Travelling book exhibition - Stories from Europe
- 26 September
- Book exhibition
- Place: National Library of Foreign Language Literature, Budapest (1056 Budapest, Molnár utca 11.)
- Audience: General public, book and literature enthusiasts, school groups visiting the library, language learners
- Open to all, no registration needed
- Co-organisers: National Library of Foreign Language Literature
An exhibition of the travelling book collection "Stories from Europe", showcasing the most beloved children's books from all around Europe, accompanied by a short description.
Try a New Language
- 20 September, (5-9pm)
- Mini-language course
- Venue: Representation of the European Commission in Ireland
- Audience: Members of the public (all ages). Registration recommended but not required.
- Co-organisers: Languages Connect (Irish government body charged with promoting language learning in secondary schools)
- Type of participation: open to all, registration encouraged but not required. Places on desired sessions may not be available to those without prior registration
This event is planned to coincide with the Culture Night celebrations in Ireland. We will open the doors of Europe House on the night (5-9pm) and enable members of the public to try taster sessions in Chinese, Czech, German, Japanese, Korean, Latvian. Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish and Spanish. To mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement of the EU, classes will be offered in all languages of the 2004 Member States, spread between this event and the online event on 26 September.
Try a New Language - online
- 26 September
- Mini-language course online
- Audience: general public
- Co-organisers: Languages Connect (Irish government body charged with promoting language learning in secondary schools)
- Type of participation: open to all, registration required to receive the link to the session.
Members of the public will be invited to join in 20-minute online taster classes in Arabic, Estonian, French, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian. To mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement of the EU, classes will be offered in all languages of the 2004 Member States, spread between this event and the online event on 26 September.
Le lingue: a scuola e in Europa
- Info-session
- 25 September
- Place/venue: online
- Audience: secondary schools teachers and principals
- Type of participation: by invitation
Juvenes Translatores 2023 winning school and two Italian national Erasmus+ agencies - Indire and Inapp - will present on opportunities offered by the EU to young people to learn languages, espcially during their school years. The infosession is addressed to secondary school teachers and principals and will focus on Erasmus+, eTwinning, Language Label, etc.
Piccole donne: tradurre per l'editoria e per il cinema
- Workshop
- 1 October
- Place/venue: Spazio Europa, Representation in Rome
- Co-organisers: Casa delle Traduzioni
- Audience: escondary school students
- Type of participation: by invitation
A literary translator and a film adapter will hold a translation workshop for secondary school students. The workshop will focus on the translation into Italian of the novel "Little Women" and its 2019 film adaptation. Preparatory work will be carried out at school by the students' language teachers.
European Languages Festival
- Fair
- 28 September
- Place/venue: Riga, National Library of Latvia
- Audience: general public - individuals curious about languages and cultures, families with children
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
This year, we invite you to an extraordinary event celebrating Europe's rich tapestry of languages, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement. For the first time, the EDL event in Latvia will be organized on such a grand scale, bringing together almost all EU and some non-EU languages to highlight and celebrate our linguistic diversity. Discussions, presentations, European Language Label award ceremony, universities offering language and translation studies, as well as language quizzes and games, competitions and much more – we look forward to welcoming you to a day filled with fun, learning, and cultural exchange!
EDL in Vilnius: contest of drawings on languages
- 1 September - 10 October
- contest of drawings on languages - award ceremony
- Audience: School students
- Venue: Visitor Centre of the Seimas
- Co-organisers: Public Service Language Centre (main implementer of EDL events in Vilnius), National Parliament, Ministry of Education and Science, Lithuanian Centre for Children and Youth
- Open to all
Traditional event, organized for more than 10 years, involves participation of many school students across the region of Vilnius.
EDL in Vilnius: final round of brain battle for schools
- 1 - 26 September
- Video contest+ Workshop
- Audience: Schools
- Venue: Visitor Centre of the Seimas
- Co-organisers: Public Service Language Centre (main implementer of EDL events in Vilnius), National Parliament
- Registration required
The selection of schools will be done across all Lithuania schools; the teams will have to present a short video on languages; the teams which will present the best videos will be invited to the final round of brain battle.
Celebration of EDL in collaboration with Europe direct centres
- 23 September
- Quiz
- Audience: School students
- Venue: 10 Europe direct centres in Lithuania
- Co-organisers: Europe direct centres
- Open to all
If you are wondering how to celebrate European day of languages, contact the local Europe direct centre! They will provide you with interesting material about languages which will help you to celebrate not only European day of languages, but also 20 years of our EU membership!
EDL in Kaunas
- 25 September
- Conference on translation and brain battle for Kaunas schools students
- Venue: Kaunas University of Technology (EMT member)
- Co-organiser: Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)
- Registration will start soon - please follow information on the event's web page
Are you interested to learn new interesting facts about languages and translation? Join us in our event at KTU! You will learn and will have opportunity to win prizes in brain battle!
Mini language classes
- 26 September
- Mini-language course
- Audience: Schools
- Venue: Vilnius, EC Representation
- Registration needed
Join us for short sign language and Hungarian language lessons in EC Representation!
Contact: DGT-VILNIUSec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-VILNIUS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Quiz on national television website platform “Prototo”
- 26 September
- Online quiz
- Audience: Open to all
- Co-organisers: National public television
- No registration needed
If you are willing to check you knowledge on languages, join "Prototo" on 19 September - it will be dedicated to languages! You'll also find the quiz on lrt.lt website on 26 September.
EDL in Šalčininkai
- 27 September
- Workshop
- Audience: Schools
- Venue: Šalčininkai
- Co-organisers: Šalčininkų Jano Sniadeckio gimnazija
- NType of participation: Šalčininkų Jano Sniadeckio gimnazija teachers and students
The teachers and students of Šalčininkų Jano Sniadeckio gimnazija are invited to celebrate European day of languages and the 20th anniversary of enlargement in a short presentation on languages and translation, followed by a mini quiz on languages.
2024 European Day of Languages: “Europeans and their languages”
- 26 September at 12.00 - 13.00
- online session
This year, we will focus on the results of the 2024 Eurobarometer on Europeans and their languages and compare them with the 2012 Eurobarometer results.
We will connect live with some of the EU countries that achieved positive results, including Finland, Spain and Czech Republic. Together, we will try to identify key factors of success.
KCI Virtual Café on EDL “Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement
- 26 September at 15.00 - 16.45
- online event
This year, the EU celebrates 20 years of its biggest enlargement: on 1 May 2004, ten countries (Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined the European Union, which grew from 15 to 25 members. This historic enlargement of the EU, increasing the number of Member States by two-thirds overnight, was the culmination of a long accession process. It signalled the reunification of a Europe that had been divided for half a century. The enlargement made the EU the world's largest integrated market and increased trade between Member States, contributing to economic growth both in the EU and the acceding countries.
Have a look at the draft programme!
The 2004 enlargement languages will be in the spotlight: our interpreters will be providing simultaneous interpretation from all of them into French, German and English, providing participants with a nice opportunity to witness simultaneous interpretation in action.
Żanżan Kelma
- 20-22 September
- spelling bee
- Audience: Schoolchildren (8 to 13 years old)
- Place/venue: Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, Santa Venera (semifinal); University of Malta Valletta Campus
- Co-organiser: Għaqda tal-Malti (Università)
- Open to all eligible schoolchildren upon registration
Żanżan Kelma is the first and only Maltese spelling bee for primary and secondary schoolchildren in Malta. Now in its eighth edition, it inspires schoolchildren to learn more about their native language.
Contact: urpghmu [dot] org [dot] mt (urp[at]ghmu[dot]org[dot]mt)
Festalingwi
- 22 September
- One-day festival
- Audience: general public
- Place/venue: University of Malta Valletta Campus
- Co-organiser: University of Malta
- Open to all, specific events upon registration and subject to age range
Festalingwi is a one-day fair celebrating and promoting European languages and culture through the arts, workshops, language lessons, talks and a fair. It will feature readings for young children, language workshops for children and adults, language taster classes in Maltese, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Ukrainian, as well as workshops touching upon Arabic, Hebrew and Chinese. There will also be two performances of Għanjiet it-Tfal, children's music in Maltese, three shows of The History of Europe and its languages (more or less), Kwiżżikk, a quiz about Maltese expressions, and many more. The festival will end with Ħoss il-Malti, a concert of Maltese-language music featuring Brodu and Sean Borg.
EDL Speak dating 2024
- Audience: general public
- Date: 26 September
- Place/venue: around Amsterdam Public Library (OBA de Hallen).
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
Try out speaking a foreign language in short five to ten-minute face-to-face sessions with professional language teachers and language university students. You can learn a few words/expressions in a new language, get some insights into the European cultures or have a conversation /practise in a language one already masters. It's also a nice opportunity to make new friends! . There will be an offer in 15-25 different languages, including Ukrainian and - if possible, Dutch sign language. This year we will highlight the 10 languages which have been added in 2004 and celebrate their 20th anniversary as official EU languages.
EDL fun language classes 2024
- Audience: Secondary school students
- Date: 26 September
- Place/ venue: institutes of culture, language institutes and university locations in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Groningen
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Netherlands and Groningen University
- Type of participation: by invitation only
This EDL event consists of free sample language classes - EU and other European languages - of approximately 20 minutes for secondary school students aged around 12. Each session consists of 4 language lessons of 20 minutes and can host one school with 2 classes (approx. 60 students). Languages differ between locations. This year, there will be a special focus on the 10 ‘new’ EU languages since 2004, by giving small talks to students about the advantages of cultural and linguistic diversity and learning languages from other language ‘families’.
At the Groningen location, there will also be a focus on AI and machine translation.
Contact: DGT-HAGUEec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-HAGUE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
EDL Festival 2024: Meeting Europe's Languages
- 25 September
- Mini-language course
- Place: Warsaw
- Audience: primary and secondary school students
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Warsaw, Warsaw Centre for Educational and Social Innovation and Training (WCIES)
- Type of participation: open to all, registration required
Are you ready for an exciting day of language discovery? We invite older primary and secondary school students to join us for a unique one-day event consisting of demo language lessons. The languages on offer are English (EN), Estonian (ET), French (FR), German (DE), Gaelic (GA), Italian (IT), Portuguese (PT), Romanian (RO), and Slovak (SK). The day will begin with an opening event for all groups, featuring a special presentation on sign language. This introduction to sign language will provide students with an insight into non-verbal communication and the importance of inclusivity in language learning.
After the opening event, students will be divided into groups and each group will participate in two language lessons. And here's the surprise: students won't know in advance which languages they'll experience!
EDL Festival 2024: Celebrating 20 Years of Poland's EU Membership
- 26 September
- workshop
- Place: Warsaw
- Audience: primary school children (8-9 years old)
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Warsaw, Warsaw Centre for Educational and Social Innovation and Training (WCIES)
- Type of participation: open to all, registration required
Do you remember that 20 years ago Poland became an EU member state and Polish joined the family of EU official languages? To celebrate this milestone, we invite primary school children (8-9 years old) to join our interactive language and art workshops. During these workshops, children will engage in fun and creative activities that combine language learning with art. They will have the opportunity to enhance their language skills while exploring their artistic talents. Using the knowledge and skills acquired during the event, participants will then contribute to a common artistic project commemorating the 2004 EU enlargement.
EDL Festival 2024: Promoting Excellence in Foreign Language Teaching
- 27 September
- Conference/ Seminar
- Online
- Audience: Polish teachers of DE, FR and EN.
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Warsaw, Warsaw Centre for Educational and Social Innovation and Training (WCIES)
- Type of participation: open to all, registration required to receive the link to the session.
Are you a teacher of English, French or German as a foreign language? Then join us for a specialized webinar with a teaching methodology expert from the country of the language you teach. These exclusive online events are tailored to enhance your teaching skills, provide innovative strategies, and offer insights into the latest educational trends.
Contact: DGT-WARSAWec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-WARSAW[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Muitas línguas, uma só Europa: democracia e participação na União Europeia
- 24 September
- Online webinar for schools
- Audience: Pupils aged 15-17
- Type of participation: by invitation
- Co-organisers: Portuguese Ministry of Education
Following the tradition of preceding years, the webinar for schools will include presentations on Europe and its languages, the EU institutions and youth participation in the EU. Schools of the whole country will be invited to register.
Online quiz on Europe and its languages - Muitas línguas, uma só Europa!
- 9-26 September
- Online quiz
- Audience: Facebook and Instagram account holders
- Type of participation: Open to all, no registration needed
The online quiz "Muitas línguas, uma só Europa!" will take place during the month of September in the Instagram and Facebook pages of the EC Representation in Portugal. Participants will be invited to test their knowledge on Europe and its languages and possibly win gifts and prizes. A winner will be drawn each day for both FB and IG. At the end of the competition, an e-book reader will be drawn among all the participants in the quiz.
Language Fair in Serpa - Muitas línguas, uma só Europa!
- 26 September
- Fair
- Venue: Serpa, Municipal Library garden and Secondary School
- Audience: School children of all ages, teachers, families, general public
- Type of participation: Open to all, no registration needed
- Co-organisers: Europe Direct Baixo Alentejo, Municipal Library of Serpa, Schools of Serpa
"Muitas línguas, uma só Europa!" This is the motto for this year's European Day of Languages celebrations in the towns of Serpa and Vila Nova de São Bento, in Portugal. This year's programme is dedicated to languages as a vehicle for culture and understanding between peoples, supporting inclusion and diversity in a context of increasingly intense migration.
What will happen in Serpa on the 26th of September (8 AM till 7 PM)? Language and dance workshops, tasting of food from different countries, games, performances, theater plays, sessions with writers, lectures and exhibitions. As in preceding years, the language fair will feature information stands of the Directorate-General for Translation, European Parliament, Erasmus+ Agency, Europe Direct Baixo Alentejo, Language Institutes and the local schools and municipality. The schools of Serpa will coorganise all activities and everyone is welcome to take part in the public events.
Contact: DGT-LISBONec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-LISBON[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
LinguaTest
- Online quiz
- 20-30 September
- Audience: general public
- Type of participation: open to all, registration needed
The very popular LinguaTest quiz will take place, as usual, between the 20th and the 30th of September, on the dedicated website. This year, among the 30 language-related questions of LinguaTest you can also find many on the languages of the 10 countries that joined the EU 20 years ago, in the largest accession wave. Do you know which were those countries? Are you curious to find out about their languages? Participate in LinguaTest and, besides the fun and the knowledge gained, you could also stand a chance to win the grand prize or three additional identical prizes. For more information, read the contest rules („Regulamentul concursului”), which can be found on the website. The quiz is open to all Romanian citizens who have their domicile or usual residence in Romania.
Mozaic Lingvistic Dobrogean
- Language fair
- 14 September
- Place/venue: Constanța/Vivo Mall
- Audience: general public
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
The Dobrudgea region of Romania boasts a large number of ethnic communities, each with their own language. This language fair aims to celebrate the linguistic richness of this multi-cultural and multi-lingual region. The participating cultural associations will have the opportunity to showcase their languages and involve the general public in language-related games and activities. Other EU languages will also be present, through local education establishments that specialise in teaching foreign languages at secondary and university level. The planned highlights include performances by traditional ethnic dance groups, as well as a roundtable on the importance of learning foreign languages.
EDL @House of Europe
- 26 September
- Audience: school students
- various activities related to languages
- Place/venue: House of Europe
- Co-organisers: EC Representation in Romania and DaDeCe Association (creative contractor)
- Type of participation: this event is by invitation only
This event is aimed at school children and will comprise creative activities centred around languages. A special focus will be given to the languages of the 10 states that joined the EU in 2004, to mark the 20th anniversary of the largest accession wave. The activities will take place both at the House of Europe, as well as around it, as our facilitators will take the participants on a trail of discovery on the nearby streets.
EDL events organised by Europe Direct centres
- various events
- 16-27 September
- Place/venue: Europe Direct centres in Romania
- Audience: school children, teachers, adults, general public
- Type of participation: in person and/or online
Every year, several Europe Direct centres throughout Romania celebrate the European Day of Languages with various events and activities. This year, the ED centres that organise EDL events are: ED București, ED Teleorman, ED Bacău, ED Vâlcea, ED Argeș, ED Brăila, ED Iași, ED Buzău, ED Oradea, ED Vaslui, ED Râșnov, ED Harghita and ED Galați.
Please contact the respective ED centre for details. The list of the ED centres can be found here.
EDL Košice 2024
- 12 September
- Fair
- Audience: Primary and secondary school pupils and teachers, general public
- Venue: Šafárik's University in Košice, Café Minerva
- Co-organisers: Šafárik's University in Košice and EUNIC Cluster members
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
We are excited to hold a European Day of Languages (EDL) event in Košice, Slovakia's second-largest city. This celebration will build on the tradition of cooperation between DGT's Slovak Language Department and the local University's Department of Translation Studies.
Event Highlights:
- EUNIC Cluster Contributions: Stands, staff, and activities including storytime corners, quizzes, mini-lessons, and creative arts and crafts workshops in various foreign languages.
- EU Enlargement Visual Materials: Including the "Wheel of Fortune" game with quiz questions about EU countries, and a presentation and quiz on the 2004 EU enlargement, with prizes such as promotional items and book vouchers.
- Interactive Language Game: Vortoj, a popular game that combines dancing and language learning through interactive quizzes on electronic dancing mats.
- Afternoon Discussion: Held at Café Minerva, focusing on languages and EU accession. Topics will include the impact on Slovak terminology, corpora, and language resources, with contributions from the SK Field Office, an EU freelance interpreter, and a faculty lecturer of EU terminology.
Join us in Košice for a day of language celebration and cultural exchange.
Speak dating and short films in Kácéčko
- 26 September
- Speak dating
- Audience: general public
- Venue: Kácéčko, Bratislava
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Cluster members
We are pleased to invite you to a Speak Dating Evening combined with a screening of short films in various EU languages, building on the KÁCEČKO's successful reputation as a language café organizer.
Event Highlights:
- Speak Dating: Engage in one-on-one conversations with native speakers provided by EUNIC cluster members.
- Short Film Screening: Enjoy a selection of short films in different EU languages, curated by EUNIC cluster members.
Join us for an evening of language practice and cultural enrichment.
EDL Bratislava 2024
- 26-27 September
- Language Fair and Online Workshops
- Time: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Audience: primary and secondary school teachers and pupils
- Venue: Bratislava, Nová Cvernovka Community Space
- Co-organisers: National Institute of Education and Youth, EUNIC Cluster members
- Type of participation: entry upon registration
In cooperation with the National Institute for Education and Youth and EUNIC Cluster members, we are excited to host a language on September 26th and a series of online workshops on September 27th.
Held at Nová Cvernovka, a modern industrial-style community space ideal for primary and secondary school pupils, we will have plenty of space to provide participants with a wide spectrum of language activities:
- Stands, story time corners, quizzes, mini lessons, and creative arts and crafts workshops in various foreign languages provided by EUNIC Cluster members.
- Representation and joint activities by cultural institutes from 6-10 "Big Bang" accession countries.
- An interactive language game combining dancing and quizzes on electronic dancing mats.
Online Workshops (September 27th):
- Platform: Zoom (upon registration)
- Hosts: Various EUNIC Cluster members
Join us for two days of language learning, cultural exchange, and interactive fun.
Language Orienteering
- 23 September
- Outdoor language orienteering competition
- Place: Wider area of Ljubljana (Start/End at EU House, Dunajska 20, Ljubljana)
- Audience: students of secondary and primary schools; also general public
Language Orienteering is a competition where participants need to find control points on the basis of photos and descriptions provided to them at the start of the course. At the control points, participants will need to perform various language tasks, which will give them additional points. The circular course will start at the EU House (Ljubljana) and will take the participants through the city center and beyond. The length of the course will be app. 4 km, and will take the participants some 140 minutes to cover (including solving tasks at control points).
The main purpose of the event is to share the spirit of European Day of Languages among the students and the general public, to underline the importance of multilingualism, and to encourage them to explore and learn languages in a fun and innovative way. As 2024 is still the European Year of Skills, emphasis will also be given on specific language skills and skills in general.
EU House Working Day
- 24 September
- All day event - fusion of Language awards, different presentations, EUNICs interaction, workshop
- Place: EU House, Dunajska 20, Ljubljana
- Audience: teachers and students of the winning and other schools, members of public administration, general public
- Co-organisers: Ministry of Education; National Education Institute
EDL event would take place on 24th September in form of a live event in the EU House in Ljubljana. The main topics will be Language awards (National Language Awards and European Language Label); various presentations on important language education and language industry topics; EUNIC cluster cooperation and interactive translation workshop.
In the first part, the representative of Ministry of Education will give a presentation on the new developments from the European Centre for Modern Languages. The representative of Department of Translation studies University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts (only EMT University in Slovenia), will then give an interactive presentation entitled “Who is the author (ethics, copyright and AI)”. Next presentation will be given by the representative of the National Education Institute entitled “Plurilingual and pluricultural competence in the new foreign language curricula“. The first part will be concluded by the award ceremony as the main EDL event in Slovenia. It will include presentations of the 10 best multilingual school projects with the award ceremony of National Language Awards awarded by the National Education Institute.
This will be followed by working break where participants will be visiting different stands (10-15). They will have opportunity to learn more in details about awarded projects. Stands will also be dedicated for teachers to brainstorm about good practices. Stands will also will further strengthen the cooperation with EUNICs (7 in country); they will each be given a stand to present different content during this working break (on-spot short languages courses, country and language information etc).
In the second part the authors of one of the best multilingual school projects which received National Language Award, will be given floor to present it themselves more detailed. The second part will conclude with the workshop on “Translating Tourism Texts”, given by Department of Translation studies University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts.
The language BUS
- 25 September, from 10.00 to 13.00 and 17.00 to 20.00
- Where: Line 27, Madrid bus network (Pl. Castilla to Pl. Embajadores).
- Audience: general public
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Madrid
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
Hop-On the Language Bus to practice your language skills and discover new countries and cultures. Follow the link to see the program and all the languages offered!
Contact: DGT-MADRIDec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-MADRID[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
European Day of Languages Fair
- 26 September, from 17h00 to 21h00.
- Fair
- Audience: general public: individuals curious about languages and cultures, families with children, youth: both primary and secondary-school students, and their parents, educators and language professionals: language teachers, linguists, translators and language experts.
- Venue: Madrid: Alliance Française
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Madrid
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
European Day of Languages Fair: you're invited! Come and learn about European languages and cultures!
EUNIC Madrid and the the Directorate General for Translation of the European Commission invite you to celebrate this day with fun activities: ‘speak dating’, food fair, storytelling, competitions and much more.
All ages are welcome!
Contact: DGT-MADRIDec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-MADRID[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Traducció i plurilingüisme
- 26 September
- Round table
- Audience: general public
- Venue: Barcelona, Setmana del Llibre en Català (Pg. Lluís Companys)
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Barcelona
- Type of participation: open to all, no registration needed
- Languages: Catalan and English, with interpretation both ways.
Round table on translation and multilingualism in collaboration with the Catalan Book Week. With Jessica Zuan (poet in Romansh language and translator), Rory Williamson (editor) and Ricard Ripoll (professor, writer and translator), moderated by Miquel Cabal (literary translator).
Contact: DGT-BARCELONAec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-BARCELONA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Discover literary translation
- 27 September
- Workshop
- Audience: Secondary school students
- Venue: Madrid: Goethe Institut
- Co-organisers: Goethe Institut
- Type of participation: by invitation only - the Goethe institut will invite classrooms/students to the workshops
European Commission and the Goethe Institut in Madrid organise 2 workshops for secondary school students to discover literary translation using comics and youth books.
Contact: DGT-MADRIDec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-MADRID[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
What can AI do for you? AI for teachers and learners
- 27 September
- Conference/ Seminar
- Audience: language teachers and learners (open to all, registration required)
- Venue: Barcelona, Goethe-Institut (c. Roger de Flor, 224)
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Barcelona
- Type of participation: free event, registration required by email at confirm-barcelonagoethe [dot] de (confirm-barcelona[at]goethe[dot]de)
- Language: English
How can language teachers use AI to enhance learning and streamline lesson preparation? And how can our students take advantage of these technologies to become more autonomous language users? In this talk we’ll look at the best online platforms to incorporate AI into our teaching and learning.
About the speaker: Catherine Morley has been teaching English since 2001, mainly in Spain and Mexico. She has been a CELTA and Trinity Diploma tutor, and is now Operations Manager for the British Council’s Online courses in Spain. She has a keen interest in Educational Technology.
Contact: DGT-BARCELONAec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-BARCELONA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
La aventura de traducir / The adventure of translation
- 28 September
- Fair
- Audience: children 9-12
- Place/venue: Madrid: Instituto Cultural Rumano
- Co-organisers: Instituto Cultural Rumano de Madrid
- Type of participation: registration needed
¿Where do languages come from? ¿What is translation? ¿What would happen if translation didn't exist? Come and discover the world of books, languages and translation in this interactive workshop!
To register: Taller "Aventura de traducir".
Contact: DGT-MADRIDec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-MADRID[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
La Fira del Dia Europeu de les Llengües
- 28 September
- Fair
- Audience: general public
- Venue: Barcelona, Institut français (c. Moià, 8)
- Co-organisers: EUNIC Barcelona
- Type of participation: open to all, one activity requires registration (comic workshop for teenagers)
Language fair consisting of a variety of cultural and language-related activities such as speak dating, storytelling, foreign language book stalls, comic book workshop, bilingual poetry reading, etc.
From 10:00 to 13:30 h
10:30 Lectura de poesia en romanx i català. Amb Jessica Zuan (poeta), Dolors Udina i Antoni Clapés (traductors)
11:00 Contacontes per a infants en alemany, anglès, francès i italià. Amb els narradors Monika Klose, Gemma McDonnell, Audrey Beurel i Rocco Papìa
11:15 Taller de còmic per a infants de 8 a 12 anys (cal inscripció aquí). Amb l’artista Maybelline Skvortzoff
12:00 Tastet d’especialitats gastronòmiques dels països participants
Tot el matí
Speak dating ofert pels instituts culturals organitzadors
Mercat de llibreries col·laboradores (Alibri, Jaimes, Le nuvole i La piccola)
Estands informatius de les entitats organitzadores
Contacts: DGT-BARCELONAec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DGT-BARCELONA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
EDL National competition 2024
- 22 May - 16 September
- Nationwide creative language competition
- Audience: Secondary school students
- Place: online
- Co-organisers: a collaboration between the FO, European Embassies and Culture and Language Institutes and national authorities.
- Type of participation: Registration needed, open only to students in Sweden in 7th to 12th grade (högstadium and gymnasium). Deadline is on 16 September 2024.
Competition announced online which allows students anywhere in Sweden in the ages 13-18 to participate in a poetry competition organised by a jury that is part of the Swedish EDL network. Students participate as individuals - no need for their schools to be registered, and they will be invited to do a creative piece of work showcasing their skills in foreign languages other than English, all according to the thematic and format determined by the jury for this year's competition. For the 2024 edition, students are asked to write any form of poetry about their "smultronställe", a Swedish term to denote a personal favourite place that is dear and special. The first prize is a 25 000 SEK travel trip voucher, courtesy of the EC Representation.
EDL Language café 2024
- 24 September
- Public space event
- Audience: Secondary school students
- Place: Finlandshuset
- Co-organisers: a collaboration between the FO, European Embassies and Culture and Language Institutes and national authorities.
- Type of participation: Registration needed, limited number of places, first come first served; open for schools with pupils in any grades between 7th to 12th (högstadium and gymnasium). Mainly relevant for schools in the wider Stockholm region since it is an in person event.
A very popular language café running for secondary school students aged 13-19 in the Stockholm and vicinity region. 45 minute time slots back to back, when approximately 60-75 students and their teachers come into the exhibition area and have mini lessons in ca 26-28 European languages - this year, to highlight the 20th anniversary of the largest EU enlargement, we have among our ranks for the first time the embassies of Slovenia and Latvia, who will take part and give the students insights about their respective national languages. Also, the embassy of fellow 2004 enlargement member Cyprus will join the ranks of the Greek language table, bringing the "Big Bang" participation to 9 out of 10 countries from the 2004 enlargement. There is also a quiz for the students to take and prizes for those who do well. We also invite the winner of the national EDL competition to come and join us for a short prize ceremony.