European Day of Languages

 Friday 26th September 2015Vendredi 26 septembre 2015

European Languages Day

Every year, the 26th September is a special day in Europe.It is a time to celebrate the 6000+ languages that are spoken all around the world.

Which languages can you speak?

Français

Polski

Español中文

Language facts…

• It’s a multilingual world- not everyone speaks English.

• In fact, 94% of the world does NOT speak English as their first language.

• 75% of the world does not speak English at all.• There are over 300 languages spoken in

London alone• There are many benefits to knowing another

language: you can communicate with others, have better job opportunities and make friends around the world (to name but a few reasons why learning a language is BRILLIANT!)

That’s a lot of people who do not speak English!

Paula Radcliffe speaks French and German and says: “Although I’m known first and foremost as an athlete, my foreign language skills have given me another dimension to my career. I regularly use French and German when I travel to compete in Europe.”

Arsene Wenger speaks French, German, English, Spanish, Italian and Japanese!

David Beckham speaks Spanish after playing several years at Real Madrid.

Roger Federer can speak 4 languages fluently German, Swiss German, English, & French, plus a little bit of other languages, including Spanish, Swedish and Italian.

How do I improve my language skills?

• Practise makes perfect! Take a risk and see where it takes you.

• Always make the most of any given situation: visiting a foreign country or meeting people who speak different languages

• Join clubs• Watch foreign films (with subtitles!) • Visit websites – there are lots out there!

Gary Lineker can speak fluent Spanish and Japanese and says: “As the world gets smaller, there’s never been a better opportunity to get into languages.”

How can you learn a new language?

•visit the country•get a penpal or

ePal• listen to CDs

and music•watch films &

DVDs• try websites

People will appreciate when you make the effort to speak their language

At our school…

• Some of use will enjoy a European snack at break time

• We will all take part in language activities in class today

Have lots of fun!