Language Rich Europe Framework for Language Policies and Practices Launch
How well is Greece promoting the learning of languages? Do its cities and businesses have a co-ordinated approach to language use? Is Greece taking the right approach to the language needs brought by immigration?

Find out more about this at the launch of the Language Rich Europe Framework for Language Policies and Practices we are organising as part of our participation in the European Union National Institutes for Culture, EUNIC Greece.

This research Framework will form the basis for sharing of best policies and finding new ways to encourage Europeans to be multilingual.

For further information, please contact Aliki.Weedall@britishcouncil.gr.

Languages in Greece Today: Richness in Diversity
Do you know how many languages are spoken on the streets of Greece in 2012? Should public services provide information in languages other than Greek? How do other language users enrich our society? Join us in Thessaloniki on 28 March to express your views!

Panel Speakers:

• Multilingualism: Limitations and possibilities under new circumstances
  Dr Angeliki Kiliari, Professor of Applied Linguistics/Sociolinguistics, Department for German Language and Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  
  
• Language as a basic integration factor of a migrant in the host country
  Niko Ago, Journalist, AVGI newspaper, Protagon.gr
  
  
• Whys and hows on foreign languages in Greece today? Thoughts and prospective on language learning in a time of crisis
  Dr Nikos Sifakis, Assistant Professor, School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University (HOU)

The event will be held in Greek and admission is free to the public. An unofficial reception will follow.

• Download the Registration Form (MS Word, 195 KB).

Languages Speak Up! Competition
Enter our Languages Speak Up! Competition to become one of our Language Ambassadors – and you could win a new iPad 2!

What is Language Rich Europe about?
We have longstanding experience in supporting the teaching and learning of English and the development of language education policies across the world.

From our perspective as a cultural relations organisation we believe that competence in and use of several languages is an essential tool to ensure better intercultural understanding and social cohesion.

It is also common knowledge that higher levels of multilingualism lead to greater employability and job mobility and facilitate access to new business markets.

Language Rich Europe will therefore capture the attention of leaders in government, educational institutions, public services, business and the media across Europe, highlighting the importance of multilingualism in creating more prosperous and stable societies.

It aims to encourage these leaders to take a more strategic approach and increased investment in language education and in the use of languages in public and private services.

Languages 'help build trust' in trade and business relations.

How will it work?
Language Rich Europe is co-funded by the European Commission and we are working with a wide network of partners and specialists in all 19 participating countries, including EUNIC (European Union National Institutes of Culture).

We will carry out professional research that will result in an innovative and interactive measurement tool called the Index of Multilingual Policies and Practices in Europe. This Index will help visualise the role of and support for multilingualism in the participating European countries and highlight good practice. It will measure how these countries perform against European standards in the following 7 areas:

			Databases on language diversity
			Languages in (pre-)primary education
			Languages in lower and upper secondary education
			Languages in adult vocational and university education
			Languages in public services and public spaces
			Languages in business
			Languages in the media

The results will be published in 18 languages, in a book and on an interactive website. We will invite professionals from various sectors in each country to discuss the results, share good practice and develop action points for their area of work.

Language Rich Europe will also provide guidelines for language teaching and learning, which will be distributed to the 8,000 EUNIC teachers and 2,000,000 students around the world.

Visit the Language Rich Blog!
Don’t miss the online forum we have created to invite you to join in the discussion, share your personal experience and voice your views on the role of languages.

Which are the participating countries?
Participating countries include: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union