According to Eurobarometer, 83% of Europeans value knowing other languages yet 44% cannot hold a conversation in another language. With globalisation and increasing migration, multilingualism is critical to intercultural understanding and cohesion in society, job prospects for individuals and competitiveness in Europe.
Through fresh research, a pioneering new tool – the Language Rich Europe Index – and a network of partners, this project seeks to capture the attention of leaders in government, business and society across Europe to:
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illustrate the current situation, highlighting good policy / practice to enable informed policy choices |
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inspire a new language focus among decision makers by demonstrating the importance of languages in stable and prosperous societies |
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motivate more learners / users of many languages. |
New research: Creating a baseline for language education and multilingual services across countries and industries.
Language Rich Europe Index – A European Index on Multilingual Policies and Practices will compare policies and practices against European Commission and Council of Europe standards in:
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education (pre-primary, primary, secondary, adult) |
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public services and spaces |
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business |
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media |
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national databases on language diversity. |
Essays: Highlighting specific national contexts will complement the data collected in each country
Analysis: Using the Index, LRE will determine:
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best practices: Which recommendations are being followed and work well? Which do not and why? |
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correlations between good practice in one area and success in another area. |
to be included are:
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national languages |
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foreign languages |
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regional languages |
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immigrant languages. |
With our expert partners we will build networks of professionals from all sectors covered by the Index, both at a national and international level.
The research and language profiles of each country will be launched and promoted through:
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Publications and an interactive website in at least 22 languages |
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Articles and interviews in the media |
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Student network of over 2 million EUNIC language learners |
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New professional network of over 1200 decision makers across sectors |
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22 major national launch events (in 20 countries, 2 regions) |
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At least 66 workshops on improving policies and practices across Europe |
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22 action plans (national/regional/local level) |
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Final paper summarising recommendations |
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The impact of the project can be tracked in subsequent editions |
Engage with Language Rich Europe on our blog
Irina Sukhinina
Partnerships and Projects Officer
British Council
4/12 Hryhoriya Skovorody St.
Kyiv 04070
Telephone +380 44 490-56-00
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