Celebrating European Day of Languages at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor

Staff and students at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Pwllheli campus have been celebrating the 20th anniversary since the European Day of Languages initiative began. Flags representing the Council of Europe’s 47 member states welcomed staff and learners to the college site.

The European Day of Languages aims to “raise awareness of the importance of language learning in order to increase plurilingualism and intercultural understanding, promote the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe, and encourage lifelong language learning in and out of school.”

At present, there are approximately 225 indigenous languages spoken across Europe. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, said: “The European Day of Languages reminds us that all voices matter and that together we can overcome linguistic and cultural divides in our societies."

Helen McFarlane, Modern Languages lecturer at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Pwllheli campus, said: "We celebrated with our AS and A-level French and German linguists with Belgian waffles and French croissants, followed by a language challenge and interactive quiz to deepen their understanding of the importance of both regional and global languages.

“Learners commented how important it is to learn languages from an early age ‘to keep regional cultures and global languages alive’ to ensure that school and college learners will be able to ’communicate successfully both in local and international settings, now and in the future’.”