Learn about the 24 official languages of the European Union (EU)
Recently, I have been especially interested in languages. Different types of languages, and not just English.
In September 2022, I started learning Spanish and German as I explained here.
I want to discover the similarities and differences between languages and how these aspects influence the interaction between cultures.
Most of all, I am interested in multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Step 1: The Official Languages of the European Union: What Does the EU Do to Encourage Language Learning?
The European Union encourages language learning through multiple programmes. The most recognisable one is ERASMUS, which facilitates student exchanges across the continent.
By the way, I almost participated in this programme when I was learning at university in France! I was supposed to go the United Kingdom. However, life got into the way and I was unable to go.
Retrospectively, I am sure that I would have loved to learn in the UK and speak English every single day! Just imagine that!
Well, going back to our subject, the European Union strives to facilitate language learning on the continent because it recognises the utility of speaking multiple languages.
Step 2 (The Official Languages of the European Union): What are the Benefits of Speaking Several Languages?
The ability to speak many languages opens a lot of doors
- profesionally: we can be able to secure good jobs when we speak one or more languages.
- personally: possessing the ability to speak several languages helps us to grow as we learn different ways of handling situations and solving problems.
- socially: we can communicate with friends in their native languages.
- culturally: knowing another person’s language enables us to discover this person’s culture in a thorough way.
Step (The Official Languages of the European Union): What are the 24 Official Languages of the EU Then?
The European Union has 27 member states namely: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Concurrently, the EU uses 24 official languages in its instittutions. These languages are Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.
Note that the EU does not use 27 languages because some of the languages are shared between countries such as French, English and German. For example, the German language is spoken not only in Germany but also in Austria and Luxembourg. French is equally used in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Below is a video where I talk about the benefits of learning German:
Step 4 (The Official Languages of the European Union): How are the 24 Official Languages of the EU Used?
All European Institutes such the European Parliament, European Council, European Commission and the Council of the European Union are supposed to use all these languages in their legal documents.
At the EU Parliament, Parliamentarians can use any of the 24 languages of the European Union. It is the duty of conference interpreters to translate what is being said into other languages.
However, most of the times, popular languages such as English, French and German carry the day.
I imagine that this is a great deal of work!
That’s all for today!
What are you up to this November? What are your language projects? I would love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoyed reading the post as much as I loved writing it.
With much love,
Thandi
Further Exploration: The 24 Official Languages of the European Union
Watch: Learning Italian
I started learning Italian when I was at University. I studied the language for a year. Later on, I pursued my Italian studies when my daughter had to learn Italian for school. During this time, I fell in love with Italian again and decided to continue learning it on my own.
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Post: Inspiring November Language Projects and The 24 Official Languages of the European Union (Level B1-B2) © All Rights Reserved
