Europe beyond Babel

Not all Europeans can speak 32 languages like he does. Ioannis Ikonomou, born in Iraklio, on the island of Crete, Ikonomou studied linguistics at the University of Salonicco and at Columbia University in the United States. He has been working as translator for the EU Commission for the past ten years. Unquestionably, he is the most persuasive testimonial of multilingualism, celebrated at continental level on September 26. A resource for Europe. Ioannis Ikonomou, for whom world vocabularies have no secrets, signals the cultural, social and economic value of knowing languages other than one’s mother tongue. Cypriot Commissioner for Culture and Multilingualism Androulla Vassiliou, Cypriot Commissioner for culture and multilingualism, saod in a message delivered during the European Language Day: "Linguistic and cultural learning is one of main resources of the EU. It facilitates the communication between peoples and Countries and encourages cross-border mobility and migrants’ integration". As a sing of the central role of multilingualism, the EU and the Council of Europe (CoE) joined forces to celebrate this special day on September 26 with citizens of all ages and nationalities with initiatives at European level (events, school competitions, language workshops for adults, involvement in universities and enterprise-based language courses…), including an international conference in Limassol (Cyprus). Numbers and initiatives. The European Union (27 Member States) has 23 working languages, as well as around 60 regional and minority languages, and countless migrant idioms. The EU (Commission, European Parliament, Council, Court of Justice, Court of Audit, Economic and Social Committee, Committee of Regions) invests around €1 billion a year on boosting language skills and other competences. 1% of EU budget is invested in translating and interpreting services, while nearly 3000 language experts work for the EU Commission. The EU finances several initiatives that boost language skills while promoting diversity: two major traits of the programme "Erasmus for all" for the period 2014-2020, due to undergo adoption by EU Council of Ministers and European Parliament in order to increase funding for this area. Language diversity and the development of language skills is also a pillar of the Council of Europe, which promotes a wide range of initiatives to raise awareness across its 47 member countries also thanks to the initiative "Talk to me!" launched by the European Centre for modern languages of Graz, iAustria. The events – we are told in the seat in Strasbourg – are aimed at "encouraging people of all ages, in school and outside school, to learn languages and celebrate cultural and linguistic diversity". Some figures. The recent report commissioned by the EU, titled "Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe 2012", shows that English is by far the foreign language that is most widely taught in European countries, followed by French, Spanish, German and Russian. According to findings, children are starting to learn foreign languages at an increasingly early age, even in pre-school. But a Eurobarometer survey presented last year shows that only some 50% of all Europeans speak a second language. The same survey shows that nine out of ten EU citizens consider the language skills "very useful", and 98% consider it "good for their children’s future". Europeans are aware of the advantages of multilingualism. Not by chance, 72% share this objective, while 77% say it should be a priority of national and European educational policies. The next borders. The importance of language skills has been the main theme of the conference organized by the Commission in Limassol, September 26-28. This initiative marked the tenth anniversary of the 2002 Barcelona European Council, where heads of government and State called for the teaching of two foreign languages from a very early age. As regards future projects, the European Commission and the Council of Europe intend to sign a formal partnership agreement in 2013 which would strengthen their cooperation on multilingualism and language learning in areas such as assessment, recognition of qualifications, exchange of experience and data, ICT-based tools, education in the language of the host country for adult migrants, and education as the main learning language for children of migrant families.