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26 September has been the European Day of Languages (EDL) since 2001. It is jointly organised by the Council of Europe and the European Commission. 

The aim is to:

  • raise awareness of the wide variety of languages in Europe
  • promote cultural heritage & linguistic diversity
  • encourage people of all ages to learn languages
  • promote translation, interpretation, other language-related professions. 

Multilingual online quizzes, radio contests, translation workshops, language fairs and travelling book exhibitions are organised across the EU through our network of local field officers working in the Commission Representations.

European Day of Languages events 2023 

Check out the list of the  #EDLangs events to see what is happening in your country and join us for the EDL 2023 celebrations!

poster with tonguetwisters to celebrate the 2023 European Day of Languages

Discover previous posters

 

Initiatives for the Day of Languages 2023 by the Council of Europe

"Languages in my classroom” poster competition : children are invited to develop a creative and eye-catching poster that reflects the languages present in their  classroom or school. This can include both the languages they are learning and the languages spoken by your classmates. 

"The beauty of languages" participants are encouraged to submit a short video presenting an expression they particularly love - either from their native language or from one of the languages they are learning, and to provide the backstory or anecdote that explains its meaning.

More info on activities organised by the Council of Europe.