European Day of Languages

European Union experts are set to call Wednesday for better teaching
of major languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Hindi to boost the EU's
global competitiveness, officials said. And they are expected to call
for language teaching to be more enjoyable and entertaining, in an
effort to boost Europeans' enthusiasm for foreign tongues, sources in
the European Commission - the EU's executive - told Deutsche Presse-
Agentur dpa.

On Wednesday, the EU is set to mark the European Day of Languages - a
date designed "to celebrate the rich heritage of cultures and
traditions embodied in all the languages of Europe," according to the
European Commission, the EU's executive.

During the day, a group of linguistic experts is due to present a
series of proposals aimed at encouraging Europeans to learn more
foreign languages - a task the group was given in 2005.

According to EU sources, the experts are to recommend boosting
informative campaigns on language learning aimed at children, adults
and cultural organizations, and to urge businesses to look on foreign
or migrant employees as a valuable potential link with new markets.

But their key recommendations are set to deal with improving the image
of language learning, and the quality of teaching of major non-
European languages such as Hindi, Arabic and Chinese.

Under the expected proposals, language learning should be seen more as
a free-time activity, like sport, and should be offered in an
enjoyable way on TV as a form of "edutainment," or educational
entertainment, officials said.

And the group is expected to call for the creation of EU-wide
standards in the teaching of major non-EU languages, which could also
include Japanese and Russian, to promote the quality and appeal of
lessons in such languages.

Skills in languages such as these are seen as crucial to boosting
Europeans' competitiveness in the global economy.

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