Month: June 2015

European Language Policy

The objective of the European Union is for everyone across the continent to be able to speak two languages additional to their mother-tongue. That is the official ‘European Language Policy’. Multilingualism they claim, is an “important element in Europe’s competitiveness”. I repeat – everyone is to speak TWO additional languages besides their mother tongue!!! First, I want to point out that the EU actually spends some of its time focusing on implementing programmes so that this goal can eventually be reached. Now, I’m not entirely sure where to even go on from. I ‘ll go from here –

I am not in any way against the idea of people learning another language. In my utopia, everyone speaks the same language or is at least able to. It would make everything so much easier.. Clearer.. It would probably be of great help bringing peace to the world as well, haha. But lets be honest, the way things stand in the world most people only speak one language. Their mother-tongue. Learning a new language is often difficult, especially as you get older. In some subjective scenarios it may not even be necessary to speak anything else but your local dialect. In Europe however, we do have a significant amount of bilingual speakers. Many people in Western Europe for example speak English in addition to their native language. You’d think that the EU would then say – alright, lets begin with one additional language. I’d stand by that objective without doubt. To start with two when we haven’t even achieved one yet just seems strange.

The ONLY reason the EU, although it will not express it this way, has after so much pondering decided to require people to speak two languages instead of the logical single extra language is because it does not want to offend the ego’s of either the French, the Germans or the English. In the institutional working arena, all major languages may be used. They all think their language is the most important and therefore should be used the most. None of them are allowed to “win”! Multilingualism is a strength, and can be very useful to the individual. But this is not what the ELP is based on. If we were taking the Union seriously, I do not think major EU objectives should be formed on the basis of emotions and personal pride issues. If the governments involved were truly (pointing fingers at the same three again here) focused on what would serve the European people best, they would not let their pride-complexes affect long-term decisions. Every decision has to be the most rational decision, and the best decision in the long run. Many Member States will have to, and already do, accept things they may not want to for the greater good. If in this instance this means that English is introduced everywhere, then the French and Germans will just have to take it. I just feel this issue is something we should not even be discussing any more in our time. This for two reasons – the first because I thought we would be past that. I think the Germans, French and English should all be past that. The second reason is because… well, technology is coming.

I agree with the idea that there should be discussion and research done into what language would be most viable and easy to implement for everyone. However in all the literature for this task only one author shared my view that the language chosen should be entirely independent of any sort of emotional sentiment. I also support the view that only one language should be chosen. Some authors have proposed using Esperanto, amongst other artificial languages in order for the common European language to be ‘neutral’. Latin was also proposed. Now although I am perhaps delusional enough to believe that if we introduced Esperanto in every school across Europe now, that in 20-30 years we all might share a common level of it.. I believe other major developments will happen before we could even reach that point. The whole discussion about which language should be spoken in the European political arena just seems irrelevant to me as well. It took me a while but I am now finally going to get back on my former point about technology on the rise.

The EU spends so much money finding and employing a huge amount of translators for every get-together. Sometimes it has to find the most unheard of combinations – a Lithuanian to Maltese translator for example. Or in even more difficult situations, just make sure each translator from both sides is able to translate into the same language. The discussion about which language to choose as a common European language will last decades. Instead of wasting our time fighting about whose the biggest, we could also all wait till translation-technology improves. By my estimations, this will take 10-15 years at most. Within that time (will probably go even faster), machines which combine the functionalities of Google Translate and Siri will exist to translate our every word as we speak them out.

Don’t believe me? Check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRBb27BzevQ

And that’s just one of many basic prototypes coming up.

This technology  in the political arena, if the speaker was speaking in English and a specific representative did not understand English, instead of hiring a translator, the representative could then select which language he or she wants to have the speech translated into by his device and it would do so for him/her as the speech is given. Eventually you would even be able to hand-select the type of voice you want to hear.

In the social arena, it would have similar applicability. Lets say you’re Dutch, and you met a Romanian. Neither of you spoke English, or any other common language. But you needed to communicate about an immediate, highly important situation you have both gotten into. You could speak Dutch, and the other person could speak Romanian. Your device would just translate what the other is saying in the language you choose in the moment.

I truly believe that as our societies continue to modernize, the need for a European Language Policy will completely be eradicated for the aforementioned reasons. Multilinguilism will remain a personal strength, and all learning a common language would be the best thing for establishing understanding for each other. However, I believe that technology will do this at a faster pace. Maybe we will even start wearing an earplug which directly translates anything any one else is saying around you in a foreign language to your own. I implore everyone to inform themselves about the latest tech news – because I’m telling you, anything is going to be possible.

The European Language Policy

The European Union (EU) is stuck in a dilemma. Its own “raison d’être” is diversity, inclusiveness and acceptance of all cultures within the EU. Language is an integrant part of each culture. Moreover, the EU aims to be a model of democracy. These two features mean that the EU must treat each language equally within the institutions and it must promote them equivalently.

The EU’s motto “Unity in Diversity” has been shown in different ways. The most funded and promoted is the Erasmus program that helps students financially to study a part of their study abroad in another Member State. All countries and languages are in theory treated equally; however, by taking a closer look at these programs, we can easily notice that in practical terms, the languages are not treated equally what so ever.

Erasmus Logo
Erasmus Logo

Most students taking part in the Erasmus program arrive in the host country with barely any knowledge of the host country’s language. Having already discussed the difficulties that students face in learning new content in a foreign language, most students chose to follow the courses in English. Moreover, English is often the Lingua Franca of the international Erasmus student community and Erasmus is often seen as a way to improve their English skills. As a result, participants of the Erasmus program generally do not achieve any skills in the home language, but rather improve their English. This reality is not in line with the European ideals. This flaw must be analyzed in order to provide a valid solution.

Why is English the Lingua Franca in Europe for Erasmus students? Economically speaking, English is by far the most valuable language. As de Swaan explained, language choice is based primarily on a utilitarian perspective. Languages are collective: the biggest its amount of speakers, the more attractive it is to learn it. English has reached this stage of being “hypercollective”. This reality is showed in the different European national school systems where about 90% of them provide English courses as a L2.

The power of English - the opportunity it offers
The power of English – the opportunity it offers

Both the problem and the solution reside in this reality. The problem is that before acquiring a proficiency in English, student will always choose to learn English and will always favor universities providing English course. Only after achieving English, student can choose another language as a L3 to learn. This choice is then more based on personal or cultural preferences. Erasmus in this context would show much better result in learning the language of the host country. In order to achieve this, I would recommend taking two independent measures at the EU level. First achieving English fluency by:

  • learning English as L2 from Primary School to the end of High School; and
  • encouraging one-year immersion programs in an English-speaking country at the end of high school in order to reach full proficiency (see the example of Germany).

Second, specific to the Erasmus program, I would put some conditions for the funding to help only the “motivated to learn a language” students by:

  • obliging students to take a language course while having the Erasmus; and
  • by only validating the Erasmus fund if the student passed a test demonstrating a level of A1 or higher in the country’s language at the end of the program.

However, the English fluency policy is hard to be clearly formulated for a reason: principles of equality, language equality and language rights (Article 3 TEU states, “It shall respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity, and shall ensure that Europe’s cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced”). Such right can become problematic when approached in a rigorist way. The Linguist Skutnabb Kangass (SK) does so and gives her opinion in an Immigrant Minority Language paper where she advocates “strong models” for language education. Strong model consists of imposing minority languages on the majority. For a Belgian example, French-speaking children would have to learn kituba, one of the national languages in Congo, because it is the first language of one of their classmate. Although English enables students to communicate with the rest of the world and dutch enables students to communicate with their country mates. This, for the sake of equality and fairness. Brilliant.

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While such approach remains marginal, they still influence some politicians, particularly those sensitive to the “social progress” of society. These types of thinking must be opposed for three reasons:

  • economically speaking, as mentioned earlier, English is the most rewarding language;
  • economic rewards are always coupled with cultural and linguistic shininess (South Korean video Gam Nam Style on YouTube is the most watched video of all the times and it is in Korean); and
  • cross-country exchange would be easier in any domain.

The EU is a group made up of different types of people and mindsets. Therefore, a realistic and pragmatic approach must be taken. The SK multilingual approach is “de rigueur” in the EU and as de Swaan correctly stated, “The more languages, the more English”. The use of other EU official languages are decreasing faster than ever before.

To summarize this post, I advocate a strict hierarchy within language learning.

  • L1: Official state language(s) for the sake of a working and a cohesive nation State.
  • L2: English as the Lingua Franca of the globalized world.
  • L3 free of choice: Minority Language, Immigrant minority Language, or a European language with whom speaker has particular affinity.

I know this post is controversial, but please keep in mind that first, controversy evolves debates and debates remains the most typical feature of democratic societies. Secondly, I purposely chose a provocative tone and “politically incorrect” ideas in order to create that debate.

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Language Policy in the EU – Quo Vadis?

20130921_bkp504The European Union is an international organization of undoubtedly unique multilingual character. The official status granted to all 24 official national languages of its 28 MS is legally enshrined in EU Law and derives from both, the political necessity to democratically represent the multiplicity of languages of roughly half a billion citizens and the symbolic significance of diverse European historical, cultural and political traditions. This language regime is laudable and worthy of preservation if the EU is to maintain close ties to its citizens through public communication and deliberations in all 24 official languages (Athanassiou, 2006, p. 5). This is not, however, to close one’s eyes to the current challenges the EU is facing in the aftermath of the global economic and financial crisis and the rethinking this might entail for the working language regime deployed in the EU committee and delegation meetings.

Continue reading Language Policy in the EU – Quo Vadis?

Multilingualism – an asset for Europe and a shared commitment

Der Europäischen Union gehören 28 Länder an in denen 24 offizielle Sprachen praktiziert werden. Dies ist Ausdruck der kulturellen Vielfalt der Union, und damit ein wichtiges Kulturerbe. Jedoch stellt dies die politische Organisation, welche die EU ist, vor große Probleme im Umgang und der ständigen Kommunikation mit ihren Mitgliedern. Im Rahmen ihrer Bemühungen um die Mobilität und die interkulturelle Verständigung zu fördern, hat die EU sich auf die Flagge geschrieben, das Lernen mehrerer Sprachen als wichtige Priorität zu bezeichnen. Deswegen unterstützt sie durch Fonds zahlreiche Programme und Projekte in diesem Bereich. Mehrsprachigkeit in Anbetracht der EU, ist ein wichtiges Element in der europäischen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit. Eines der Ziele der Sprachenpolitik der EU ist daher, dass jeder europäische Bürger zwei weitere Sprachen neben der eigenen Muttersprache beherrschen sollte.

Das Streben der Europäischen Union nach „Einheit in der Vielfalt“ untermauert das ganze europäische Projekt. Die harmonische Koexistenz vieler Sprachen in Europa verkörpert diese. Sprachen können Brücken zwischen Menschen bauen, sodass wir den Zugang zu anderen Ländern und Kulturen finden, und es uns ermöglicht, einander besser zu verstehen. Fremdsprachenkenntnisse spielen bei der Förderung der Beschäftigungsfähigkeit von Jungen Europäern eine immense Rolle, und stattet sie optimal für die Arbeit im Ausland aus; ein Aspekt, der in den kommenden Jahren immer wichtiger zu werden scheint. Sie sind auch ein Faktor bei der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit; schlechte Sprachkenntnisse führen in vielen Unternehmen dazu, Verträge zu verlieren und stellen ein Hindernis für Arbeiter dar, die vielleicht eine Beschäftigung in anderen Ländern als dem eigenen suchen. Ein Problem in der Entwicklung ist auch, dass noch zu viele junge Leute mit Potential die Schule vor ihrem Abschluss verlassen, ohne über Kenntnisse in einer zweiten Sprache zu verfügen – Grund genug, den Sprachunterricht und das Lernen effizienter zu machen.

Eins der vielen Programme der Europäischen Union, zur Förderung von Sprachkenntnissen und Erweiterung des kulturellen Wissens ist das Erasmus+ Programm. Dieses ist interessant zu erwähnen, da es speziell uns Studenten betrifft. Erasmus +, welches Anfang 2014 begann, ist das neue EU-Programm für allgemeine und berufliche Bildung, Jugend und Sport für den Zeitraum 2014-2020. Die Förderung des Sprachenlernens und der Sprachenvielfalt ist eines der spezifischen Ziele des Programms. Im Erasmus + Programmführer heißt es: “Die vorhandenen Möglichkeiten, um sprachliche Unterstützung zu bieten haben den Auftrag die Mobilität der Studenten effizienter und effektiver zu gestalten, um zur Verbesserung der Lernleistung und damit zum Ziel des Programms beizutragen.“ Unter Leitaktion 1 des Führers wird sprachliche Unterstützung für die von den Teilnehmern für das Studium, die Durchführung eines Praktikums oder Freiwilligenarbeit im Ausland praktizierten Sprachen im Rahmen der langfristigen Mobilitätsaktivitäten zur Verfügung gestellt. Linguistische Unterstützung wird hauptsächlich online angeboten, wie z.B. E-Learning, welches Vorteile für das Lernen in Bezug auf Zugang und Flexibilität bietet. Im Programmführer heißt es auch, dass unter Leitaktion 2 strategische Partnerschaften im Bereich des Sprachunterrichts und des Lernens gefördert werden. Die Verfahren, mit dem Ziel, Sprachkenntnisse zu fördern, können beispielsweise Lehr- und Bewertungsmethoden, die Entwicklung pädagogischen Materials, Forschung‚ Computer-Assisted-Language-Learning‘ und unternehmerische Projekte mit fremden Sprachen umfassen.

Aus eigener Erfahrung mit dem Erasmus+ Programm, kann ich positive wie auch negative Fazite ziehen. Als ich im September 2014 nach Italien kam, hatte ich schon einige Vorkenntnisse in der Italienischen Sprache. Jedoch waren die nur ausreichend genug, um mich auf der Straße, in den Läden, und mit Freunden mehr oder weniger gut zu verständigen. Mir lag es natürlich auf dem Herzen, mich zu verbessern. Nicht nur, weil das komplette Studium auf Italienisch stattfinden würde, sondern auch weil ich sehr offen bin für verschiedene Kulturen, und ein sehr ambitioniertes Interesse habe, so viel von der Welt kennen zulernen wie es nur möglich ist. Also, nahm ich die Möglichkeit war, an dem vom Erasmus+ zur Verfügung gestellten Italienisch Sprachkurs teilzunehmen. Dies stellte sich nach der ersten Woche sofort als falsche Entscheidung heraus. Ich kam in eine Klasse mit überwiegend Spanischen Austauschstudenten, was ein großer Nachteil war, da diese ein sehr gutes Verständnis der Italienischen Sprache vorweisen konnten. Dies beruhte natürlich auf der Tatsache, dass Spanisch dem Italienischen sehr ähnelt und sie als Muttersprachler besser damit zurechtkamen, als ich, der zwar auch Spanisch-Kenntnisse besitzt, dem jedoch der Muttersprachen Aspekt fehlt. Durch diese erhöhte Präsenz Spanischer Studenten, muss sich der Professor wohl ermutigt gefühlt haben, den Unterricht schneller und schwerer zu gestalten, was er auf wiederholten Widerspruch meinerseits trotzdem fortführte. Nach einer Woche hatte ich genug, und war gezwungen, mir einen privaten Sprachkurs in der Stadt zu suchen, welcher natürlich auch mit steigenden Kosten verbunden war. Hier habe ich dann die Chance bekommen, die Sprache in meinem Tempo zu lernen und zu meistern. Also kann ich sagen, dass in meinem Fall Erasmus+ Sprachkurse nicht effektiv genug sind, da sie individuelle Defizite missachten, und darauf beschränkt sind, der großen Studentenanzahl so schnell es geht, Sprach-Kenntnisse zu vermitteln.

Ich denke, dass in Zukunft durch Beispiele wie meins, das Erasmus+ Programm verändert werden muss und sich die EU-Offiziellen Reformen einfallen lassen müssen, um wirklich dafür zu sorgen, dass alle Studenten die gleichen Chancen haben eine Sprache zu erlernen. Wenn dies geschieht, sehe ich eine großartige Entwicklung für die Zukunft und Chancengleichheit für alle. In der Bildung und im Beruf.

Cette Europe Babel – Language Policies in the European Union

Multilingualism and the peaceful coexistence of different cultures and languages symbolize Europe´s unity in diversity. Within Europe´s borders 175 different nationalities are represented, 24 official languages are spoken, three alphabets are used and more than 60 other regional and minority languages are present. Europe is probably the only place on earth
babelwith such a complex and multilayered situation which is changing  and developing continuingly.- It is a true Babel !  Taking this into account the establishment of an adequate language policy on a European level seems to be essential and unavoidable but at the same time also almost impossible. This last blog entry will focus on language policy in the European Union. It takes into account some of the most effective policies, initiatives and programmes launched so far and gives suggestions for future improvement.

Continue reading Cette Europe Babel – Language Policies in the European Union

Language planning and lots of it..

I am a European citizen and I also feel like one. On the other hand, I also feel Dutch. Should I then speak Dutch, French, German or English, or should I speak all of them. It is quite hard to make one rule out of it. Is the feeling where you belong connected to what language you have to speak or is language just something we learn and use?

I believe these are the underlying thoughts and questions when we come to the debate on the language policy of the European Union. The European Language Policy is vast and varying. Overall, the European languages are the supported by the European Language Policy. Multilingualism is in general seen as the only possible answer to the all the different languages that are spoken within the European Union.

This is of course not the only option. In the current situation in the European Union every national language is allowed. The delegates speak with each other in their own language while a translator translates. This has been the case for all the years in the past. What is however happening in every level of politics in the European Union, is that English is becoming a more used language. Documents are becoming mostly printed in English and delegates tend to use English in informal meetings. Outside of the supranational institution, European citizens are getting more used to speak English. This raised the overall question on what to do with languages within the European Union.

Continue reading Language planning and lots of it..

“Unity in Diversity” or “English only”?

Dear Reader, [Liebe/r Leser/In]

 

“Unity in Diversity” – das ist das Motto, wenn es um die EU, ihre Mitgliedsstaaten und Kulturen geht. Eingeschlossen in dieses Motto sind die verschiedenen Sprachen, die in der EU gesprochen werden. Von Anfang an wurde auf die Unterschiedlichkeit der verschiedenen Mitgliedstaaten besonderen Wert gelegt. Im Moment bilden 28 Staaten die Europäische Union. Obwohl mehr als 24 Sprachen gesprochen werden, ist dies die Anzahl der offiziellen Sprachen (nicht zu verwechseln mit einigen Co-official Sprachen, die einige Länder anerkennen).

Dies bedeutet (unter anderem), dass die EU Bürger das Recht haben, alle EU Dokumente in den offiziellen Sprachen einzusehen, und dass sie sich die Kommission in einer dieser Sprachen addressieren können (plus eine Antwort in eben dieser Sprache erhalten). Gleichheit und Gerechtigkeit, sowie Zugägnglichkeit spielen hier eine große Rolle.

Continue reading “Unity in Diversity” or “English only”?

The Educational Answer of the European Union to the Language Policy, adequate?

Language education is key: the provision of lifelong, quality language education supports not only educational and professional success, but personal development and a sense of self-worth, all of which help foster economic growth, democratic citizenship and social cohesion (European Centre of Modern Languages).

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(Open day of the European Institutions, Brussels, 2015)

As the European Commission Language webpage states as a title, one of the objectives of the European Union is to support language learning and linguistic diversity. The LETPP Consortium (2011) expresses that Language Policy is one element in a bigger policy context. One of these contexts is education. As I think you know already, my particular interest is education. Therefore, how does the European Union promote languages through education? Is it an adequate answer to the reality we are living today?

 

Continue reading The Educational Answer of the European Union to the Language Policy, adequate?