September 26 is a celebration of languages! Across Europe, schools and universities celebrate multilingualism with the European Day of Languages. On this day, European schools will host events and language contests celebrating multilingualism and plurilingualism. There are 200 languages spoken across Europe and 24 official languages in the European Union. That is a lot to celebrate.

This year, I was privileged to join two schools in Klaipeda for the Day of Languages. Klaipeda Tauralaukis school hosted a morning of cultural presentations for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Nearly 200 children gathered in the large hall to learn about cultures and languages. First, we heard a teacher speak French; then we learned a few handy words in German. The eighth graders presented the cultures and languages of Latvia and Sweden. The final presentation was about Armenia, given by the Klaipeda Ethnocultural Center.

I wanted to applaud and celebrate the fact that these children already know (or are learning) multiple languages. I reminded them that being multilingual is a “superpower.” First, knowing several languages promotes positive brain activity. Second, speaking two languages makes traveling much easier. Third, many jobs require employees to be proficient in several languages. My job at this event was to promote interest and enthusiasm for language learning. My job was super easy because my young audience is already learning several languages.

Klaipeda Varpo school hosted me for an afternoon of presentations and discussions with 11th and 12th graders. My message with this more mature audience also promoted the benefits of multilingualism. We dug deeper into the idea of multiculturalism and stereotypes. As we interact with people of diverse cultures, we will inevitably encounter the “other.” This can be challenging, and we automatically have stereotypes about people who _____ (fill in the blank). We have stereotypes about people who are dark (or light) skinned, people who are from another country, and people who are different from us. We will have opportunities to meet so many people in our lifetime simply because we speak more than one language. If we can recognize our own misguided stereotypes, perhaps we can listen and appreciate the diverse people who we will meet because we are multilingual.

Let’s celebrate multilingualism!

Author: Robin Gingerich, Ph.D., MA TESOL Program Director at LCC International University.