世界節(jié)假日博覽 第155期:歐洲語言日

September the 26th is the European Day of Languages. The Council of Europe and the European Union (EU) created the day on the 6th of December 2001. Its main aim is to encourage language learning across Europe. Other objectives are to alert the public to the wide range of languages to increase multilingualism and intercultural understanding, and to promote the rich linguistic and cultural persity of Europe. All Europeans are encouraged to take up a new language. The founders of this day also hope those responsible for providing access to language learning are encouraged to make it easier for people to learn languages. There is an emphasis on learning a language other than English.

9月26日是歐洲語言日。這一節(jié)日是歐洲委員會和歐盟在2001年12月6日設(shè)立的，其主要目標(biāo)是激勵歐洲人學(xué)習(xí)語言，目標(biāo)還包括提醒歐洲民眾接觸廣泛的語言以提高多語言能力和增進跨文化理解，同時提高歐洲語言和文化多樣性的豐富程度。它鼓勵歐洲人學(xué)習(xí)一門新語言。歐洲語言日的發(fā)起人還希望提供語言學(xué)習(xí)服務(wù)的人和機構(gòu)能讓語言學(xué)習(xí)更簡單容易。這一節(jié)日重在強調(diào)學(xué)一門英語以外的語言。


There are about 225 languages native to Europe. This is about three per cent of the world's total. With an increase in immigration to Europe, the continent has become more multilingual. The EU says over 300 languages are spoken in London. According to an EU survey 56% of EU citizens speak a second language. However, 44% only know their mother tongue. English is the most widely spoken second language, with 38% of Europeans speaking it. This is much higher than that for French or German. Around 14% of Europeans say they have mastered one of these languages. The EU spends more than thirty million euros a year promoting language learning and linguistic persity.

歐洲本土的語言大約有225種，占世界語言種類的3%。隨著歐洲移民的增多，歐洲大陸變得更加多語言化。歐盟稱，在倫敦，人們使用的語言有300多種。歐盟的一份調(diào)查結(jié)果表明：56%的歐盟民眾會說第二種語言。然而，44%的人只會說他們的母語。英語是使用得最廣泛的第二語言。38%的歐洲人會說英語，這要比會說法語或德語的人高得多。大約有14%的歐洲人表示他們已經(jīng)精通英法德三種語言中的一種。歐盟每年花費3000多萬歐元來加強歐洲人的語言學(xué)習(xí)能力和增加語言多樣性。