EUTOPIA Languages Week 2025

These events will take place online or in hybrid format and are open to the whole alliance.

Monday 3 March

• UW - 11:00-13:00 CET: Opening & Plenary Panel
  Professor Stuart Croft will open the 2025 Languages Week with a welcome address. This will be followed by two plenary talks that critically address a central theme for the week: the interplay between language, inclusion, and belonging. The session will conclude with a discussion and Q&A. Details below:

• Professor Zhu Hua (University College London) – ‘The Myths of Cultural Fit and Linguistic Penalty in Job Interviews’

This talk examines inequality in intercultural recruitment interviews, where invisible power dynamics emerge in seemingly friendly conversations between interviewers and interviewees from diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. Focusing on cultural fit and linguistic penalty, it highlights the challenges faced by individuals less familiar with the (British) interview process, including complex conversations with hidden power dynamics, the need for advanced pragmatic skills, and difficulties in demonstrating cultural fit. The analysis also uncovers the dual roles of recruiters as gatekeepers and facilitators in steering interviews and its impact on candidates' opportunities to showcase their skills and qualities effectively. The implications of these dynamics for the growing use of AI in recruitment will be discussed. The talk is based on Boneli & Zhu (2024).

• Professor Loredana Polezzi (Stony Brook University) – ‘Translation as Trace in Multilingual Tales of Migration’

Translation is a selective process: it includes and excludes, it enlightens and obscures, and it can foreground conflicting affects such as fear, shame, anxiety or desire. In the narratives of multilingual, diasporic authors, translation, like memory, can be a form of appropriation as much as renewal, it can be a link that ties individuals and communities to the past as well as a way of prefiguring the future. In this talk I will look at examples taken from the literature associated with migration and diasporic identities to ask what it means to think of translation as trace in migration narratives and how re-thinking translation as co-presence (rather than substitution) may inform our practices and attitudes towards mobility and hospitality.

​​​​​​​

Chair/Q&A: Professor Jo Angouri (University of Warwick)

Register here.

 

• SU - 12:00-13:30 CET: IsiXhosa Taster course 
  Learn how to greet, introduce yourself and form basic sentences in isiXhosa. Also get to practise the three clicks! During these two hours you will learn how to start a basic conversation in isiXhosa and also end the conversation in basic, appropriate isiXhosa. We’ll share a list of important nouns and verbs to help you to create your own sentences. Wamkelekile! (Welcome!)
  Register here.
• UL - 17:00-18:00 CET: Language Café: English & French 
  EUTOPIA’s Language Café is an excellent opportunity for learners of French and English to have a virtual discussion via MS Teams with students from other universities of the alliance. Your conversations, aimed to enhance your speaking and interpersonal skills, will be recorded and available to use as research material by the students of Discourse Analysis.
  Registrer here.

Tuesday 4 March

 

• SU - 12:00-13:30 CET: South African Sign Language Taster course
  Discover the basics of South African Sign Language (SASL) in this online session. This is your chance to explore the world of SASL in a fun and interactive environment. You are bound to learn at least one sign and get some insight into a whole new world. Join us and start your sign language journey today.
  Register here.
• UL - 13:00-14:00 CET: Language Café: French & German
  EUTOPIA’s Language Café is an excellent opportunity for learners of French and German to have a virtual discussion via MS Teams with students from other universities of the alliance. Your conversations, aimed to enhance your speaking and interpersonal skills, will be recorded and available to use as research material by the students of Discourse Analysis.
  Register here.
• UNIVE - 15:00-16:00 CET: Performing "Things I found nelle viscere": Using art and creative writing to promote plurilingualism 
  The event is divided into two parts. In the first part, the artist and filmmaker Camilla Pontiggia will present her performance: “Things I found nelle viscere”. The performance is a tale of her experiences of growing up between South Africa and Italy. Guided by the viscerality of these formative experiences, Camilla unravels her personal encounters with coloniality as a (white, christian) woman in search of alternative forms of knowing, being, doing, and resisting. She does so through translanguaging, that is, through using and mixing the multiple languages (Italian, English, German, French, and Afrikaans) that are part of her linguistic repertoire and identity. In the second part, participants will be engaged in a creative writing plurilingual workshop inspired by Camilla’s performance.
  Register here.

Wednesday 5 March

 

• SU - 13:00-14:30 CET: Afrikaans Taster course
  Discover the basics of Afrikaans. You will learn functional Afrikaans and get some insight into Afrikaans culture in a bite-sized lesson from an experienced presenter with over 20 years of know-how. Start your Afrikaans journey here and get ready for a fun and informative experience.
  Register here.
• UL - 17:00-18:00 CET: Language Café: Italian & Spanish 
  EUTOPIA’s Language Café is an excellent opportunity for learners of Italian and Spanish to have a virtual discussion via MS Teams with students from other universities of the alliance. Your conversations, aimed to enhance your speaking and interpersonal skills, will be recorded and available to use as research material by the students of Discourse Analysis.
  Register here.

Thursday 6 March

• SU - 12:00-13:30 CET: Exploring and Developing a Multilingual Mindset 
  In today’s globalised world, having a multilingual mindset is an asset that opens doors to new opportunities, expands cultural understanding, and enhances personal and professional growth. Those with a multilingual mindset embrace the concept of linguistic diversity in how they think about and deal with other people, language learning and communication. This talk will explore the interconnections between SU's multilingual mindset and intercultural competence.
  Register here.
• UL - 13:00-14:00 CET: Language Café: English & Spanish
  EUTOPIA’s Language Café is an excellent opportunity for learners of English and Spanish to have a virtual discussion via MS Teams with students from other universities of the alliance. Your conversations, aimed to enhance your speaking and interpersonal skills, will be recorded and available to use as research material by the students of Discourse Analysis.
  Register here.
• UW - 16:00-17:00 CET: Roundtable: Beyond Translation: Emerging Careers in the Global Language Industry
  Speakers: Lucio Bangulo (Deputy Programme Director – Head of Translation and Language Strategy, Amnesty International); Emily Diamandopoulou (Rhyme&Reason Language Services); Ha-eun Hannah Kim (Korean Language Manager at Netflix); Milena Spelta Parenti (Key Account Manager, Dema Solutions srl - Elia - European Language Industry Association). Host: Dr David Orrego-Carmona (University of Warwick).
  The language industry is experiencing unprecedented growth and transformation, creating exciting new career paths that extend far beyond traditional translation roles. This roundtable brings together professionals from different sectors to explore emerging opportunities for graduates with language, translation and localisation skills. Our distinguished speakers will share their professional journeys, discuss current industry trends and offer practical insights into building sustainable careers in the global language sector. Whether you’re interested in content creation, localisation, terminology, multimedia localisation or language technology, this session will provide valuable perspectives on the diverse career paths available to language graduates. We will discuss how language skills can open doors to innovative roles, share what employers are looking for in new graduates, and provide practical advice for launching your career in this dynamic industry. The session will feature an interactive discussion where you can engage directly with industry leaders and explore how to position yourself for success in the evolving language services landscape. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights from experienced professionals about the future of language work and how to prepare for it. This roundtable will help you understand the exciting possibilities ahead.
  Register here.

Friday 7 March

• VUB - 10:00-12:00 CET: Data Management and Reproducibility in Linguistics and Literary Studies
  In this webinar led by Dr. Özgün Ünver (Data Steward at VUB), we will start by exploring what data means in linguistics and literary studies, and the basics of Research Data Management and Open Science. Then we will go deeper into practical aspects of research management with regard to managing data, ensuring reproducibility, and contributing to Open Science.
  Register.

These events will take place internally and in person at the institution running them.
 

Activities at the VUB

All the VUB events below are on a drop-in basis, no need to register in advance, just show up!

• Monday 3 March, 13:00-14:00 CET: Spanish Language Table
  Students can join us and (informally) practise their Spanish!
  Venue: VUB Student Restaurant
• Monday 3 March, 16:00-17:00 CET: French Language Table
  Students can join us and (informally) practise their French!
  Venue: Opinio
• Monday 3 March, 14:00-16:00 CET, Film Screening: The Farewell (Chinese)
  Introduction: Jianwei Xu & Julie Deconinck
  Venue: L.2.03
• Tuesday 4 March, 12:00-13:00 CET, Dutch Language Table
  Students can join us and (informally) practise their Dutch!
  Venue: VUB Student Restaurant
• Tuesday 4 March, 18:00-20:00 CET, Film Screening: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (English)
  Introduction: Hira Shah
  Venue: D.2.20
• Wednesday 5 March, 12:00-13:00 CET: German Language Table
  Students can join us and (informally) practise their German!
  Venue: VUB Student Restaurant
• Wednesday 5 March, 13:00-14:00 CET: English & Italian Language Tables
  Students can join us and (informally) practise their English and Italian!
  Venue: VUB Student Restaurant
• Wednesday 5 March, 16:00-18:00 CET, Film Screening: Como agua para chocolate (Spanish) 
  Speakers: Diana Castilleja & Pedro Chilibroste
  Venue: I.0.01
• Thursday 6 March, 18:00-20:00 CET, Film Screening: Le Prénom (French)
  Introduction: Tatiana Pieters & Florence Gilbert
  Venue: I.1.04
• Friday 7 March, 16:00-18:00 CET, Film Screening: Meeuwen sterven in de haven (Dutch)
  Introduction: Stefan Clappaert
  Venue: G.1.57

Activities at CY

At CY, Languages Week will take place from 17 to 21 March 2025.

• 20 March, 14:00 CET: 'Go for it!': Online Roundtable on Student Mobility
  Incoming CY students and VUB students share their experiences & tips about mobility.
  Registration link coming soon.
• More events coming soon.
  Stay tuned!
   

Activities at the UPF

• Monday 3 and Wednesday 5 March, 10:30-12:30 CET: Intercultural Spaces, Languages and Identities Undergraduate Student Conference
  In this conference undergraduate students from the UPF course "Intercultural Spaces, Languages and Identities" will present an original research they have carried out as the project that has structured course assessment. By means of their research students have developed their understanding of (1) socialization spaces that are shared by interlocutors from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and (2) how to investigate such spaces by conducting an original piece of research whose results may be transferred to society. The exploration of these spaces has been undertaken from a transdisciplinary perspective that includes concepts and methods from (critical) discourse analysis, (educational) sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and social psychology.
  Venue: UPF Ciutadella Campus, room 20.107
  Students and instructors from other classes and disciplines are welcome to attend either or both of the sessions.

Activities at Warwick

Register for all your Warwick events HERE.

• Friday 28 February, 15:00 - 18:00 GMT: Languages Games Night
  Join us for a fun, linguistically very diverse evening with classics such as Scrabble, Taboo and other board games, but also a quiz, a cockroach xylophone, silly games where you have to jump, run and twist to win, a treasure hunt and cool prizes for the winners. There will also be playful introductions to different languages such as German, French, Spanish, Italian and Arabic if you‘re up for a challenge.
  Venue: FAB, 4th floor
• Monday 3 March, 17:00-19:30 GMT: Film Screening: 'L'auberge espagnole' with an introduction by Dr Reece Goodall
  Xavier, an Economics graduate student from France decides to spend a year abroad in Barcelona, Spain to study. His fellow Erasmus students are from all over Western Europe and have a flatshare. Watch Xavier navigates this new life in which his flatmates all speak different languages and have different cultural standards.
  Introduction: Dr Reece Goodall
  Venue: Social Sciences building, Room S0.20
• Wednesday 5 March, 14:00-17:00 GMT: Language Taster Sessions
  Come try a new language!
  Venue: FAB building, 4th floor

Activities at Stellenbosch University

 

• Wednesday 5 March, 18:00-20:30 SAST: Afrikaans Poetry Showcase (VER[r]AS)
  Join an intimate in-person space where students share their thoughts and creativity in a language they love. Students of the SU Department Afrikaans and Dutch will first share what Afrikaans means to them. Then they will read some of their own poetry depicting the different varieties of Afrikaans, published in Penseel, an annual student anthology of poetry and short prose. Poems written by students will showcase the broad cultural diversity in Afrikaans.  
  Facilitators: Department of Afrikaans and Dutch/VER[r]AS
  Venue: Kleine Bosch, 44 Banghoek Road, Stellenbosch
  Register here.
• Thursday 6 March, 18:00-20:30 SAST: Language Café
  Language learners unite! You are invited to join an evening of games and connection to informally practise the language you are learning with other language learners and first-language speakers. The languages represented at the Language Café will include all those languages that are taught at Stellenbosch University, through degree programmes or partner institutions. Currently, this list includes English, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, German, French, Dutch, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
  Facilitators: SU Language Centre
  Venue: Kleine Bosch, 44 Banghoek Road, Stellenbosch 
  Register here.
• Friday 7 March, 13:00-14:30 SAST: Multilingual Karaoke
  Join us for an unforgettable karaoke experience where staff and students have the exciting chance to sign up in advance to showcase their vocal talents! Join in the fun as participants take the stage to belt out tunes in languages that resonate with them. This engaging event not only celebrates linguistic diversity but also creates space for the art of  performance, fostering a sense of camaraderie and cultural appreciation. So, join in, support the one behind the mic and let the multilingual melodies sound!
  Facilitators: SU Language Centre
  Venue: Neelsie cinema
  Register here.