Happy World Portuguese Language Day

Feliz Dia Mundial Da Língua Portuguesa!

UNESCO

About World Portuguese Language Day

The date of 5 May was officially established in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) – an intergovernmental organization that has been in official partnership with UNESCO since 2000, and which brings together peoples with the Portuguese language as one of the foundations of their specific identity – to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures. In 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference decided to proclaim 5 May of each year as “World Portuguese Language Day”.

UNESCO

On this special day, Isabella Souza McLaughlin, a graduate intern at Queen’s Global Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions, shared with us her thoughts and feelings of having a Portuguese-speaking identity.

English version

May 5th is World Portuguese Language Day. The Portuguese language is widespread with speakers across all continents and is an official language in nine countries, including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Timor Leste, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cabo Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Additionally, Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.

My name is Isabella and I am Irish-Brazilian. Being Brazilian, speaking Portuguese is part of my daily life. Speaking Portuguese allows me to communicate with my family and friends in Brazil, watch Brazilian movies, read books and listen to Brazilian music. Not only that, speaking Portuguese further helps me learn and understand other languages as Portuguese is rooted in Latin, alongside Italian, Spanish and French. If you listen closely, you may hear similar words spoken in these languages.

How can you get involved in World Portuguese Language Day? Here are some examples:

1. Learn the language: Here at Queen’s University Belfast, the Language Centre has classes in Portuguese (European) and Portuguese (Brazilian). You will be surprised to discover how many words you already know in Portuguese! Such as: Olá, tchau, cobra, açaí, mosquito, samba.

2. Visit a Portuguese-speaking country: If you visit Brazil, with its beautiful nature and delicious food, you will be enchanted by Brazilian culture.

3. Watch movies and listen to music from Portuguese-speaking countries.

Portuguese version

5 de maio Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa. O português é uma das línguas que se expandiu no período colonial europeu. Hoje é a língua oficial de 9 países divididos entre Europa, América, África e Ásia.

O maior expoente em termos de extensão territorial e número de falantes é o Brasil. Além disso, é a língua mais falada no hemisfério sul. Porém, o idioma tem status oficial em Angola, Moçambique, Guiné-Bissau, Timor Leste, Guiné Equatorial, Macau, Cabo Verde e São Tomé e Príncipe.

Meu nome é Isabella, sou natural da Irlanda, filha de mãe brasileira e portanto o português faz parte do meu dia a dia, pois em casa minha mãe fala português, também meus tios do Brasil e amigos. Gosto de ler livros, assistir filmes e ouvir música brasileira. Falar português ajuda muito a aprender e entender outros idiomas, pois tem origem no latim, italiano, espanhol e francês, se prestar atenção veremos muita semelhança em palavras nesses idiomas.

Portanto comemorar esse Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa é aprender e se surpreender com as palavras conhecidas como: olá, tchau, cobra, açaí, mosquito, samba… Visitar o Brasil com sua beleza natural e sua culinária deliciosa é encantar-se não só com as palavras é também conhecer através de filmes e músicas a riqueza de um país encantador.

Isabella’s Graduation Photo | Photo credit: Isabella

Learning Portuguese at Queen’s

To find more information on learning Portuguese languages at Queen’s, please click the links below:

Plurilingual Recipe Writing Competition

Call for participation – from Dr Caroline Linse, Senior Lecturer (TESOL) from School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work

Handy-Crafts consists of a wide variety of engaging, hands on activities such as cooking, card making, kites, paper airplanes, etc. in the target language which will stimulate children and provide the tools for parents and teachers to conduct the activity, (make the recipe, etc. in the target language). Handy-Crafts are culturally relevant plurilingual activities written in clear or simple language…

Dr Caroline linse

Competition information

Please note, the submission date has been extended to 6th May 2023.

Example

For submission, please see download the recipe competition form below and refer to the Handy Crafts website for relevant ideas. For more information please contact c.linse@qub.ac.uk.

Tamil New Year

Happy Tamil New Year to our QUB Tamil Society and those who celebrate it at Queen’s and elsewhere!

The Tamil Society is a newly ratified Society at Queen’s and they are eager to help a wider audience of students and staff members to get to know their unique culture. Hema from the Society has enthusiastically introduced the Tamil New Year celebration to us.

Tamil Society at the QUB Qulture Roadshow 2023. Image credit: Liang Wang

Tamil New Year, also known as Puthandu (“Puthu” – new; “Andu” – year), is celebrated by Tamils across the world. Falling around the 14th or 15th of April every year, it is a festival not just limited to the Indian subcontinent but is widely celebrated in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, and more. It marks the beginning of the Tamil calendar year and is considered an auspicious occasion when we pay respect to our elders seeking their blessing to mark a new cycle for good fortune and prosperity. On the day, we use the greeting ‘Puthandu Nalvalthukal” which literally translates to “Happy New Year”. Homes are cleaned and preparations are made for the event on the previous day.

There is an important custom that is part of the traditional celebration which is “Kani”. This is where various items such as fruits, betel leaves, gold jewellery, money, flowers and a mirror are arranged on a tray in the prayer room. This is the first thing members of the household will look at when they wake up the next day so as to bring auspiciousness and prosperity for the new year.

Image credit: Hema

Traditionally, on New Year day priests in temple will prepare “Maruthu Neer” which is water that has been boiled with various fragrant herbs, flowers, and leaves. This water is then placed on heads of all family members during their bath. This ritual is believed to wash away all the negative energies from the previous year and bring in positive energy for the new one. After taking the bath, the New Year is celebrated by wearing new clothes, and particularly traditional Tamil clothes. The entrance of houses is decorated with mango leaves and kolams (made of powdered rice flour). We also offer prayers to God and our ancestors seeking blessings for a prosperous year ahead.

As with all festivals, food always plays an integral part in Tamil New Year.  A hearty vegetarian feast is traditionally prepared, alongside a very important dish – Mangai Pachadi – a dish made with raw mango. This dish is believed to represent “Arusuvai” or a variety of tastes (e.g. sweet, astringent, sour, bitter and spicy) to represent a new year that should be filled with all tastes or flavors of life.

In a world that is so fast paced and impermanent, Tamil New Year is a time for new beginnings and hope. It is an occasion to forget the past and look forward to a brighter future. The traditions and customs associated with the festival not only bring joy and happiness but also foster unity and harmony amongst family and friends.

Tamil New Year Potluck

We would also like to send our best wishes to those who are celebrating their New Years (Bengali / Cambodian / Hindu / Lao / Myanmar / Nepali / Thai) on/around the same day.

You are welcome to write posts on your own cultures and contribute them to our celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s for sharing.

Multilingual Poetry and Music Festival

I was fortunate enough to be on the organizing committee for QUB inaugural Multilingual Poetry and Music Festival and to act as a compère for the event, which took place on Thursday 23rd March. I was hugely encouraged both by the high level of interest shown by students and the positive response from attendees on the night. Below is a blog I have written about the event.

Thomas Smith, manager of the Language Centre, begins by welcoming everyone to this inaugural Multilingual Poetry and Music Festival and explaining the motivation behind the event; that it was inspired by an event run by Dr Yecid Ortega in Toronto. He also expresses his hope that the evening become an annual event, uniting QUB students and staff.

Dr Yecid Ortega, a lecturer in SSESW and a fellow organizer of the event, then gets up to address the room, advocating for collaboration and empathy. He argues for recognition of the equivalence of each language and calls us to celebrate the beauty of cultural diversity and plurilingualism. He explains that the emphasis is not on understanding every word that is read, but on hearing the language and the emotion behind each reading.

Yecid kicks off proceedings with a Spanish poem, entitled “Instantes”. The poem is an ode to living life for the moment, and Yecid’s reading is impassioned and earnest.

Second to take to the floor is PhD student Fithrah Ansar, who reads a poem in Indonesian, entitled Rindu Negeriku, prefaced by a mesmerizing and highly emotive vocal performance. The poem is about homesickness, and Fithrah relates this to the experience of Queen’s international students, who find themselves far away from friends and family and the comforts of home culture. She is accompanied on stage by her daughter, who is wearing traditional Indonesian dress.

Mert Hava, a postgraduate researcher in SSESW, is the third presenter of the evening, reading a poem in his native language of Turkish. Mert explains that the poet, Orhan Veli Kanik, is very special to him, as he was first introduced to poetry through his poems, which tend to focus on everyday life.

Next to approach the microphone is PhD researcher Fionnghuala Nic Robeaird, who has chosen to read an Irish poem she was taught in secondary school. She explains that, at the time when she was introduced to it, she felt embarrassment and self-consciousness when speaking Irish. The poem is a celebration of the Irish language and culture, and Fionnghuala’s reading is confident and filled with pride, echoing Fithrah’s earlier contribution.

Victor Henriquez, a tutor in the school of AEL, who played some beautiful background music on the ukulele to open the event, gets up to play a medieval love song sung in the Sephardic Jewish tradition. He talks briefly about the systemic expulsion of this community in 1492 and Christopher Columbus’s simultaneous discovery of Spain. The song, Una Pastora Yo Ami, is from the perspective of an older man, who recalls his experience of being in love with a shepherdess in his youth. Victor’s own arrangement of the song is beautiful and perfectly reflects the haunting lyrics.

A brief intermission follows, during which attendees refill their glasses, grab some food, and continue conversations begun before the event started.

First up after the interval is Raditya Weka Nugraheni, a PhD student in Pharmacy. Her poem, entitled Awan Ing Kuthamu, which Raditya explains translates literally as “afternoon in your city”, is Javanese. The poem is a commentary on city life, in which the writer questions humanity, when it is the case that people can walk past homeless people on the street, without interacting or acting. The poem highlights the juxtaposition of wealth and privilege with poverty and destitution. Raditya’s dynamic reading evokes brilliantly the anger and despair of the writer.

Muhammad Touhidul, a postgraduate student in SSESW, is next to present his self-penned Bengali poem, which translates as “Journey to the Destination”. He speaks about his inspiration for the poem (travelling on a bus from Dublin to Limerick with his wife). This journey led him to reflect on the journey his life had taken to this point and to remark upon how far he has come. The poem is about that journey and about how important it is to soak up the good moments in life, spent with those closest to us. The poem is heartfelt and evocative.

Another Indonesian poem follows Muhammad’s reading. This time it is recited by Azam Saifullah, who is a PGR student in Nursing. It is called Diponegoro and is a call to action in a time of war. Azam’s delivery is passionate and powerful, and attendees fall silent, as his words transport them to another place of combat and consequence.

We are then treated to a performance by Wei Deng on the guzheng, a Chinese traditional musical instrument. The audience are hypnotized by the beautiful melody that emanates from the sound board, created so deftly by Wei.

Yanan Wei, who is completing an MA in Interpreting, is the penultimate contributor to the event. Her Chinese poem, entitled “Chinese”, is read over a popular Chinese piece, which is played over the speakers. The melody is arresting in its beauty and is the perfect accompaniment to a poem which is a tribute to the beauty, richness and power of the Chinese language. Read with pride, Yanan’s performance is absorbing.

The concluding performance of the night comes from Xinxin Wang and Dai Yi, two PG students from the School of Law. The poem they have chosen to read is entitled “The Song of Mulan”, and tells the story of Mulan, who disguises herself as a man, to take the place of her elderly father in war. Firstly, Dai reads the Chinese original and then Xinxin reads the English translation, while Dai plays the guzheng. The accompaniment is captivating and the melody gains momentum, in tandem with moments of tension in the poem, such as when Mulan sets off to fight.

The evening, which has been filled with hope and positivity, draws to a close. Thanks to the efforts and talent of the student performers and the support of attendees, the inaugural Multilingual Poetry and Music Festival has been a real success. Let’s hope it becomes an annual event.

Dr Poppy Boyd, Language Support Officer, Language Centre 

Happy UN French Language Day

Bonjour! Did you know today, the 20th March, is the UN French Language Day? Joyeuse journée de la langue Française !

On this special day, Manon Merle, a French student doing Politics at Queen’s School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, shared with us her experience of coming to study at Queen’s with her language exchange needs.

I am Manon, a French native speaker studying at Queen’s as an Erasmus student. And there are quite a few Erasmus students from France like me studying on campus! We are very eager to get to know you!

In my home university in France I study political science and am going to apply for a master in the ecological transition. I have decided to study abroad in Belfast mostly to improve my skills in English, to discover new people, a new city, a new culture and a new educational system. Many other French students have the same idea as I have, and we hope to contribute to Queen’s as a vibrant French-speaking community. As I hope this experience here to help me with my English, I recently signed up for the Tandem Language Exchange programme. So, I’ll be happy to promote my native language as well as to learn other languages from you!

To learn French (or the other languages) with us Language Centre, visit www.qub.ac.uk/lc (or scan the QR code) and sign up for the classes which will commence week beginning Monday 24 April 2023.

To find a language partner for language exchange, visit Tandem Language Exchange (TLE) programme. The coming TLE session is scheduled on Wed 22 March between 11:00 and 12:00 at the Training Room 2, McClay Library.

Celebrating International Mother Language Day

Happy International Mother Language Day!

Observed on the 21st February every year since 2000 it was created by UNESCO to address the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies.

The Language Centre at Queen’s is committed to promoting language learning and use in different contexts of education for a variety of purposes. We also value the richness of languages and cultures brought in by staff and students to Queen’s as the main part of the assets of our multicultural campus. We believe that linguistic diversity is a key feature of university campus life, and part of our Equality Policy. 

To celebrate the International Mother Language Day we would like to invite you to join us in our Tandem Language Exchange (TLE) programme, via which you may find language partners to swap with each other’s native language in a mutually supportive and respectful way.

For more details and registration information, please check the TLE page or scan the QR code below for a quick access. The coming TLE session is scheduled on Wednesday 22nd February 2023.

Have a great start

Happy return and new start!

We are pleased to have met quite a number of our international students, including the new cohort of Erasmus/Study Abroad students today at the Tandem Language Exchange event and the SU Welcome event at the Graduate School Social Space today! All seemed very keen and enthusiastic about starting their journey of language learning and intercultural exchange at Queen’s and elsewhere. 

We look forward to the language course and academic programme start from the next week onward and welcome more students, as well as staff members, to join us in the coming round of enrolment and related events.

And, happy weekend to you all!

World Arabic Language Day

Happy World Arabic Language Day!

The World Arabic Language Day is celebrated every year on 18 December and this year it’s falling on a Sunday. Since 2012 it has been created to mark the day in 1973 that the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Arabic as the sixth official language of the Organization

About the Arabic Language Day

‘Since its very first celebration in 2012, each year on 18 December UNESCO commemorates World Arabic Language Day, highlighting Arabic’s legacy and immense contribution to humanity.’

‘A pillar of humanity’s shared values, Arabic is a language that brings together people from various cultural, ethnical, religious and social backgrounds. ‘

UNESCO

We would like to invite you to join us in its celebration as part of our Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s, and don’t forget to say “Happy World Arabic Language Day” to who are speakers of Arabic language and who are learning to speak the language.

If you are considering doing an Arabic language course, you are very welcome to sign up for one of our Arabic courses from beginner to intermediate levels starting in January 2023. For more information and registration, please visit www.qub.ac.uk/lc or scan the QR code on the image.

Happy International Students’ Day

International students at Queen’s come from over 80 countries and they, together, with our home students, form the most vibrant part of our campus life everyday, bringing the richness of linguistic and cultural diversity. We are keen to work with international student clubs and societies to learn more about their intercultural life and study experience as one of the core assets of our multicultural campus.

And don’t forget to tell us where you are from when coming to the library.

International Day for Tolerance

Did you know that Wednesday 16th November is the International Day for Tolerance? What does tolerance mean for you? Here’s what the UNESCO’s Declaration of Principles on Tolerance in 1995 states:

“Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.”

UNESCO

Within our Queen’s community, we are all so fortunate to be a part of such a diverse campus, with students and staff members coming from over 80 countries and regions, representing a range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We would like to invite you to join us in appreciating the rich diversity of our multicultural campus, and to show our shared respect for inclusivity today and every day.

To learn more about the activities for the Day, visit UNESCO’s International Day for Tolerance.

Tolerance towards different foods … and cultures

One of the most direct ways of experiencing cultural differences is through tasting food. But to what extent can we have tolerance towards food from different cultures? Our QUB student, MA Xiaoxiang (马小翔), who obtained an MA degree in Arts Management (2019) and is completing his second MA degree in Film Study (expected 2022), with School of Arts, English and Languages, has his own thoughts on cultural diversity and tolerance through his recent documentary, as part of the BBC 100 – Make Film History Project.

‘Different foods, countless flavours, diverse cultures, unique connotations. I try to use the traditional Chinese dish called Phoenix Feet [essentially, finely cooked chicken feet] as a clue to explain the relationship between food and culture. I also hope to use food as a metaphor for culture and interpret cultural exchanges in my eyes from different perspectives.’

— MA Xiaoxiang

Xiaoxiang (right) facilitating the Chinese calligraphy stand during the CNY (Year of the Pig) at Queen’s

About the film ‘Taste of Culture’

The original proposal for making this ‘Taste of Culture’ documentary is to weave a line between Chinese and Western cultures with some interesting elements. This is the reason why I chose Chinese food as the trigger. In the depths of its delicious flavour, there are many aspects to underline the cooking method – history, culture, regional variations, and other factors to help decode such a culture of practice, all of which is like a variety of spices and ingredients used in cooking, making the process of cultural interpretation more flavourful and charming and being more conducive to intercultural exchange.

As an international student, I have studied and lived in Belfast for a few years, with great interest in discovering other cultures. At the same time, being away from my home country, my culture of origin, also has given me a great chance of observing the traditional Chinese culture that I have a great passion for. This way of distancing myself from my native culture has made me think of the verses of a famous poem written by SU Shi (苏轼), one of the greatest poets to have lived in the Song dynasty over a thousand years ago:

“不识庐山真面目,只缘身在此山中”
[Of Mountain Lu we cannot make out the true face, For we are lost in the heart of the very place. — Translated by XU Yuanchong (许渊冲)]

It seems that I also live in a mountain, but I can observe the mountain from different angles. Therefore, when embarking on making this film, I hoped to discuss cultural issues from a relatively objective and diversified perspective.

The making of the film

I felt excited when I saw the email forwarded by our Department of Film. I really felt excited because this was such a precious chance for new filmmakers. Without much hesitation I decided to go for it, and attended four workshops in total, including online and offline workshops, in order to get a better understanding of the project and to find inspiration through discussions with the organisers, my supervisors and peers. As an international student, I felt that I had more challenges in terms of language and cultural barriers, despite the fact that I have a master’s degree with Queen’s already. But I did gather my strength and eventually gain very valuable experience through attending these meetings. The organisers and other participants also gave me great encouragement and help. In fact, some of the anecdotes and questions that came out of the discussions were used in the documentary. This inside-out and outside-in methodology has become the guidance for making this film.

I was able to finish the scriptwriting and postediting of the documentary myself, thanks to my friend HU Chenrui (胡宸瑞), an undergraduate student also from our Film Department, who provided me with great assistance for my shooting. We enjoyed working together to get the shooting done. In the process of making this short film, I not only gained rich practical skills in documentary-making, but also achieved a deeper understanding of Chinese and British cultures through cooking chicken feet. Overall, the filming and creation process was a ‘delicious’ experience.

That’s one small step for delivering Chinese culture through my film, but it is one giant leap for myself as a novice filmmaker. Interestingly, this step was not made by my foot, but by the “chicken feet” in the documentary. In the future, I hope to continue to create more films about intercultural exchange and exploration, to convey the spicy flavour of cultures from a unique perspective.

Author: MA Xiaoxiang
Editors: WANG Liang and Poppy Boyd