Happy March! We are pleased to announce that the Language Centre spring course enrolment starts from Wednesday 1st March, for the classes to commence week beginning Monday 24th April 2023.
Online registration will be closed on Thursday 20th April and we welcome all to make an early registration to avoid disappointment. Class schedule and registration links are accessible via Language Centre website.
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.
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!
The first TLE session has kicked a start on Wed 19/10 at the Training Room 2 (TR2), McClay Library, despite the bad weather. From a diverse background of both language and disciplines, a dozen of enthusiastic language learners gathered to exchange their linguistic experiences and language demands and supplies. Some were even successfully paired up on site.
To support more participants to get started as soon as possible, we have decided to add two more sessions:
More sessions will be added to the TLE page and slots will be made visible on the TLE Canvas (free for teacher) calendar. Please save the dates to your calendar. The TLE platform is an ongoing support that you may join at any time you like.
Happy Friday and we hope you all have enjoyed the first week of language classes.
The Tandem Language Exchange (TLE) programme is a platform to help you pair up with native speakers of the language you would like to develop in order to support you to further develop your language skills and cultural knowledge in a friendly, flexible and informal way. It complements the language classes and operates in its own – you don’t have to sign up for a class in order to join TLE.
The first group meeting will take place from 1-2:30 pm, on Wednesday 19th October, at TR2, The McClay Library. If you would like to join, sign up now via http://go.qub.ac.uk/TLEsignup or scan the QR code.
For upcoming sessions, please check the TLE page for updates.
Happy 21st birthday, European Day of Languages (EDL)!
Thank you to everyone who came along and joined in our ‘European Day of Languages’ celebrations today, celebrating linguistic and cultural diversity, globally. It was amazing to hear how many languages were spoken by passing students and great to get a sense of the languages that people are keen to learn!
Since 2002, it has been the goal of the EDL (26th September) to promote and celebrate linguistic diversity in Europe and beyond. At QUB, we are so fortunate to study and work in such a multi-cultural campus, the EDL is a great opportunity for us to celebrate this!
If you have not come to our Language Centre stand yet, we are keen to meet you at our stands in the McClay Library and the One Elmwood for the Freshers’ Fair in the next couple of days. We would like to help you to learn about all of the opportunities available to you to support your language skills development with The Language Centre.
Please find your photos below in our social media.
Happy September!
With the approaching of the new semester we are pleased to announce that the Language Centre course enrolment starts at 00:30 on Thursday 1st September. We offer over 80 classes in 14 different languages that have both online and in person teaching. All classes will commence week beginning Monday 10 Oct 2022.
Online registration will be closed on Thursday 6 Oct and we welcome all to make an early registration as courses are extremely popular and fill up quickly. Class schedule and registration links are accessible via Language Centre website.
Did you know that August is the Craft Month in Northern Ireland?
While we hope you are still enjoying the summer days, we would like to recommend the Irish Craft Heroes – 50 Makers X 50 Years outdoor exhibition, as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival, at the Ulster Museum just next to Queen’s. It is such a great opportunity not only to explore the local craft culture but also to taste the Irish language through the exhibition displays.
What’s the exhibition about?
Irish Craft Heroes is a highly-visual, outdoor panel trail celebrating Ireland’s inspirational craftspeople and makers whose work has contributed to the rich tapestry of craft and design practice in Ireland.
Craft NI
The exhibition charts the evolution of the craft and design sector on the island of Ireland over the last 50 years, and pays homage to the many makers whose work has significant legacy.
Below is our selected photo collection of the exhibits for you to view online but with our great passion we encourage you to take a tour of the outdoor exhibition on a great day out with friends and families.
In 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference decided to proclaim 5th May as annual “World Portuguese Language Day”. At Queen’s, the Portuguese language (both European and Brazilian) is not only offered in the form of degree pathway modules, but also taught for non-specific purposes. We would like to invite you to join with us in celebrating this day and sending our best wishes to those who speak and learn the Portuguese language at Queen’s and elsewhere.
Happy World Portuguese Language Day!
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
April is a busy month with many important days and festivals to reflect cultural diversity at Queen’s. While we wish all those who celebrate Ramadan well on their fasting during the month, we would like to invite you to join us in sharing our greetings and best wishes to the communities at Queen’s and elsewhere who celebrate their traditional New Year on and around today 14/04:
Bengali / Cambodian / Hindu / Lao / Myanmar / Nepali / Tamil / Thai
Happy New Year! We’d be pleased to if you are happy to share your photos/videos of celebrations with us in your posts and use hash tag #CulturalDiversity #LoveQUB.
Tell us what cultural festivals and days you celebrate by filling in the form below and we will do our best to help with circulation and celebration at Queen’s.
We also wish you all a happy and healthy Easter Break. While our office will be closed during the holidays, our course enrolment remains open until Thursday 21st April at 5pm. Visit Language Centre April Enrolment page and do not miss out!
