29 Σεπτεμβρίου στο Σισμανόγλειο Μέγαρο: 12 γλώσσες σε μία ημέρα - ελάτε να γιορτάσουμε μαζί την Ευρωπαϊκή Ημέρα Γλωσσών!

29th September in Sismanoglio Megaro: 12 languages in one day – come and celebrate with us the European Day of Languages!

Languages open doors! You are never too old to learn a language and to enjoy the opportunities it opens up. On the 29th of September, the cultural institutes and consular missions in Istanbul, representing 12 languages, are celebrating together in Sismanoglio Megaro of the Consulate General of Greece the European Day of Languages by offering fun language games, a “treasure hunt” in the historic district of Pera, traditional and contemporary dances, short films, surprises for children and grown-ups alike. Come and take part in one of our taster-courses and find out that you too may in fact already know many more words in a foreign language than you could have thought!

This year's participants include the Austrian Cultural Forum, the British Council, the Consulate Generalof Greece, the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic, the Consulate General of Sweden, the Consulate General of the Czech Republic, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Dimitrie Cantemir Romanian Cultural Institute, the Goethe-Institut, the Institut Français, the Cervantes Institute, the Italian Institute of Culture, the Ankara University TOMER and the Wildenberg Dutch Cultural Centre.

Venue: Sismanoglio Megaro, İstiklal Cad. No. 60, Beyoğlu

Date&Time: Saturday, 29th September 2012, 12.00 – 18.00 hrs

Background note: At the initiative of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September. Throughout Europe, 800 million Europeans represented in the Council of Europe's 47 member states are encouraged to learn more languages, at any age, in and out of school.  On the occasion of the day, a range of events are organized across Europe: activities for and with children, television and radio programs, language classes and conferences.

Why a European Day of Languages? There have never been more opportunities to work or study in a different European country - but lack of language competence prevents many people from taking advantage of them. Globalisation and patterns of business ownership mean that citizens increasingly need foreign language skills to work effectively within their own countries. Europe is rich in languages - there are over 200 European languages and many more spoken by citizens whose family origin is from other continents. This is an important resource to be recognized, used and cherished.  Learning other peoples' languages is a way of helping us to understand each other better and overcome our cultural differences. Visit the official site of EDL to find out more: http://edl.ecml.at/

In Istanbul, the events to mark the European Day of Languages are hosted in Sismanoglio Megaro of the Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul for the 3rd year in row and are held under the auspices of the EUNIC cluster Turkey (European Union National Institutes for Culture)

Pictures and graphics can be downloaded from our page on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sismanoglio/sets/72157631204195506/