Maintaining and promoting linguistic and cultural diversity

It is a declared aim of the European Union to maintain and promote the linguistic and cultural diversity which exists in the Union and which constitutes an essential element of Europe's cultural heritage and of European identity, in short: of the European dimension. The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers decided to designate the year 2001 as the European Year of Languages to celebrate this linguistic diversity. One of the aims of the EYL 2001 was to raise awareness of the richness of the linguistic diversity within the European Union and of the cultural value embodied in that diversity. The EYL 2001 also aimed at encouraging multilingualism and at promoting language learning among the general public. The issue of the protection and promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity becomes even more relevant as the Union prepares for expansion into central and eastern Europe. As a result of the enlargement envisaged, the tension between linguistic and cultural diversity on the one hand and the communicative needs arising from mobility and co-operation in the Union on the other hand is bound to increase even further.

This development presents an enormous challenge for all institutions and organisations concerned with transnational language use and with language-related education. If we do not want to settle for a lingua franca, if we want to maintain the principle of the equality of all the national languages of the Union, and if we want to adhere to the belief that some form of multilingual and intercultural competence constitutes an important aspect of European citizenship, renewed efforts will have to be made at all levels and by all sectors of education to promote the study of languages and cultures and the learning of languages with a view to bringing about quantitative and qualitative improvement in knowledge of European languages and cultures, and to develop the human resources needed for language education and mediation.

The areas of responsibility of higher education in relation to maintaining and promoting linguistic and cultural diversity

Higher education institutions have a crucial role to play in this respect. They are, inter alia, responsible for a wide range of programmes, for research and development activities and for the provision and exploitation of learning environments of specific relevance to the language issue. The principal language-related areas of responsibility are:

• modern language degree programmes
• 'alternative programmes' linking language study with non-language subjects such as business, law etc.
• area studies programmes (cf. European Studies, French Studies etc.)
• [language] teacher education (regarding all sectors of education and including the training of learning advisors)
• the training of translators and interpreters
• the training of trainers of translators and interpreters
• specialist and general language studies for students of other disciplines
• extramural language studies
• the provision of facilities for independent language learning
• research into languages and into conditions, methods, forms of delivery, and materials related to language studies in the widest sense
• development and adaptation of materials for language learning and teaching

The position and state of language studies in higher education and existing weaknesses in provision

The above list of areas of responsibility reflects the well-known fact that 'Language Studies' is an extremely complex field which is relevant to and potentially pervades the whole of higher education. Moreover, universities have in the past been and in many cases still are reluctant to relate their programmes in the area of languages to needs existing outside academia and to concern themselves with the acquisition of skills. Generally speaking, there is a striking discrepancy between higher education provision in the area of languages and the social and professional needs posed by a multilingual and multicultural Europe and by rapid developments in information and communication technology.