If you do French at school, you have a head start with Romanian & Catalan. If you learn German, you open the door to Swedish & Dutch. If you study Spanish, Italian & Portuguese are great sequels. Once you start, there’s no limit to where languages can take you, ‘linguist’ or not.

Every time a language is dropped, we rob future generations of experiences. We close off pathways to deeper connections & a richer understanding of the world. Every student deserves the chance to open those doors. Languages aren’t a luxury. They're a gateway to broader horizons.

Learning another language matters. Not just because it opens your mind to other ways of life and other people's outlooks on the world, but because it creates new connections, opens doors you didn't even know were there, and celebrates humanity. Another language is another life.

A year abroad isn’t just part of a language degree. It teaches you how to belong somewhere new. You go abroad to study a language, but you end up living it. And once you’ve lived in another language, it never leaves you.

Languages aren’t about perfection. They’re about reaching out, being understood, and understanding in return. Confuse your genders, forget your subjunctive - it doesn’t matter. You’ve already opened a door to another world. You'll fill in the gaps in time; connection comes first.

Your school French is just the beginning. It's the start of a lifetime of adventure, and stories you never knew you'd tell. It's your invitation to German, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin & beyond. It's a whole world of curiosity, humanity & discovery. The outcomes are yours to craft.

If you’re lucky enough to learn a language at school, take it. It might take you on exchanges to France, Germany and Spain, a year abroad, new voyages. You might interpret Albanian in Kosovo, teach Romanian, work with Farsi & Chinese - and discover a whole new life along the way.

I'm proud to be a 'linguist', because that means that I'm curious about other cultures, welcoming of other traditions, eager to discover more of the world, open to diverse perspectives, excited about new experiences. There's a whole lot more to linguists than vocab and grammar.

Another language is not just a language. It’s a window on other peoples, cultures and beliefs. It cuts through conflicts and controversies It brings people together and settles arguments. Another language is understanding, solidarity and friendship. Languages are powerful.

One of the (many) great things about learning another language is the joy of being understood. Then there's the new relationship with the world, the spark that lights up another culture, the excitement of speaking that first sentence. Suddenly the world's alive and more vibrant.

Translation is no mere transfer of words. It’s the art of conveying messages across borders. Every day, in multiple fields, I experience how human translators weave connection, culture & meaning. On #InternationalTranslationDay, we honour the craft that brings people together.

Europe’s languages are bridges - linking past & future, neighbours & continents. Each tongue opens doors to others: Spanish to Catalan, Galician & Basque; German to Dutch & Frisian; French to Romanian & beyond. On #EuropeanDayofLanguages, celebrate connection through diversity.

To speak another language is to expand your horizon. It changes how you sense the world, how you connect, how you live. It opens doors to ideas you’d never have imagined, to ways of being you’d never have known. That’s why languages matter to us all, wherever your journey leads.

Languages aren’t just school subjects - they’re keys to connection. Portuguese got me breakfast first in Cascais, Spanish saved a New York taxi fare, and Albanian made me feel local in Pristina. Another language creates opportunities and leads to moments you never anticipated.

Languages aren’t a luxury. They’re how we learn to listen, experience, and see the world in all its diversity and complexity. Every student should have that opportunity. Languages are essential, because they connect us to people, stories and perspectives we can’t afford to lose.

There are almost 7,000 languages in the world. At least one of them could be your next adventure, your next opportunity, your next connection. That's nearly 7,000 ways to shape your world view and celebrate humanity. There's something for everyone, whatever your motivation.

Languages feed into every subject in school, & make every subject broader & more universally applicable. Another language is not one subject; it's a piece of every field of human knowledge. It's history, geography, maths & science through a different lens. It's transformative.

What can you do with languages? Open doors to new worlds. Broker peace or strike deals. Bring stories, science and sport to every corner of the globe. See history through fresh eyes. Turn strangers into friends. Connect, persuade, inspire. What can’t you do with languages?

I never planned to discuss wild boars in an egg lorry in Portugal, code-switch through Belgian dinner debates, or be told in a Kosovo café: "You sound more like us than we do." Every language I’ve learned has opened a door I didn’t even know was there.

If you know some French, why not give Romanian a try? Not only is Bucharest known as 'Little Paris', but Romanian words like 'om, creion, machiaj & sondaj' are familiar to learners of French. What better way to celebrate Romanian on #RomanianLanguageDay!

If ti vuls discurrer a language but nu înțelegi all the right woorden, you still یاد خواهی گرفت a lot by dizer what you can 说出, even if es scheint dir tre malfacila. Soon, your jezik will lacharol and jy kan fill in the gaps. Languages are all about communication & connection.