Every year students at institutions of higher education (HEI) and schools, lecturers and teachers, and various institutions throughout Europe celebrate the European Day of Languages.
This stems from the Council of Europe’s conviction that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent. Therefore, the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg, promotes plurilingualism in the whole of Europe. At the Council of Europe’s initiative, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September - together with the European Commission.
https://edl.ecml.at/
Join us in celebrating linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe and beyond! All members of TU Darmstadt and their families are cordially invited!
When?
6 November 2025
9 a.m to 7 p.m.
Where?
Karo 5 (Lounge und TUbar)
Karolinenplatz 5
64289 Darmstadt
What?
We cordially invite you to get to know different languages, to communicate in your own language and to engage with the topic of multilingualism at institutions of higher education (HEI), in Europe and in the world.
Programme
| Time | Activities | |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 – 10:00 | „Opening“ | |
| 10:00 – 11:15 | Discover German Sign Language – Experiences of a Coda (Child of Deaf Adults) | |
| 11:15 – 14:15 | AlphaBeta Lab – Short trip through the writing systems of the world. | |
| 11:15-12:45 | Chinese | Korean | Hindi & Bengali | |
| 12:45-14:15 | Cyrillic (Bulgarian & Russian) | Arabic & Persian | |
| 14:15 – 15:30 | Multilingual Collage Workshop | |
| 16:00 – 19:00 | 17:00 – 19:00 | |
| Language Café * | Creative Evening ** (Cooperation with Tutor International) | |
| 20:00 | Filmkreis: „Flow“ – (Organised by ESN & Filmkreis) | |
* There will be different language tables at the language café. Currently, the following tables are available for the first hour of the language café: Arabic, Chinese, Danish, English, Portuguese, Romanian, Telugu, Turkish. If you would also like to offer your language to other conversation partners during the first hour, please send us a short email at mehrsprachigkeit@spz.tu-….
** The Creative Evening will take place in room S1|03 109. The meeting point is the lounge in Karo5 at 4:30 p.m. More information here
| Full-day activities (09:00-18:30) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 09:00-18:30 | Language Hunt / Sprachenjagd | Language rally with small tasks related to European and other languages and cultures |
| 09:00-18:30 | Interactive stations |
Interactive stations with quotes, language challenges, and art contributions from participants:
|
| 09:00-17:00 | Informations stands |
Information stands on multilingualism, language learning, and cultural exchange:
|
Impressions from the European Day of Languages 2025
Global Map – Multilingualism at TU Darmstadt
The starting point for visitors was our world map, on which visitors could mark their place of origin and, above all, their languages – a colourful, visible sign of how international and diverse our TU community is.
Video installation during the European Day of Languages
For European Day of Languages 2025, we invited students and staff at TU Darmstadt to recite texts they like in their languages.
Language Hunt
An interactive language rally through Karo 5, where participants solved tasks, collected points, and explored the linguistic diversity of the university and of Europe in a fun and playful way.
Discovering German Sign Language (DGS) – Experiences of a Coda (Child of Deaf Adults)
An engaging introduction to the world of sign language, led by Stephan Koch, who shared personal insights and highlighted the richness of nonverbal communication.
AlphaBeta Lab – A Short Trip Through the Writing Systems of the World
Participants could explore various writing systems such as Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Bengali, Cyrillic (Bulgarian & Russian), Arabic, and Persian. Visitors had the chance to try out these scripts themselves and learn more about their historical or cultural contexts.
Multilingual Collage Workshop
A creative workshop where multilingual texts, symbols, and images were used to design personal collages reflecting language(s), culture, and identity.
Creative Evening – in Cooperation with Tutor International
A lively evening where language met creativity: After a short introduction to multilingualism, participants took part in an interactive program with playful activities, cultural exchange, and plenty of space to explore language in creative ways.
Your Favorite Word in your language(s)
A digital activity where participants shared their favorite word in their own language via Mentimeter. The result was a vibrant collection of beautiful, unique, and meaningful words from around the world.
Organising the European Day of Languages at TU Darmstadt is one of the actions outlined in the University's Language Policy. For more information on the languages policy and functional multilingualism, please refer to the webpages of the Languages Policy Implementation team and the Linguistics – Multilingualism research group.
