Editors: Photographers are invited to photograph the mini-language lessons and language materials at the celebration in UMC room 235 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Anderson Language Technology Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder is hosting a Gala Celebration of World Languages and Cultures today from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. open to anyone interested in learning about other languages and cultures.
The celebration will be in University Memorial Center room 235 and will feature language and cultural enrichment materials. The event coincides with the U.S. Senate designation of 2005 as the "Year of Languages." The Anderson Language Technology Center, or ALTEC, supports all CU-Boulder foreign language programs and is leading campus promotion of the celebration.
Throughout the day, mini-language lessons will be offered to introduce audiences to the pronunciation and linguistic structure of various languages. Exhibit materials will highlight the similarities and uniqueness of different cultures. Campus language departments, their faculties and graduate students will serve as cultural ambassadors, offering participants information about the various cultures.
Eleven of 13 languages offered at CU-Boulder are participating, including Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. During the celebration, CU students and others will be able to obtain language program information on course offerings and on international study and work opportunities.
The "Year of Languages" was designated to promote the importance of learning a foreign language and the need for cross-cultural understanding, according to Rose Chang, director of ALTEC.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the national organization for the teaching and learning of languages, is coordinating the yearlong campaign in order to raise awareness and interest in language and cultural studies.
State organizations such as the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers also are collaborating with the national organization to sponsor programs to support the national initiative.
The CU-Boulder ALTEC celebration is sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education, various campus language departments and ALTEC student course fees.
For more information contact Chang at (303) 492-2355.