1. European Day of Languages
Wednesday 26th September 2012

3. Which are the four most widely spoken languages around the world?
Chinese
English
Hindustani
Spanish

4. The world's population is roughly 6 billion people

5. One and a quarter billion people speak Chinese

6. 550 million speak English

7. Hindustani speakers number 500 million

8. Spanish is spoken by 450 million people worldwide

9. So just under half the world's population speak one of those four languages …

10. …which means 1 out of 3 can speak another language

11. What about the other half?

12. 71% of Europeans consider that everyone should know a foreign language

13. In Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, more than 85% of citizens can express themselves in another language
That is nearly nine in every ten people

14. In Britain two out of three people (66%) can only speak English

15. …which means 1 out of 3 can speak another language

16. How can you learn a new language?
visit the country
get a penpal or ePal
listen to CDs and music
watch films & DVDs
try websites

17. Language allows us to share ideas and stories with others

18. Foreign travel becomes easier and more enjoyable as you understand more and make new friends

19. You don’t have to be word perfect!

21. People will appreciate when you make the effort to speak their language

22. That is why we celebrate European Day of Languages