European Day of Languages Wednesday 26th September 2012

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

The world's population is roughly 6 billion people

One and a quarter billion people speak Chinese

550 million speak English

Hindustani speakers number 500 million

Spanish is spoken by 450 million people worldwide

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

…which means 1 out of 3 can speak another language

What about the other half?

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

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

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

…which means 1 out of 3 can speak another language

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

Language allows us to share ideas and stories with others

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

You don’t have to be word perfect!

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

That is why we celebrate European Day of Languages