International students begin intensive introductory Catalan courses at the UB
Over one hundred students from a variety of countries attended yesterday’s presentation of introductory Catalan language courses, offered as part of the Catalan Linguistic and Cultural Orientation Plan and under the new Language Promotion Plan. During the session, staff from the UB’s Language Services spoke alongside Ciaran Canning, head of studies at the School of Modern Languages (EIM), who explained his own experience on arriving in Catalonia twenty-five years ago. After the presentation, students sampled a selection of local Catalan foods before moving on to their classes. In addition to free and subsidized introductory Catalan courses, the UB also organizes cultural excursions in and around Barcelona as part of the CATclub and offers the chance to sign up to the Language Exchange service.
Over one hundred students from a variety of countries attended yesterday’s presentation of introductory Catalan language courses, offered as part of the Catalan Linguistic and Cultural Orientation Plan and under the new Language Promotion Plan. During the session, staff from the UB’s Language Services spoke alongside Ciaran Canning, head of studies at the School of Modern Languages (EIM), who explained his own experience on arriving in Catalonia twenty-five years ago. After the presentation, students sampled a selection of local Catalan foods before moving on to their classes. In addition to free and subsidized introductory Catalan courses, the UB also organizes cultural excursions in and around Barcelona as part of the CATclub and offers the chance to sign up to the Language Exchange service.
In July, the UB approved the 2nd Language Promotion Plan, a strategic document that defines the core lines of action for promoting the learning and use of Catalan, strengthening the institutional commitment to its primary language, and implementing an inclusive language policy across all areas of university activity. The Plan sets out three main strategic objectives: to standardize, promote and increase the use of Catalan at the University of Barcelona and improve its quality; to raise linguistic awareness, influence attitudes towards the language and foster a sense of linguistic responsibility among the university community to consolidate Catalan as a language of academic excellence; and to strengthen coordination between the different agents and bodies involved in the UB’s language policy, fostering new collaborations in this area. These objectives are articulated through thirty-six priority actions for the forthcoming academic years.