<div dir="ltr"><h1>Multilingualism is vital for an inclusive EU - researchers</h1> <div>
<div>30 August 2016</div> </div>
<div>
<div style="display:block">by <span>Sophie Hebden</span></div>
<div>
<div>
<a title="Facebook" href="http://horizon-magazine.eu/article/multilingualism-vital-inclusive-eu-researchers_en.html#" target="_blank"><span style="background-color:rgb(59,89,152);line-height:16px;min-height:16px;width:16px"></span></a>
<a title="Tweet" href="http://horizon-magazine.eu/article/multilingualism-vital-inclusive-eu-researchers_en.html#" target="_blank"><span style="background-color:rgb(29,161,242);line-height:16px;min-height:16px;width:16px"></span></a>
<a title="Google+" href="http://horizon-magazine.eu/article/multilingualism-vital-inclusive-eu-researchers_en.html#" target="_blank"><span style="background-color:rgb(220,78,65);line-height:16px;min-height:16px;width:16px"></span></a>
<a title="LinkedIn" href="http://horizon-magazine.eu/article/multilingualism-vital-inclusive-eu-researchers_en.html#" target="_blank"><span style="background-color:rgb(0,119,181);line-height:16px;min-height:16px;width:16px"></span></a>
<a title="Reddit" href="http://horizon-magazine.eu/article/multilingualism-vital-inclusive-eu-researchers_en.html#" target="_blank"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,87,0);line-height:16px;min-height:16px;width:16px"></span></a>
<span style="margin:0px 3px"> </span>
<a href="http://horizon-magazine.eu/printpdf/2682" title="Save as PDF" target="_blank"><img alt="Inline image 1" src="cid:ii_156dbe66a83864ff" height="32" width="32"></a>
<a title="Print this page"><img alt="Inline image 2" src="cid:ii_156dbe66dff1126d" height="24" width="24"></a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div><div><img src="http://horizon-magazine.eu/sites/default/files/field/image/xmultilingual_0.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Ljyx_34DX8.jpg"></div><div>People with weak foreign language skills may not be able to fully engage in European society. Image credit: Pixabay/ keijj44</div></div><div><div><div><p><b>While
most of us have experienced the frustration of not being able to join
in with a conversation because we don’t understand what’s being said,
weak foreign language skills can also prevent people from fully engaging
in European society, particularly if they are poor. </b></p>
</div></div></div><div><div><div><p>That’s
the conclusion of researchers who are studying the link between
multilingualism and social cohesion, and who say that multilingualism is
vital for an inclusive EU.<br>
</p><div>
<h3>The Issue</h3>
<p>In 2002, the EU’s heads of states agreed that they would work to enable all European citizens to <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/strategic-framework/index_en.htm" target="_blank">speak two languages</a> as well as their own mother tongue. </p>
<p>It was driven by the idea that foreign language skills make people
more employable and build bridges between different cultures, leading to
a more inclusive society.</p>
<p>In 2016 and 2017, <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-5832_en.htm" target="_blank">more than EUR 200 million</a> of Horizon 2020 funding has been allocated to research projects that promote inclusive, innovative and reflective societies. </p>
</div>
<p>Europe has a huge array of languages. There are 24 official languages
in the EU and three working languages – English, French and German –
but this still excludes the approximately 60 minority languages that are
mother tongue for some 40 million European citizens.</p>
<p>Dr Michele Gazzola, who is based at the Humboldt University, Germany,
and has worked on the EU-funded LAPO project, says language skills
across Europe are often overestimated. He has estimated how many
Europeans would be adversely affected if the EU's official <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/linguistic-diversity/official-languages-eu_en.htm" target="_blank">language policy</a> was changed to include fewer languages to save on costs, as is sometimes proposed in the press and academic circles.</p>
<p>Using data from adult education surveys carried out across 25 EU
countries and published by Eurostat in 2013 (over 160 000 observations),
he found that about one-quarter of residents do not speak any English,
German or French, only half can understand English, and only 20 % can
speak it as a mother tongue or proficiently as a foreign language. </p>
<p>The main finding of the study is that a more restricted language
policy would have a greater impact on the poor, as they would be less
likely to understand EU communications than richer citizens. When
examining respondents classified by age, language skill, income status
and education level, Dr Gazzola found that economically and socially
disadvantaged individuals are less likely to speak foreign languages.</p>
<p>‘They are therefore more likely to be adversely affected if the EU stops using their native languages,’ said Dr Gazzola.</p>
<p>The results vary from country to country. For example, in Italy,
people in the top 10 % income bracket are twice as likely to speak
English as a foreign language than those in the bottom 10 % income
bracket. In France, about three-quarters of people in the top 10 %
income bracket speak some basic English, whereas only a third of people
in the lowest 10 % income bracket do.</p>
<p>Dr Gazzola says the idea of the research is to help the EU make
informed decisions on language policy, an issue he considers
particularly important in the current political environment.</p>
<p>‘It has never been as urgent as now for the EU to be close to its
citizens by using their native languages and to prevent fuelling
Eurosceptics and populist movements further,' he said. 'Avoiding the
elitist temptation has never been so important.’</p>
<p><b>Mobility</b></p>
<p>Another factor that can work against social inclusion is when people move to a new country where they don't speak the language.</p>
<p>Freedom of movement gives EU citizens access to the whole EU labour
market, as well as the option to move to another country for study or
retirement. But with increased mobility comes new challenges of
inclusion within a host community. </p>
<p>‘Having more mobility for European citizens and providing a context
encouraging inclusion into the local language and culture is a challenge
that needs to be addressed as a public policy question,’ said Professor
François Grin from the University of Geneva, Switzerland.</p>
<p>He is coordinating the EU-funded MIME project, which is exploring how
language policy can be harnessed to preserve mobility within the EU
without compromising on inclusion. The aim is to maximise both, at all
levels and scales of society.</p>
<p>The project is drawing on specialists from different backgrounds to
investigate a wide range of area-specific issues, including minority
rights, migrant integration, second language education, and
communication strategies.</p>
<div>
<div><img src="http://horizon-magazine.eu/sites/all/themes/horizon/images/quotes_top.png.pagespeed.ce.9h80xj02Jw.png"></div>
<p>‘(Poor people) are more likely to be adversely affected if the EU stops using their native languages.’</p>
<blockquote><p>Dr Michele Gazzola, Humboldt University, Germany</p></blockquote>
<div><img src="http://horizon-magazine.eu/sites/all/themes/horizon/images/quotes_bottom.png.pagespeed.ce.v2vfVs-6qI.png"></div>
</div>
<p>Across these issues, trade-offs can arise between mobility and
inclusion, since these two goals may pull in opposite directions. The
core goal of the research is to study how language policy can help
strike the best possible balance between them, and to see how novel
approaches to linguistic diversity can help increase the compatibility
between mobility and inclusion.</p>
<p>For example, increasing bilingual education in schools could enhance
language exposure and therefore make inclusion easier, while also
equipping learners with key assets for mobility without sacrificing on
time spent teaching other subjects.</p>
<p>Prof. Grin says the meaning of mobility and inclusion are being challenged by globalisation and its political consequences.</p>
<p>‘Across Europe we can eat more diverse foods and access a greater
variety of cultural products and identities than our grandparents ever
could have. At the same time, the unifying forces of globalisation are
homogenising our lifestyles, and small languages are disappearing.
Diversity management policy serves to define more precisely how we can
deal with this increasing complexity to ensure that (the EU) can take
these new challenges in its stride.’</p>
<p>He says the changes in linguistic environment tend to be particularly
difficult for socio-economically fragile populations to countenance.
‘This is another reason why diversity policy work is important: it
serves to help groups for whom adaptation to rapidly changing
circumstances can be especially challenging.’</p><p><br></p>
</div></div></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div>******************************<wbr>********<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/<wbr>mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>******************************<wbr>*************</div>
</div>