Brussels - European Union experts are set to call Wednesday for better teaching of major languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Hindi to boost the EU's global competitiveness, officials said. And they are expected to call for language teaching to be more enjoyable and entertaining, in an effort to boost Europeans' enthusiasm for foreign tongues, sources in the European Commission - the EU's executive - told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
On Wednesday, the EU is set to mark the European Day of Languages - a date designed "to celebrate the rich heritage of cultures and traditions embodied in all the languages of Europe," according to the European Commission, the EU's executive.
During the day, a group of linguistic experts is due to present a series of proposals aimed at encouraging Europeans to learn more foreign languages - a task the group was given in 2005.
According to EU sources, the experts are to recommend boosting informative campaigns on language learning aimed at children, adults and cultural organizations, and to urge businesses to look on foreign or migrant employees as a valuable potential link with new markets.
But their key recommendations are set to deal with improving the image of language learning, and the quality of teaching of major non-European languages such as Hindi, Arabic and Chinese.
Under the expected proposals, language learning should be seen more as a free-time activity, like sport, and should be offered in an enjoyable way on TV as a form of "edutainment," or educational entertainment, officials said.
And the group is expected to call for the creation of EU-wide standards in the teaching of major non-EU languages, which could also include Japanese and Russian, to promote the quality and appeal of lessons in such languages.
Skills in languages such as these are seen as crucial to boosting Europeans' competitiveness in the global economy.
