Spaudos centras
Spaudos centras
On September 25-26 the European Commission, the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, the State Commission for the Lithuanian Language and the Department of Translation and Interpretation Studies at Vilnius University are holding a conference in Vilnius, at the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania. The conference “Unity in diversity: languages for mobility, jobs and active citizenship” will mark the European Day of Languages and the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event is organised under the patronage of Ms Androulla Vassiliou, Member of the European Commission. The conference will address the issues of how to secure the language- and cultural diversity of Europe, increase and develop new digital resources and language technologies, improve the language industry, use the latest methods for language teaching and increase information exchange in all the European languages.
Over 340 specialists from a wide array of fields (scientists, translators and interpreters, teachers, journalists, lawyers, writers, artists, language technology specialists, business representatives, politicians) representing all the Member States of the EU will participate. Keynote speeches will be delivered by JAN TRUSZCZYŃSKI, Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture, MARCO BENEDETTI, Director-General of the EC's Directorate-General for Interpretation, and RYTIS MARTIKONIS, Director-General of the EC's Directorate-General for Translation.
The conference is of great importance to the Lithuanian language since the idea of multilingualism has two features; not only does it encourage to get to know the diversity of languages and cultures, including the learning of new languages, but it also further supports the democratic expression of European citizens and the ability to communicate in the native language and encourages to find the best ways to promote one's language and culture within the European space.
200 participants from Lithuania will attend the conference. Besides scientists, teachers, journalists and lawyers, a number of prominent multilingual individuals will speak about their experience of multilingualism: the writer Dalia Staponkutė, the singers Rasa Bubulytė and Viktoras Diawara and the pentathlon athlete Edvinas Krungolcas.
The Director of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language Jolanta Zabarskaitė and the Rector of Kazimieras Simonavičius University Arūnas Augustinaitis will, in their keynote, suggest a new approach to languages, as one of the most crucial factors for an increase of the competitiveness of Europe and as the base for smart specialization, and will address the need for new categories of language professions, such as language coaches and language managers. The Head of the Department of Translation and Interpretation Studies at Vilnius University, Nijolė Maskaliūnienė, will talk about new, emerging challenges for the training of translators and interpreters in Lithuania. The Head of the Centre for Terminology at the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, Albina Auksoriūtė, will present how Lithuanian terminology has changed over the last decade, after Lithuania's accession to the EU. The participants of the conference, supported by the new approaches as provided by scientists, will discuss the changing role that EU languages play in striving for economic efficiency, improving work organization and multilingual synergies.
The participants of the conference aim to provide strategic recommendations.
More information on the official website of the conference: http://www.multilingualism2013.lt/
