Aim
To explore the wide range of languages spoken across Europe. To understand the benefits of learning and experiencing new languages and cultures.
The video
Narrator:
The European continent is full of linguistic and cultural diversity
There are over 200 indigenous languages in Europe, including regional and minority languages, like Basque, Catalan and Welsh.
Europe’s most widely spoken languages reflect its population and geography.
Russian is the most common with about 100 million native speakers, largely due to Russia’s size.
Next comes German with over 97 million speakers, followed by French, Italian and English.
So what can someone gain from learning another language?
Sophia:
Learning languages is for everyone because of the innumerable benefits that they bring everyone.
I like to actually look at it as linguistic health. there are so many cognitive benefits that learning languages brings.
There’s all the stuff that’s hard to quantify. It's the insights and cultural understanding I've been able to enjoy, the personal jokes that you were sort of excluded from and you now understand because you've learned the language.
Isabella:
I would definitely recommend travelling and working abroad if that opportunity comes up.
I learned to play some French card games, was speaking to them about more teenage pop culture things so that was nice in that I could immerse myself in the language and learn it through working.
John:
Learning languages opened so many doors to people in so many different ways.
I do competitive dancing.
And recently I had the opportunity to represent Scotland at the Dutch Open Championships in the Netherlands.
And learning languages really helped my experience there.
It's not easy necessarily to have a conversation, to make friends, but if you're able to speak their language and make them feel a bit more comfortable speaking to somebody else, it's really great.
You have a fantastic experience doing that.
I think travel is the biggest benefit of learning a language and being able to open your eyes to how things are done elsewhere in the world.
Narrator:
Footballer Jude Bellingham was 17 when he moved to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund.
At 19 he moved on to Spain and Real Madrid learning both German and Spanish along the way.
Jude:
So it's really nice to be able to be thrown into these environments and try and get to know new people and learn different styles of football and just trying to embrace the culture from a football and life perspective in Spain, because, like I said, it gives us a little bit more awareness of perhaps other nations as well.
It was the same when I was kind of learning my German.
Yeah, it's all experience that's going to stand me in good stead from a life point of view as well.
Narrator:
Although you might not end up playing for Real Madrid, it’s worth noting that in a competitive job market, being bi-lingual or multi-lingual can give someone that all important edge.
Sophia:
International organisations very much need people who can not only translate, but can build rapport and build the kind of connections that remain impossible with tools like AI translation.
I need to rely on what I know in my head and my heart.
And those are, those are skills that are built very, very long term and they're absolutely desired by employers.
Narrator:
So when we celebrate the European Day of Languages in the UK, we’re not just celebrating the diversity on our doorstep, we’re also recognising the power of learning a new language.
It can open up a world of opportunities - for travel, career, friendships or just for fun!
Video summary
Started in 2001, on the 26 September language and culture is recognised through the annual European Day of Languages. There are 24 official languages spoken across Europe.
This video explores the following:
- Some of the facts and figures about languages spoken across Europe
- Real stories from young people who have embraced new languages, using them to work and study across Europe
- How professional athletes like Jude Bellingham embrace languages as they play across Europe
- The benefits of learning new languages and exploring new cultures, for example for travel, careers, friendships or just fun.
Video questions
Ask students if they know the most common languages spoken, first in Europe and then around the world. [By numbers the most common in Europe is Russian, and in the world it is English (native and non-native) or Mandarin Chinese (native).]
Locate as many countries as possible that are part of Europe on a map.
Discuss with students the languages that are spoken in different countries across Europe, some are obvious, some countries speak more than one language.
Ask students for examples of jobs or careers that would benefit from more than one language. Students may not be aware of roles that benefit from being able to speak two or more languages. These could be linked to travel, security, medical, educational or government careers. The Bitesize Careers website has a whole section on jobs that use modern languages.
Key terminology
Introduce key terminology, including:
- indigenous: linked directly to a place, or having always been there
- linguistic: the study of language
- bilingual: a person being able to speak two languages
- multilingual: a person that can speak multiple languages
- translation: the conversion of text in one language to another language
After watching the video
Discussion questions
Do we teach enough about languages and culture in school?
Are there any times when you wish you could speak another language?
What other subjects link directly to languages? An example is designing international products.
How can I improve my language skills outside of the classroom; do the popular smartphone language apps really help?
How can learning new languages help to reduce prejudice and discrimination? How does the language you speak shape your identity?
Many minority languages are disappearing. What could the government do to prevent this? Should the government prioritise minority languages if only a few people speak them? Should everyone in Europe speak one language? What would that language be?
Activity ideas
Students could host their own international film festival and invite local councillors or the local mayor in. Is your town/city twinned with one in a European country? Find a host school and make cultural links with them.
Students could set up language corners around the school, each group taking a European language and teaching some key phrases and some key cultural information. Students could find out how many European students are in their school and create an EU map of the school.
Create a debate afternoon: Technology can never replace the skill of learning a language. The government should ensure everyone in the UK can speak at least two languages.
Divide the class into groups to research different employment opportunities that benefit from being able to speak two or more languages. Students could look up entry requirements, salaries, career progression, look at the Labour market information (LMI) which careers require languages? Create an business project that needs multi-lingual marketing create slogan and a brand name in different languages
Students could plan their own language and culture club, learning languages not taught in schools. There may be students with English as an additional language who might wish to lead a club on their own language skills.
Resources
Related links
FIFA Men's World Cup 2026 - secondary assembly
An assembly framework and video to learn about the history of the tournament, and 2026 Men's World Cup held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Behind the scenes at a football training session. video
In this video we join Gabriel Obertan and Jonás Gutierréz at the Newcastle United training ground, where they talk about their language experiences and how these help the team dynamics. We also hear from first team fitness coach, Simon Tweddle, about his job and how the team communicates on the pitch. This video is aimed at 12 - 16 year olds in KS3/KS4.
BBC Bitesize Careers Resources. collection
Click here to explore the BBC Bitesize careers page. Designed for your students and covering the world of work with advice from people who've found the right path for them.
