Lively chatter floated from language information tables decorated with colorful flyers and containers of cultural foods as students passed by The Rock at the start of the week.
Organized by Northwestern language professors, the third annual Festival of Languages and Cultures is underway, aiming to celebrate the linguistic and cultural diversity on campus.
From Monday to Wednesday, students and professors propped up conversation and information tables related to the language courses and curriculums offered at NU. At each language stall — including ones for French, Arabic, Hebrew and Chinese — attendees showcased traditional snacks, drinks, garments and other cultural items.
With festival plans beginning in winter, organizers on the Outreach Committee of the Council on Language Instruction said they set out to spotlight “less commonly taught” languages and engage more student enrollment in the language department. NU currently offers around 20 languages through academic departments and programs.
Festival organizer and Portuguese Prof. Ana Thomé Williams said the table conversations remain her favorite part of the week’s programming since the festival’s inception two years ago.
“The main focus is for the students to know how important it is to know other languages, how important it is to have an open mind for global communication and how each language can open doors for them,” Williams said.
The festival concludes on Friday and will feature guest lectures, language gatherings, film screenings and art exhibits. According to Williams, this programming showcases the breadth of different cultures and spoken languages in the community.
Thursday’s annual variety show will include recitals, dances, movies and skits. Students will also have the opportunity to win multicultural prizes through raffles.
McCormick sophomore Mel Vasquez stopped by the festival to greet their previous language professors. After taking a full year of Italian at NU, they said they might also be interested in learning Arabic too.
“In practice it would be a big time commitment, but I do like learning about different parts of the world, how the languages are related,” Vasquez said. “Because I speak three languages, I really like just kind of seeing the relationships each share.”
Event organizers also encouraged attendees to acknowledge the benefits of learning language beyond face value as a venue to shape students’ global perspective.
Organizer and German Prof. Ingrid Zeller said the event is more than just a festival — it also celebrates the student diversity at NU.
“It’s really about a celebration of different cultures and different languages,” she said. “I think otherwise the purpose (of the festival) is this idea of celebrating diversity and celebrating different cultures or languages.”
Seeing the high turnout, Zeller emphasized the need of holding events like the festival to celebrate the linguistic variety on campus.
Zeller added that seeing the event come together each year brings it even “closer to her heart.”
“We need to work together to try to make events like this happen,” she said. “It’s not just about learning words. It’s about intercultural communication.”
Email: [email protected]
X: @Jerrwu
Related Stories:
— NU Festival of Languages and Cultures celebrates community’s diversity
— Northwestern language programs see enrollment across most programs decline
— NU Festival of Languages and Cultures showcases linguistic diversity
