Ongoing Projects
On March 1st, 2024, students in Language Studies and students in Computer Science hosted The Mini Festival of Cultures and Languages in celebration of the linguistic and cultural diversity across our TU Dublin community. This collaborative event, supported by N-TUTORR and coordinated by staff in Language Studies, kicked off at midday in the Central Quad Foyer at the Grangegorman campus.
Attendees enjoyed a day of intercultural exchange in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. TU Dublin students from around the globe shared their unique cuisines, languages, and traditions. They offered food tastings from non-EU ethnic backgrounds along with non-European language tasters including Mandarin, Igbo, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. They also ran language and culture quizzes, and a Chinese painting workshop engaged participants with the soothing discovery of a new art form. Prizes were a big part of the day.
The Mini Festival of Cultures and Languages was a great success in fostering intercultural understanding among our students and staff, an essential skill in the promotion of global citizenship. Students and staff alike learned from one another, contributing to a more connected TU Dublin community.
In 2022/23 and 2023/2024, TU Dublin Language Studies received funding from the HEI Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) to promote interest in language learning in the wider community.
TU Dublin students act as Language Ambassadors. Our Ambassadors have visited secondary schools in Dublin city, in the greater Dublin area, and in other counties. They have shared their motivations to study languages; described their experience of Erasmus mobility and international work placements; and explained how languages have positively influenced their own personal and professional goals.
Languages Connect offers a series of events throughout the academic year. Pupils are invited from various schools in the greater Dublin area to sample language learning at TU Dublin. Those already studying a foreign language for junior or senior cycle have the opportunity to take intermediate classes. Others can enjoy taster sessions to sample languages not currently offered at their school, especially Chinese and Italian.
Feedback on TU Dublin student ambassadors who visited Sutton Park:
"The student ambassadors were fantastic! They were so enthusiastic and well prepared - great ambassadors for TU Dublin and language learning. Our students really enjoyed hearing their experiences and advice."
Feedback on TU Dublin student ambassador who visited ST Mark Community College:
"Our students really enjoyed the talk and had lots of questions. The visit has prompted an ongoing conversation with many of them. Congratulations on a very worthwhile and important programme."
Teacher feedback on CBC Monkstown student visit to TU Dublin.
"Thank you so much for taking such excellent care of the students on Friday. They had a fantastic time and were asking what else they could do! It was brilliant for them to see the campus and the languages set-up. It was a fantastic experience for them."
Future Languages Connect events will partner TU Dublin staff and students with members of the community and industry to showcase the benefits of language learning.
Schools wishing to participate can contact: Isabel.Martinez@tudublin.ie, Barry.Nevin@tudublin.ie, Susana.Olmos@tudublin.ie, Catherine.Spencer@tudublin.ie; Mirna.Vohnsen@tudublin.ie.
In 2022, TU Dublin's #Languages Pathways project won the prestigious European Language Label Award.
#Language Pathways aims to immerse teachers, career advisors, prospective students, and current students in the TU Dublin language learning experience by creating a bridge in the academic journey from school to university.
With a strong focus on Virtual Reality, the project develops new technologies to enhance language learning. It also creates a repository of resources open to all.
#Language Pathways has been created by a cross-campus team of lecturers: Dr. Susanna Nocchi (Lead Project Co-ordinator, City Campus); Ms. Odette Gabaudan (City Campus); Ms. Nathalie Cazaux (Blanchardstown Campus); and Dr. Riana Walsh (Tallaght Campus). #Languages Pathways contributes to Languages Connect, Ireland's strategy to advance plurilingualism and multiculturalism in education for successful European citizenship.
The #Languages Pathways project received funding in 2020/21 and 2021/22 from Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) for language awareness and for the promotion of courses with a second language component.
Currently, #Languages Pathways targets learners of Spanish, German, French, and Italian. It is designed with a community of practice approach to ensure its lifespan beyond the duration of its current funding.
To learn more, connect with us at the #LanguagesPathways portal https://languagespathways.ie/.
Colleagues in Language Studies participate in a range of collaborative activities as part of TU Dublin’s membership of the European University of Technology Alliance. EUt+ brings together Europe, Universities, and Technology to address multi-faceted societal and environmental challenges, taking into account the needs and aspirations of people and communities while respecting individual freedoms and diversity.
Through partner collaboration, our staff demonstrate commitment to increased language awareness and diversity as key aspirations within EUt+:
- 1stEUT+ Conference on Languages on inter/multiculturalism in a post-colonial era took place in January of 2023 at Hochschule Darmstadt, University of Applied Sciences. Dr. Sue Norton presented a paper on American fiction in European classrooms. Dr. Catherine Spencer presented two papers on student mobility programmes for language learning.
- Da-Ca-Du Interkulturelles Lernen für Deutschlernende is a cross-institutional project that brings together lecturers and students at various levels on the CEFR to develop German language skills and intercultural competence. Extensive engagement between participants on multiple EUt+ campuses fosters student-centred learning and supports resource creation. Read more about the project here.
Most recently, colleagues in Language Studies along with their counterparts in EUt+ universities launched the pilot EUt+ Languages for staff initiative. It aims to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism within the EUt+community and to facilitate collaboration among EUt+ members of staff.
anyone4german.com is a free-of-charge, non-commercial interactive workbook for learners of German. Regularly expanded and updated, it is easy to navigate and visually appealing with more than 1300 activities at levels A1 to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Activities go beyond simple multiple-choice and matching exercises. Many are based on authentic materials to promote active engagement, stimulate curiosity, and foster competence. Grammar explanations are straightforward to prevent cognitive overload, and cultural information about Germany is embedded wherever possible.
Contact dagmar.fischer@tudublin.ie