Hundreds of people tried a new language for the first time at Leeds Language Week, a university-led initiative to celebrate the city’s linguistic diversity.

In a city where over 170 foreign languages ​​are spoken, University of Leeds academics and students worked with the local community to promote Leeds’ rich tapestry of cultures in a week-long program from 11-15 November.

Led by Bettina Hermoso-Gómez and Sofia Martinho in School of Languages, Cultures and SocietiesLeeds Language Week encouraged children and adults alike to embrace languages ​​other than English.

This event isn’t just about learning languages ​​– it’s about making real connections that have a lasting impact on the lives of people in Leeds.

The most widely spoken non-UK language in Leeds is Polish, with over 8,000 Leeds residents using it as their main language, closely followed by Arabic, with significant communities speaking Romanian, Urdu, Punjabi and Portuguese.

The program included creative writing and international photography competitions, activities celebrating African languages ​​and discussions on topics such as Spanish folk music and heritage languages, reaching a total of over 1,000 people across Yorkshire.

One of the most popular activities was language taster sessions for all ages in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian, delivered by academics and partners from the University of Leeds, where over 400 people enjoyed trying a new language for the first time. Approximately 300 additional high school students are scheduled to participate in further taster sessions in the coming weeks.

Sofia Martinho, Associate Professor of Portuguese and Director of the Camões Portuguese Language Centre, said: “Leeds Language Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the diverse languages ​​and cultures that make our region so vibrant. This event isn’t just about learning languages ​​– it’s about making real connections that have a lasting impact on the lives of people in Leeds.

“By bringing researchers off campus and into the heart of our communities, we are able to share and grow together in a truly collaborative spirit. It’s inspiring for us as researchers to see the enthusiasm and insights that community members bring, reflecting the multicultural richness of Leeds and showing how language can bring us all together.”

Leeds libraries also opened their doors to bilingual story and rhyme sessions, inviting families and children to enjoy stories and nursery rhymes in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Polish, with over 100 people taking part.

Leeds Language Week was an opportunity for all of us to discover not only our connections to the global world, but also to celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of languages ​​spoken in our community.

Yorkshire schools have taken part in Mother Tongue, Other Tongue, a multilingual poetry competition created as an educational project by former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy for 8-18 year olds. The Mother Tongue section challenged students to write an English commentary on a poem in their mother tongue. The judges said they were impressed by the variety of poems for the ‘Other Language’ section, with submissions in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, Welsh, Hungarian and Polish, among other languages.

The Mother Tongue, Other Language submissions will be shared in a digital anthology in the coming weeks.

Bettina Hermoso-Gómezlecturer in Spanish and Director of Yorkshire and Humberside Language Routes, said: “Leeds Language Week was an opportunity for all of us to discover not only our connections with the global world, but also to celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of the languages ​​spoken in within our community and embraces the diverse range of international communities who live, work and study in Leeds. The range of activities on offer provided plenty of opportunities to experience culture, language learning and multilingualism for anyone who wanted to be involved!”

Additional Information

Top Caption: Sofia Martinho gives a taster session in Portuguese at Ossett Academy. Credit: Ossett Academy.

For media enquiries, please contact Mia Saunders from the University of Leeds Press Office at [email protected].