What is English Language Day?

English is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, as well as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. The UN established specific Language Days to each of their six official languages. The purpose of these Language Days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, as well as to promote the equal use of the six languages across the business.

These Language Days aim to entertain and inform, with the aim to increase awareness and respect for the history, culture, and achievements of each of the six languages.

Why is English Language Day celebrated on the 23rd?

English Language Day is celebrated on April 23rd, because it is thought to be William Shakespeare’s birthday. As well as being one of the world’s most famous English playwrights, Shakespeare also contributed a great amount to our modern-day English language. Shakespeare was the first person to use words like ‘lonely’, ‘gossip’ and ‘fashionable’. He also came up with phrases such as, ‘love is blind’, ‘break the ice’, and ‘faint-hearted’.

Why is Spanish Language Day celebrated on the 23rd?

Spanish Language Day was originally celebrated on October 12th, to celebrate El Día de la Hispanidad in some Spanish-speaking countries, for the discovery of the Americas.

This day was later changed to the 23rd of April, to commemorate Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who died on April 22nd.

Celebrating English and Spanish Language Day in your workplace

A great way to bring awareness and celebrate the beauty of English and Spanish languages is to include interactive and informative activities for your employees. Engaging your team in interesting tasks, such as naming as many slang words in each language as possible, carrying out tongue twisters or even a simple quiz, can help bring awareness to the importance of languages and an opportunity to come together, celebrate and learn about global diversity.

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