Multilingual education in Europe: benefits and challenges

In Europe, multilingual education has always been viewed as an asset, and rightly so. Being multilingual since childhood or early adulthood opens more opportunities for career development. Moreover, it broadens the mind and allows one to have a deeper understanding of different cultures, together with building meaningful relationships with people from all over Europe. However, multilingual education also has its challenges. In this article, we will focus on both benefits and challenges to learn more about the state of multilingual education in Europe right now.

Benefits that multilingual education brings

Multilingualism helps to create vital links between intercultural dialogue and cooperation between different communities. Speaking at least two languages forces the brain to approach issues from a different perspective and even solve academic problems without using an essay writing service, for instance. Here are the main advantages of promoting multilingual education in Europe:

• Cultural preservation. Language has always been a significant tool in expressing culture. The more people speak a certain language, the longer it exists, along with all the historical facts, customs, and traditions of the nation in question. What is more, speaking a certain language helps a person identify as a citizen of a country or a representative of a specific culture.
• Cultural bridges. Learning different languages in school or college enables students to build cultural bridges and reach the hearts and minds of those they previously had no connection with. Apart from that, learning a new language also means being exposed to a new culture and exploring new ways of thinking. It’s a perfect opportunity to open one’s horizons, get a different perspective on things, and embrace the richness of new ideas.
• Promoting a culture of tolerance. When you speak a particular language, you are able to talk to the representatives of that nation using their language. This is particularly useful in a multicultural society like the European Union. Speaking a few languages helps to develop tolerance and openness towards different people who choose to move to Europe and build their lives there. Understanding their reasoning and the problems they face daily is much easier when the society is multilingual.
• Building a stronger educational system. The more diverse the educational system is, the more qualified graduates will be. Having at least two foreign languages on a curriculum creates interest in students and gives them more diverse career opportunities after graduation.

Challenges of multilingualism

Even though multilingualism has been one of the main objectives in the EU for a while, multilingual education still faces some challenges. We live in a globalized world, and the demand for multilingual communication has increased. However, it often feels like we can’t keep up, which leads to errors in communication and misunderstandings. The main challenges of multilingual education include:

• Communication barrier. Learning a new language is a time-consuming process. Before you manage to speak it properly, you will often face a communication barrier that might create problems or even conflicts. Apart from that, each language has its grammar, vocabulary, and syntax, and misinterpreting may lead to offending a person. Effective communication means understanding the context. Otherwise, you risk making the situation worse than intended.
• Cost of learning. Introducing language programs in schools and universities is costly. Apart from all the necessary books and materials, the educational institution needs to hire qualified teachers. They may be hard to find, especially when the language is less prevalent. In addition, such programs are not always free, meaning that students from low-income families may not have access to high-quality language education. Another aspect worth mentioning is that failure to show great results right away may have a huge emotional toll on a student.
• A perception that one language is superior to others. This challenge is quite common among those learning new languages because the majority master a new language through the medium of the one they already speak. Moreover, English is the universal language worldwide, making it the easiest connecting language when students from different cultures and backgrounds decide to learn a second language in the same classroom. This often creates discrimination against those who don’t speak English well but are still willing to try and master a new language, using English throughout the process.

Final thoughts

All in all, multicultural education in Europe has a bright future and lots of potential for the next generations of students. Even though challenges still exist, overcoming them can turn into a triumphant story of creating an open, multilingual, and tolerant society where the majority can speak a couple of languages, understand each other better, and solve problems more effectively. Due to the increased demand for multilingualism, more and more educational institutions will try to keep up and offer affordable language programs or introduce such courses at the early stages of the study process.

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