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Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV
February 26 - March 1, 2024
You are invited to celebrate the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV community's linguistic diversity in a week-long series of events, including speakers and socials; panels, roundtable discussions, and workshops; a keynote to kick it off, and a symposium to conclude.
Message from the organizer
"Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV is a vibrant weeklong festival that brings together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the myriad languages spoken at the university and in our surrounding community," says Melek Ortabasi, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programming in FASS, the organizer of Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV 2024.
"When institutions prioritize and embrace multilingualism, they begin to dismantle language barriers that can otherwise impede full participation and understanding. Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV provides a platform for a wide variety of units and programs on campus to share their contributions to our multilingual landscape, promoting cross-cultural understanding and highlighting the invaluable contributions that diverse languages bring to the university and our wider community."
Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV proactively fosters an inclusive environment, where everyone - regardless of their native languages - feels valued and heard. This festival is about highlighting the ubiquitous presence of multilingualism in the university and contributing to a more equitable and inclusive campus where everyone can thrive.
2024 event schedule
Everything is free and everyone from the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV community - students, faculty members, and staff - are invited to attend!
All events occur at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's Burnaby campus unless noted otherwise.
- 12:00-1:30pm - Discussion
Multilingual Instructors Community of Practice
On Zoom. . - 2:00-3:00pm - Talk
Tuning your ears and your tongue to a new language: The phonetics and phonology of second-language learning
Hybrid, RCB 7402. . - 2:30-4:00pm - Student panel
Multilingualism in the Classroom
In person, AQ 5118. No registration; everyone invited. . - 5:30-7:30pm - Reception & keynote talk
Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV keynote with StsmélÌ“qen, Dr. Ronald E. Ignace
Hybrid, AQ 3150. . - 6:00-8:00pm - Workshop
Sustainability language: Nordic and multilingual starting points
In person, Vancouver campus, Harbour Centre. No registration; everyone invited. .
- 10:30am-12:30pm - Social
Multilingual Pronoun Button Making
In person, GSWS lounge. No registration; everyone invited. . - 11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents The Lyre
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
Your options in French at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV by the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 12:00-3:00pm - Booth
Embrace Your Linguistic Superpowers!
In person, Burnaby & Surrey campuses. No registration; everyone invited. . - 1:00-2:00pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents Japanese language exchange
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
- 10:00-11:30am - Panel
Writing Matters at the Multilingual University: Perspectives and Possibilities
Hybrid, EDUC 8260. No registration required for in-person guests. Online guests, to receive the Zoom link. - 11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
Everyone can be multilingual: Igniting the Multilingual and Multicultural sparks in you (Exploring Multilingual and Multicultural Education at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV)
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents language exchange in Chinese
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 12:00-3:00pm - Booth
Embrace Your Linguistic Superpowers!
In person, Burnaby campus. No registration; everyone invited. . - 12:30-1:30pm - Social
Multilingual Snack and Prizes Hour
In person, Fraser International College, room 2340. No registration; everyone invited. . - 12:30-2:30pm - Roundtable discussion
Claiming our Voices as Multilingual Writers
In person, Bennett Library, room 7200. . - 1:00-2:30pm - Booth
World Languages and Literatures presents language exchange in Spanish
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited.
- 11:00am-12:15pm - Reading
SLC Writing Contest Plurilingual Prize Winners
In person, Bennett Library, room 7100. . - 11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's Department of Linguistics
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 11:00am-2:00pm - Booth
Your options in French at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV by the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 12:00-1:00pm - Talk
The Psychology of Multilingualism: Perspectives on accents, student adjustment, and supporting diversity
In person, AQ 3150. - 12:00-3:00pm - Booth
Embrace Your Linguistic Superpowers!
In person, Burnaby & Surrey campuses. No registration; everyone invited. . - 12:30-1:30pm - Social
Multilingual Trivia and Prizes Hour
. On Zoom: . - 12:30-2:00pm - Booth
French Conversation Club
In person, Arts Central, AQ 3020. No registration; everyone invited. - 2:00-3:00pm - Workshop
On Artificial Intelligence
In person, AQ 6106. No registration; everyone invited. - 4:45-6:15pm - Alumni talk
Are multilingual and intercultural skills valuable assets in career development? Experiences, challenges and tips
In person, AQ 5118. No registration; everyone invited. .
- 9:00am-4:30pm - Symposium
Défis, opportunités et enjeux actuels dans l’enseignement à l’université / Current challenges, opportunities and issues in university teaching
In person, Vancouver campus, Wosk Centre for Dialogue. .
FAQs
Need help finding event locations? Use ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's Campus Maps + Directions webpage. Select your campus first, then type in the room number. You can also download the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Snap app; it has a room finder, too. Download for and .
Participating ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV units
We'd like to thank the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV community for coming together to make this event happen. Without everyone's collaborative contributions, this "potluck" of an event couldn't have happened.
- Arts Central
- Centre for Educational Excellence
- Cognitive Science Program
- Department of Economics
- Department of English
- Department of French
- Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
- Department of Linguistics
- Department of Psychology
- Department of World Languages and Literatures
- International Services for Students
- Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs
- School of Communication
- Student Services
- Urban Studies Program
- With special thanks to
Thank you
We'd also like to extend the warmest and largest thank you to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's Centre for Educational Excellence (CEE) for birthing Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV in 2022. CEE carried it through 2023, and as FASS continues the work in 2024, we recognize that multilingualism is a superpower of a great population of the university - students, faculty members, and staff - and this is something to celebrate every week of the year. We appreciate the support and enthusiasm shared by everyone at the university to take the time to commemorate the importance of multilingualism.
Alexander Obuo Owusu, master's student, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV School of International Studies. "I am excited about the initiative to devote an entire week to promoting multilingualism on ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV campuses."
Carol Suhr, PhD student, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Faculty of Education. "Being able to use multiple languages is a strength that deserves to be celebrated because languages become the road to people, culture, and multiple perspectives."