¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Multilingual ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

February 26 - March 1, 2024

Celebrating linguistic diversity

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

Melek Ortabasi, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programming, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

"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.

Monday, February 26

  • 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. .

Tuesday, February 27

  • 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.

Wednesday, February 28

  • 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.

Thursday, February 29

  • 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. .

Friday, March 1

  • 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 .

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."

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