The British Council, the Goethe Institute in Cairo, the French Center for Culture and Cooperation, the Spanish Cultural Center (Cervantes) and the Italian Cultural Center held a ceremony in celebration of the European Day of Languages at the Spanish Cultural Center in Giza on Wednesday night. The European Day of Languages is a new joint initiative embarked upon by the embassies of five European governments in Cairo in an effort to emphasize the importance of learning foreign languages, raise awareness of the many languages spoken in Europe, and to encourage students to continue learning languages throughout their lives. The benefits of learning foreign languages are many. It gives you access to different cultures and ways of life, British ambassador, Sir Derek Plumbly, argues in his speech. Spanish Ambassador Alfonso Ortiz believes that learning a foreign language is a great investment and essential for those interested in international careers. Following speeches held by the ambassadors and cultural attaches, the cultural institutes of the participating countries announced the winners in their competition to encourage multilingualism. A number of students from local schools were called up on stage and awarded stipends from the institutes accompanied by applause from their family and peers. The winners are entitled to spend a semester studying French, English, Spanish, Italian, or German in the aforementioned countries.
