Kaunas is becomming the centre of the Italian language

3-4 March. The 4th International Student Italian Language Competition “Universiadi 2023” and a refresher course for Italian language teachers will take place at Vytautas Magnus University on 3-4 March 3-4, 3-4 March.

In 2018, the Association of Italian Language Teachers (ANILS) (Associazione Nazionale Insegnanti Lingue Straniere) started to organise Olympiads for students studying Italian at universities around the world. In 2022, the event was coordinated by the professors of the Italian and Romance Languages programme at VMU. This year, VMU has become an equal partner of ANILS, making Kaunas a true centre of the Italian language, bringing together students and teachers of Italian.

The Universiadi 2023 Student Italian Competition will take place on 3 March in two different formats: some students are invited to try their hand in Kaunas at VMU, while others are invited to join the competition from the competition at their home universities. Participants will take tests based on their level of language proficiency, from A1 to C2, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF). The tests will include listening, reading, writing and speaking tasks. On 3 March from 13:15. The rules of the competition will be presented and the registration will take place at the Small Hall of VMU (S. Daukanto g. 28). At 14:00, the competition will start in groups according to the level of language proficiency:

Italian language level A1: K. Donelaičio str. 52-201;

Italian A2: K. Donelaičio 52-202;

Italian B1: K. Donelaičio 52-203;

Italian language level B2: K. Donelaičio str. 52-213;

Italian C1 level: in the Small Hall of VMU, S. Daukanto str. 28;

Italian language level C2: VMU Small Hall, S. Daukanto g. 28.

The students who have completed all the tasks best will be awarded on 4 March. The students will be selected to take part in the competition on the first day of the competition at the Small Hall of VMU, at 9 am. We would like to thank our partners and sponsors for the prizes: We are grateful to our sponsors, Kaunas City Municipality and Mediterranean Delicacies.

On 4 March, the International Conference of Italian Language Teachers “L’italiano dei giovani, l’italiano per i giovani” (“Italian for young people, Italian for young people”) will be held, with plenary lectures by renowned experts in the teaching of Italian as a foreign language, Prof. Paolo Balboni (Università Ca’ Foscari, Venezia), Prof. Maria Cecilia Luise (Università degli studi di Udine), Prof. Antonio Ducati (University of Applied Sciences, Udine), Prof. Antonio Ducati (University of Applied Sciences, Venezia), Prof. Antonio Ducati (University of Udine) and Prof. Antonio Ducati. Prof. Pierangela Diadori (Università per Stranieri di Siena), Prof. Graziano Serragiotto (Università Ca’ Foscari), and colleagues from Vilnius University and the Italian Universities of Turin, Urbino, Udine, the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the University of Siena for Foreigners, the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University of Ukraine, the Dante Alighieri Society, Kaunas College, the Vilnius International French Lyceum and other schools and gymnasiums will also participate. The event is supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Embassy in Vilnius.

The conference will take place in the Small Hall of VMU (S. Daukanto g. 28), from 9:00 a.m. The language of the event is Italian.

The full conference programme can be found here.

Programma conferenza

Enhancing language education in cross-border vocational education

On February 7-8, European Center for Modern Languages (ECML) in Graz, Austria, held a workshop to disseminate the results of the first two years of work through the project “Enhancing language education in cross-border vocational education.” Lithuania is one of the four partnering countries that contributed to the creation of the teachers’ manual that would help promote cooperation between vocational schools in the cross-border setting. During the workshop, the first version of the teachers’ guide was presented to the experts selected by the ministries of education from 28 countries (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, France, Finland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Germany and Canada). The workshop provided participants with an opportunity to discuss the chapters in detail and also to suggest contributions themselves. The participants appreciated the exchange with colleagues from different countries and a like-minded community; many of them plan to integrate ideas learnt during the event into their work practice. During the discussions, the importance of languages and plurilingual/intercultural competences in vocational training and cross-border working environments was once again unanimously stressed. For the team and the associate partners, the workshop confirmed the relevance of its work and the decisions taken so far. It is now particularly motivated to complete the planned manual, in dialogue with the different target groups.

SUSTAINABLE MULTILINGUALISM 2023

The Institute of Foreign Languages of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU IFL), in cooperation with the Language Teachers’ Association of Lithuania, organizes the 7th International Scientific Conference “Sustainable Multilingualism” (Lith. Darnioji daugiakalbystė). The conference will be held on June 9-10, 2023 in Kaunas.

“Sustainable Multilingualism 2023” aims at bringing together researchers, language policymakers, language teaching professionals and students and all the interested in the discussion on preserving and nurturing multilingualism. Scholars are invited to present their research on the topics related to Multiligualism in society, Language education in multilingual and multicultural settings, Multilingualism in (professional) practice and Contemporary Lithuanian language studies. Presentation session languages: English, French, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Spanish, Ukrainian.

Keynote speakers of the conference:

Auksė Balčytienė, a Professor of Journalism in the Department of Public Communications in Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas, Lithuania. Her research interests are in media policy, political and journalism cultures, media system change and comparative studies, media and information literacy, European public sphere and Central and Eastern European Studies;

François Grin, a Full Professor in economics at the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting of the University of Geneva and the Director of the Observatory on Economy, Languages and Training. Prof. Grin specialises in language economics, education economics, and the evaluation of public policies in these fields;

Enrica Piccardo, a Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education at OISE – University of Toronto and the Head of the Centre for Educational research in Languages and Literacies. She has extensive international experience in second/foreign language education research, teacher development and teaching of multiple languages;

Maria Teresa Zanola, a Full Professor of French Linguistics. She is rewarded as Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the French Ministry of Culture. Prof. Zanola is a highly qualified expert in specialised languages and terminologies in diachronic and comparative perspective and an internationally recognised specialist in language policies in Higher Education.

More information about the conference and registration are available at the website sustainablemultilingualism.com

Institute of Foreign languages is inviting you to “Language Taster”

The first language taster – Portuguese!             The second language taster – Estonian!

The third language taster – Farsi!                      The fourth language taster – Irish!

 

Day of European Languages at VMU

Day of European Languages ​​at VMU

Game “Challenge – Multilingualism!”

On September 26, Monday, VMU Institute of Foreign Languages ​​invites you to celebrate the European Day of Languages ​​together for the 21st time and take a try at the interactive game of languages ​​and cultures “Challenge – Multilingualism!”.

What will happen?

From 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.  –  a game-quiz about languages ​​and cultures;

From 10.15 to 11.00 a.m.  – a lecture (in English) on the Portuguese language and culture by Portuguese Cultural Attaché Sílvia Schiermacher.

Where?

The game will take place in the following VMU buildings: Gedimino Str. 44 (rooms 202 and 203), Putvinskio Str. 23 (rooms  106 and 311), Daukanto Str. 28 (rooms 402 and 404), Jonavos Str. 66 (rooms  109, 110 and 210), Gimnazijos Str. 7 (Room 204), ŽŪA Studentų Str. 11 (rooms 333,  423 and  325) and Muitinės Str. 7 (room 207).

The lecture on the Portuguese language and culture will be held live in room 106, Putvinskio Str. 23.; it will also be broadcast in the above-mentioned auditoriums.

When?

September 26 (Monday). Registration for the game and presentation of the rules will take place from 8.45 am.

How to participate?

Come to the VMU building where you attend language lectures and choose one of the designated auditoriums. You must have a smart device with you (such as a phone or tablet) with which you will connect to the game.

Cool prizes will await the winners (I-III places), and pleasant surprises for all participants.

Ukrainian Citizens are Invited to Apply for Summer Course

Ukrainian citizens who are lecturers, researchers and educators working in Lithuanian research and study institutions, as well as Ukrainian citizens studying at higher education institutions, are invited to apply for and join the Lithuanian Language and Culture Summer Course in Kaunas, which will take place from the 18th of July until the 12th of August.

Candidates from Ukraine will be invited to develop their knowledge of Lithuanian language and culture at the Lithuanian Language and Culture Course for foreigners and foreign nationals of Lithuanian origin, which has been organized at Vytautas Magnus University for over 20 years and attracts over 100 students from approximately 30 countries around the world every year.

The course consists of two parts: Lithuanian language lectures and socio-cultural activities.

In order to learn the language as efficiently as possible, participants are initially divided into groups according to their current proficiency level of Lithuanian language, from absolute beginners to advanced speakers (from A0 to C1), and spend an intensive month learning the language.

Socio-cultural activities include lectures on Lithuanian culture, art, everyday life, folk traditions, society, trips to museums, Lithuanian sightseeing, tours, discovering Lithuania’s beautiful nature, as well as activities in which participants present their own country and culture.

For full information about the call for participation and the necessary documents, please visit the VMU page on short-term initiatives at the sub-section “Lithuanian Language and Culture Courses for Ukrainian students, lecturers and researchers”.

The deadline for applications is 1 July 2022.

Number of funded places: 32.

If you have any further questions, please contact bsu@vdu.lt.

Student Language Conference “Let’s grow together” 2022

The second student language conference organized by the Institute of Foreign Languages (UKI) at Vytautas Magnus University “Let’s grow together” took place on April 26th, 2022. This year, the conference commemorated the 100th anniversary of the University of Lithuania; therefore, its subtitle was “Future University in the New Century.” A plenary speech „Spiritus Movens: Multilingualism Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow“ was given by the lecturer of the Latin language and the researcher of the Antique culture Sigitas Lūžys. The researcher presented an overview of the development of multilingualism since antiquity until present and revealed its meaning in cultural and social life providing parallels between the ancient Greece and Lithuania at the beginning of the 20th century, when the University of Lithuania was established.

In the plenary discussion, Prof. Vilmantė Liubinienė from Kaunas University of Technology, lecturer Irmantas Ramanauskas from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Vice-Rector for Communication at Vytautas Magnus University Assoc. Prof. Vilma Bijeikienė and students Anna Newmark from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Larsas Jaseliūnas from Kaunas University of Technology, and Tetiana Ponomarenko from Vytautas Magnus University VMU) shared their insights on the role of languages in the future university. The discussion was moderated by the director of the Institute of Foreign Languages at Vytautas Magnus University, Dr. Teresė Ringailienė.

Following the plenary discussion, participants of a digital film contest ‘100 Words’ were awarded. The contest was organized for the first time in order to commemorate the centenary of the University of Lithuania. It invited students studying languages at A1-B1 levels to compete by selecting and interacting with words as creatively and ingeniously as possible. All films revealed students’ originality, creativeness and their knowledge of different foreign languages.

After the plenary part, students from Vytautas Magnus University, visiting students from the Czech republic and Poland, as well as a few guests from Kaunas University of Technology separated into five sections: “Idiosyncrasies of Language”, “Gaps in Education”, “Multilingualism in Literature”, “Studies and Family Life”, “Law and Politics”, and “Nutrition Issues”. Presentations were read in English, German, Norwegian and Lithuanian as a foreign language. All sections were moderated by the lecturers of the Institute of Foreign Languages at Vytautas Magnus University, Aušra Jankauskaitė, Vaida Misevičiūtė, Ilona Kildienė, and Jurgita Macijauskaitė-Bonda.

For many speakers, this conference was the first experience of speaking to a large audience, but youthful enthusiasm and a desire to experience something new overcame fear. Each journey begins with the first step. When embarking on a language journey, perhaps the most important thing is to fulfill the common goal: to grow and improve together, and this student language conference was a suitable and motivating space for that.

Overall, the conference attracted over 100 listeners. Perhaps the most important thing for both participants and the organizers was to fulfill the common goal: to grow and improve together, and this student language conference once again became a suitable and motivating space for that.

Languages for Brunch

A special event, “Languages for Brunch,” will take place at VMU Agriculture Academy Campus. The participants of the event will learn Bulgarian, Estonian, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian by playing a game as well as receive prizes for active participation.

Where? In the park in front of the Central building of VMU Agriculture Academy (in case of stormy weather, the event will take place in Building 3 of VMU Agriculture Academy, Universiteto Str. 10, Akademija)

When? May 6, 2022, 11:00-13:00

We are inviting the members of Vytautas Magnus University, the schools and other Akademija community members to join this special and unique spring event and get acquainted with students from other European countries!

The event is organized by VMU Institute of Foreign Languages, the Agriculture Academy and “Transform4Europe” European University. This event is a part of the international European Festival of Culture organized by Vytautas Magnus University and the universities of the “Transform4Europe” alliance on May 4-8.

Since nothing is likely to unite people as much as a shared experiences and food, the guests and participants of the event will have the opportunity to enjoy both new knowledge and a brunch. We will taste kibinai, which are already well-known to Lithuanians, Ukrainian borscht and other dishes.

The event will be photographed, filmed and publicized through various channels of social media of the university alliance, Agriculture Academy, the Institute of Foreign Languages and Vytautas Magnus University.

Kaunas – the European Capital of Culture 2022 and JSC “Mantinga” contribute to the organization of the event.

We invite you to participate in a digital film contest ‘100 Words’.

To commemorate the centenary of the University of Lithuania, VMU Institute of Foreign Languages invites students studying languages at A1-B1 levels to participate in a digital film contest ‘100 Words’. Students are invited to compete by selecting and interacting with words as creatively and ingeniously as possible. It may be a film of a 100 most frequently uttered baby words, maybe it will be 100 synonyms to describe future students, or a 100 borrowings from Italian cuisine, or maybe the next 100 of technical innovations in multiple languages?

The aim of the competition is to learn about languages, linguistic diversity, and to study languages in a different way. The films can be created individually or in groups of 3-4 students.

The easiest technical tools to create digital movies are:

but the possibilities are endless, and even here you can surprise with your ingenuity. The top three filmmakers or filmmaker groups will be awarded during the Student Conference on April 26 at the conference closing ceremony.

Criteria:

1. Originality

2. 3-5 min video

3. 100 words and their audio

4. Interesting content

5. Creativity

To post videos for the competition, please use the Padlet platform until April 3.

The public vote will take place from April 5 to April 7. Films will be assessed by both the other language learners and the organizing committee.

For further questions, please contact: studentukonferencija1@gmail.com

Student Languages Conference Let’s Grow Together. Future University in the New Century

We would like to invite You and Your students to actively participate in the second Student Languages Conference Let’s Grow Together. Future University in the New Century. The conference commemorates the 100th anniversary of the University of Lithuania. The conference will take place online on April 26, 2022, 8.00 – 12.00 EET.

Not only is the Student Language Conference a way to improve language skills, but also to share knowledge and discoveries that are relevant to the development of intellectual and cultural life of the young generation. The conference targets students studying languages at VMU, LSMU, and KTU, which historically evolved from the University of Lithuania. We believe that multilingual Lithuanian and international students will enrich the conference with a variety of languages, talents, newly acquired cultural perspectives, and fresh academic insights through multiple languages which have always been an integral part of Kaunas’ intellectual and cultural life. Plurilingualism is particularly relevant this year as Kaunas has become the capital of European culture.

Let’s Grow Together. Future University in the New Century is a language conference. By fostering multilingualism during the conference, students of all language levels are encouraged to participate with a variety of presentations concerning plurilingualism, pluriculturalism, or just using the language for specific purposes while pursuing a degree in social sciences, law, arts, education, etc. May this conference become a new platform to share knowledge and new discoveries, to promote the importance of plurilingualism and continuous perfection of language skills as well as to enjoy the variety of academic presentations.

The second Student Language Conference Let’s Grow Together. Future University in the New Century invites students studying English at B2-C2 levels, and students studying other languages at B1-C1 levels to submit presentations. The presentations should be up to 15 minutes and follow the basic presentation structure:

  • Introduction
  • Relevance of the topic
  • Purpose
  • Development
  • Conclusions
  • References

Registration to the conference is open until April 10, 2022, 5 pm (registration form).

The organizing committee will contact all the registered students by e-mail until April 17.

The conference participation is free.

If you have further questions, please contact the organizers by e-mail: studentukonferencija1@gmail.com