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Each resident of Europe should speak at least two foreign languages, says director of Goethe Institute

Each resident of Europe should speak at least two foreign languages, Katrin Ostwald-Richter, director of the Goethe Institute in Minsk, said during a news conference held in Minsk on Tuesday on the occasion of the European Day of Languages, which has been observed on September 26 since 2001, as quoted by BelaPAN.

It is unfortunate that the Goethe Institute and the Polish Institute are the only cultural centers in Minsk, whereas in Vilnius, for example, there are five such centers, Ms. Ostwald-Richter said.

She noted that one of the functions of the Goethe Institute is to support and promote the German language and modern teaching methods.

The European Union has always considered multilingualism to be a value, not a burden, said Jean-Eric Holzapfel, charge d’affaires of the EU Delegation to Belarus. At the same time, he noted, the EU encourages people to express their thoughts in their native language.