Are you a Sesquipedalian?

BBC found out that the longest word in the German language disappeared - but that there are other languages with even longer words... Have a look at this interesting and amusing article - not only for linguists!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-22765498

ICT 2013: Registration open!

ICT 2013, the biggest ICT event in Europe, will be held in Vilnius on 6-8 November, 2013. It will bring together Europe's best & brightest in ICT research, with businesses old & new, web start-ups and digital strategists to chart a path for Europe's ICT research policy. Join us to share your vision for the future with EU policy-makers, and see the latest advances in EU-funded ICT research.

More than 4000 researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, young people and politicians are expected in Vilnius. Registration for the event has just been opened.

More information

Registration

Correct terminology is crucial - LISE tells you how!

An article in the on-line journal of the University of Vienna, published an article (in German) on: “Die richtige Terminologie ist gefragt”, featuring the LISE project that explores "Legal language interoperability services". 

For those with lesser German skills, visit the LISE website: www.lise-termservices.eu/

Europe’s Changing Landscape: Languages for the World of Work

Wolfgang Mackiewicz, coordinator of the CELAN project and president of CEL/ELC, held a keynote speech on languages for the World of Work on the occasion of the Symposium, including an Award ceremony, on Europe’s Changing Landscape in Carlsberg Academy, Copenhagen, last October. 

Download the speech here.

CELAN final meeting and results

The CELAN final project meeting took place on 18 March 2013 in Berlin. The core partners discussed exploitation plans and the future of CELAN and its community. Amongst the results are:

• Corporate language needs in Europe  - the report covering three sectors Europe-wide
• a benchmarking tool for all: Language needs analysis tool
• a concise language industry catalogue

A "Vademecum" for language policies for companies is currently in print.
Visit www.celan-platform.eu for more information. 

The Grand Coalition for digital jobs was launched. And now what?

Photo by: Yuri Arcurs

At the launch of a new partnership to address a lack of ICT skills and the hundreds of thousands of unfilled ICT-related jobs, President Barroso stressed the job potential of the ICT sector for Europe. He reiterated that tackling high unemployment is the Commission's top priority.

A Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs was launched on Monday, 4 March 2013, following identification by the Commission's Digital Agenda for Europe of the lack of e-skills to pursue today's rapid technological changes. This new multi-stakeholder partnership has a mandate until 2015.

"Studies have also shown that ICT-related occupations are much more resistant to crisis than most other jobs. This clearly means that e-skills are definitely key in reducing the risk of unemployment including for senior workers. More and better qualified ICT practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, managers and users are needed and will increasingly be needed," said President Barroso in his speech at the launch and noted that the latest study shows that Europe faces up to 900,000 unfilled ICT jobs.

"In a nutshell, a multi-stakeholder partnership approach is the right way to develop a skills agenda in a targeted, innovative and sustainable way," said President Barroso.

Initial commitments from stakeholders have been endorsed with over 15 companies and organisations signing up to the Grand Coalition. Among the first pledges to come to life is a new online learning platform for young people called the Academy Cube and a new training module for energy smart grid installers.

The Commission has sought pledges in the following key areas:

• Training and matching for digital jobs – to help ensure the skills people are getting are the skills business needs;
• Mobility – helping those with skills get to the place where they're needed, to avoid shortages and surpluses in different towns and cities;
• Certification – making it easier to prove to an employer what skills one has, regardless of the country;
• Awareness raising – so that people know the digital sector offers rewarding and enjoyable careers to both women and men;
• Innovative learning and teaching – so our education and training systems expand and improve to give more people the skills for success.

More information about the launch of the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs.

Click here to watch the speech of President Barroso.

EUCA Message in a Bottle Contest

The Message in a Bottle Contest was launched in 2011 to celebrate European citizenship and in 2011 continued to celebrate the European Year of Volunteering and the UN International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. Students from EUCA Colleges were invited to take up the theme of volunteering and youth by creating an innovative work, able to bring people closer to these themes. 

In 2012, Message in a Bottle was re-launched in the college halls of residence of the EUCA network on the theme of ‘Multilingualism’. University students were asked to write an essay, a poem or a story, to shoot a video or to make a photograph about the importance of multilingualism in today’s world. 

On January the 18th 2013, the winners of the 2012 edition were announced and they were invited to take part at the next EUCA event to receive the prize for their work, an iPad 3.

To see the winning works please see the News feed on the EUCA website

CELAN partner meeting in Brussels

The CELAN partners met in Brussels to discuss exploitation opportunities for the CELAN network and results, in view of the soon ending LLP project. 

From left to right: Wolfgang Trenn, FUB, Christian Galinsk, Infoterm, Margareha Mazura, EMF, Mike Hammersley, FAV, Wolfgang Mackiewicz, ELC/CEL, Gustavo Gonzalo-Quijano, COTANCE, Claire Goyer, OEP, Mirela Mazalu, EUCA, Blanca Stella Giraldo, Infoterm, Dieter Jirmann-Heidl.

Call for papers: the European Symposium on Languages for Special Purposes (LSP) 2013

The European Symposium on Languages for Special Purposes (LSP) 2013 is going to take place in Vienna, Austria, from 8 to 10 July 2013. The following topics, among others, are going to be dealt with:

• Languages for Special Purposes in different languages, countries and regions of the world
• Theoretical and methodological issues of LSP research
• Multilingualism, language policies and socio-cultural issues of LSPs

The deadline for the submission of oral presentations is February 12th, 2013.

For further information, please download this document.

Season's Greetings!