{"id":13449,"date":"2025-09-26T15:26:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/ceti\/?p=13449"},"modified":"2025-09-29T13:30:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T12:30:06","slug":"celebrating-multilingualism-at-westminster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/ceti\/celebrating-multilingualism-at-westminster\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Multilingualism at Westminster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Celebrating Multilingualism at Westminster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"AI-generated<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Julio Gimenez & Katherine (Katie) Mansfield<\/strong>
Principal Lecturer & Senior Lecturer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

11 November 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know that in 2021\/22, there were 350,325 international students pursuing degrees in the UK according to the Higher Education Student Statistics<\/span><\/a> (HESA)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, international students represented 22% of the total student population in the whole country (Universities UK<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These statistics, provided by HESA, offer valuable insights into the demographics of our universities. However, there’s a noticeable gap in information regarding the languages spoken by international students. Given the key role that languages play in both academic and social spheres, this oversight is striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added to this, the home languages that students speak further enrich the linguistic diversity of universities.  This is particularly the case at the University of Westminster where students from all parts of London, as well as elsewhere in the UK, bring with them a wide range of first languages creating a diverse multilingual campus culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further explore the linguistic landscape at the University of Westminster, a team of researchers at the university [Terry Lamb<\/span><\/a>, Alexandra Rappoport, Daphne Vallas<\/span><\/a>, Julio Gimenez<\/span><\/a>, Katherine Mansfield<\/span><\/a>, Lucia Llano Puertas<\/span><\/a>, Margherita Sprio<\/span><\/a>, and Martin Percy<\/span><\/a>] initiated the Multilingual University project. The primary objective was to identify the languages spoken within our institution, laying the groundwork for celebrating our multilingual community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first phase of the project involved designing and distributing a university-wide survey to document the languages spoken by members of the University. 627 individuals participated, comprising 64% students, 22% academic colleagues, and 10% professional services colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preliminary results from the survey revealed a rich linguistic tapestry, with respondents reporting proficiency in 133 languages and 61 language varieties<\/strong>. These findings underscore the importance of acknowledging and celebrating the diverse linguistic landscape of our university, both academically and socially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2024, the Multilingual University Steering Group organised a special event to present the survey findings and celebrate multilingualism at Westminster [Pic 1: lower left]. Attendees were treated to a diverse program, including interactive sessions that allowed participants to visualise their multilingual<\/a> repertoires. [Pic 2: lower right]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Person<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, findings from a research study involving 84 undergraduate and postgraduate students were presented. The study explored language usage at the university, revealing insights into students’ comfort levels with different languages. While some students expressed ease in using their primary language, the majority cited English as a unifying force, promoting inclusivity within the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n