English Language Day


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On 23 April 2010, we celebrated the first 'English Language Day' at UN Headquarters. Below are links related to the activities, and a copy of an iSeek article about the event.

Siri Hustvedt	In a reading and book signing at the United Nations bookstore, American author Siri Hustvedt, author of The Enchantment of Lily Dahl (which references Shakespeare's A Midummer Night's Dream) discussed how Shakespeare has inspired her work. See photo slideshow.
English at the United Nations	The panelists, including a representative from proofreading, translation, editing and training briefly explained their job, presented their views on how English at the UN is unique, and shared resources: the Oxford English Dictionary, the United Nations editorial manual, the Guide for Writing for the United Nations, and more.
English Quiz	How much do you know about the English language? Try this English language quiz, and then check your an swers.
Study opportunities	At the Information Fair, the language training team presented several English study opportunities such as: the International Center of New York, who sent a representative (Thanks, Louise!) the UN Toastmasters group, and the Friends of the United Nations English Club, which sent a few representatives. (Thanks, Dana, Dorothy and Maya and Larisa!)
Idioms	Are you a student of English? Try our idiom quiz and then check your answers. The answer key includes sample sentences.
Crossword Puzzles	Want to test your vocabulary? Try these crossword puzzles - basic ones to much more advanced - and then check the puzzle answers (PDF)
Poetry Exchange	April is also 'National Poetry month' so we offered free poems to UNHQ staff in exchange for their telling us their favorite poems and poets. Answers included: John Keats ('Old to a Nightingale', 'Bright Star..i, 'The Eve of St. Agnes'); Dylan Thomas ('Under the Milky Way'); Kahlil Gibram (poet); Robert Burns ('My love'); Samuel Coleridge ('The Rime of the Ancient Mariner') Alfred, Lord Tennyson ('Ulysses') Walt Whitman ('Song of Myself') Galway Kinnell ('Wait') Ezra Pound ('Station of the Metro')
Verbatim Reporting sevice	Learn about the English Verbatim Service, English section - who they are and what they do.

Updated: Friday, 23 April 2010
Posted: Monday, 19 April 2010, New York | Author: Department of Public Information

Special events celebrating the English language will take place in New York on Friday, 23 April. Everyone in New York is encouraged to take some time to learn more about English resources at the UN by attending special events planned for the day.

The occasion is the second in the Department of Public Information’s “Language Days at the UN” initiative. French Language Day was observed on 20 March 2010. The date for the English day, 23 April, was selected as it is the date traditionally observed as William Shakespeare's birthday.

Scheduled events

English Language Day will feature two information fairs, a Meet the Author event, an awards ceremony, and a panel discussion.

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
2nd floor of the North Lawn Building (near Café Austria) & by DC-1 cafeteria.
Information fairs. Stop by to learn about English resources at the UN, English courses and websites, play games, view films, and more.

12:00 Noon
UN Bookshop
A reading and a book signing by acclaimed American author Siri Hustvedt, author of The Enchantment of Lily Dahl (which references Shakespeare's A Midummer Night's Dream). Ms. Hustvedt will read from her book and discuss how Shakespeare has inspired her work.

1:30 p.m.
Conference Room 7 (North Lawn Building)
The St. Jerome Translation Contest award ceremony (second part) for 2010 will honor the winners of the contest in Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, and German. The French language ceremony took place in March.

3:15 to 4:15 p.m.
Room DC2-200
A panel discussion on the use of English at the UN - including representatives from proofreading, translation, editing and training. The panelists will briefly explain what their office does, present their views on how English at the UN is unique, and share resources that have been particularly useful and/or could be useful for other staff.

About Language Days at the UN

Language Days at the UN seeks to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.

Under the new initiative, United Nations Headquarters – and hopefully in the future duty stations around the world – will celebrate six days dedicated to each UN official language:

Arabic (18 December)
Chinese (1 September)
English (23 April)
French (20 March)
Russian (6 June)
Spanish (12 October)

For information about Language Days at the UN, email unworks@un.org or call Einat Temkin at 917-367-5841.

As part of the Language Days at the UN initiative, graphics have been designed by the Graphic Design Unit at DPI, Outreach Division, New York.