Poland in South Africa

“Speak Dating” is an informal two-minute speed dating format, where people quickly learn phrases in various languages ​​from native speakers. The event promotes cultural exchange without the pressure of a classroom. Participants learn phrases in each available language on the following topics: greetings, colors, flags, food, hobbies, languages, music, numbers, and professions. After two minutes of the session, a bell rings, and participants move on to the next booth and begin learning a new language. Because most participants are beginners and only have the opportunity to experience a language for two minutes, they typically only manage to learn greetings in this limited time.

"Speak-Dating" encourages people to learn new languages. Regardless of linguistic talent, many people are truly fascinated by other languages, and learning a few words during a trial lesson can spark a lifelong passion!

Languages play a significant role in shaping culture, identity, education, and social order, making them a fundamental part of our lives. It's estimated that there are currently around 6,000-7,000 languages in the world, over 200 of which originate in Europe. A significant portion of the world's population speaks only a handful of languages, and most of these are spoken by a few thousand or even a handful of people. In fact, 96% of languages are spoken by just 4% of the population. It's no wonder, then, that according to UNESCO, at least 43% of the languages spoken globally are threatened with extinction. Although monolingualism is widely considered the norm, it turns out that half to two-thirds of the world's population is bilingual to some extent, and a significant number are even multilingual. This suggests that multilingualism is more suited to the realities of modern life.

Photos: Grażyna Koornhof/Polish Embassy in Pretoria