International Languages week is an event specifically dedicated to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken around the world.

It usually consists of events and activities with the goal of promoting languages and cultural awareness. During International Languages Week, schools, communities, and organisations often organise language-themed activities such as language taster sessions, cultural performances, language games, international food tastings, and presentations about different languages and cultures. The goal is to highlight the importance of languages in fostering global understanding and to encourage people to appreciate and to learn languages they are not familiar with. This year, International Languages Week was held from 10th- 14th June. 

This is an important week to not only celebrate our own culture and language but also to celebrate the many thousands of languages spoken worldwide. In our diverse and multicultural society we are being exposed to a huge number of international languages, with more than 160 languages being spoken in New Zealand today. Worldwide, there are about 7,000 languages spoken! Learning a language allows us to understand other cultures and societies as well as enriching our knowledge and understanding of the world. Celebrating and appreciating other languages and cultures creates social unity and leads to more tolerance, understanding and appreciation, and allows us to form strong connections with people from many different cultural backgrounds.