Language Diversity Symposium Final Program

Symposium on Language and the United Nations, May 1, 2012

777 United Nations Plaza, New York

PROGRAMME 

9:30 – 10:00  Registration

10:00 – 10:30 Opening greetings

• H. E. Ambassador Filippe Savadogo, Permanent Representative of La Francophonie to the United Nations
• Alassane Diatta, Chief, French Translation Service, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, United Nations 

10:30 – 11:30.  Language Policy at the United Nations

• Françoise Cestac, Former UN Assistant Secretary-General.  Introduction
• Marie-Josée de Saint Robert, Chief, Languages Service, Division of Conference Management, UN Geneva, “Policy Regarding Language Use at the United Nations.”  Paper read by Bonnibeth Fonseca-Greber. 
• André Corrêa d’Almeida & G. Bahar Otcu, Columbia University, “The Portuguese Language in the United Nations”

11:30 – 12:30.  The Language Policy Background and Its Implications (1)

• Clément Mbom, Brooklyn College, “Langues et développement humain: Le français, acteur du développement dans les pays où il n’est pas la langue maternelle”
• Anna Luisa Daigneault, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, “The Endangered Languages of South America: Grassroots Language Activism and New Media for the 21^st Century”
• Lauren Zentz, University of Arizona, “Legacies of Modernity, Postcoloniality, and Globalization: Language Policy in Indonesia”

12:45. Lunch. Film Screening: Languages Lost and Found: Speaking and Whistling the Mamma Tongue

Iris Brooks and Jon H. Davis, Cultural Reporters / Film Directors, Northern Lights Studio 

1:45-3:00.  The Language Policy Background and Its Implications (2)

• Timothy Reagan, Central Connecticut State University, “But What Is My Mother Tongue: Rethinking the Challenges of Mother Tongue Education”
• Myriam de Beaulieu, United Nations, “Loss of lexical and cultural diversity  with global communication ”
• Panel discussion by the speakers in the morning and early afternoon sessions

3:00 – 3:45.  Language Teaching and Learning

• Bonnibeth Fonseca-Greber, University of Louisville, “Preparing the UN’s Next Generation: A Professional Development Plan for Translator Candidates”
• Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth & Brianna Avenia-Tapper, New York University, Steinhardt: Patricia Duffy, UN Language and Communications Programme; Jill Kalotay, webmaster and consultant, “Learning English for Peace: An Online English Course about the UN”
• Sohair Soukkary, Baruch College, CUNY, “Language Teaching: Tapping the Right Side of the Brain”

3:45 – 4:30.  The NGO Experience

Presentations by the Legion of Goodwill (Danilo Parmegiani) & Universal Esperanto Association (Steven Brewer)

4:30 – 5:00.  Closing Remarks

Humphrey Tonkin, University of Hartford, “Thirty Years of Church Center Conferences on Language at the UN”

Closing Remarks: Françoise Cestac 

5:00 - 6:00  Reception

Photo-report: 
https://picasaweb.google.com/116403863606846422857/May121021aDeMajo2012UEANovjorkoEventoLingvaDiverseco