Italian Language in the World

“The General Assembly of the Italian Language” is an important meeting that will take place next week at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. In attendance there will be various international scholars as well as the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, the Minister for Education, Universities and Research, Stefania Giannini, the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, the President of the Dante Alighieri Society, Andrea Riccardi and the President of RAI, Monica Maggioni.

The goal of the conference is to promote the Italian language all over the world

This special event, that will be open to the public, serves to analyze the added value of using the Italian language in marketing strategies and to explore the different ways of promoting the Italian language abroad. Italian is the second most used language in the commercial world so this means that the language itself is very attractive to others and that it is also synonymous with the excellent quality of the products Italy puts forth in the consumer market.

There are many goals this conference hopes to reach in the future but one of the main objectives is to make Italian courses available for students to study at the High School level all around the world. Even though the number of those studying Italian abroad is already a success, over two million, the Minister of Education wants these numbers to increase drastically. Studies show that foreigners want to study Italian as a way to reconnect with their roots or to get more in touch with all the cultural aspects the language has to offer, ranging from opera to literature. 

Internally, Italians want the new immigrants coming into the country to be able to learn and use the language as a tool that allows them to immerse themselves in the culture. Given the current situation in Europe and all the new people that are now flooding across the borders, this is a major priority for the upcoming years. 

Another significant announcement at the conference will be the creation of the Portal of the Italian language which is a comprehensive access channel. It allows for Italian to be taught abroad for those who need to learn the language or for those who simply have the desire to learn. The portal will also include a multimedia section containing videos and interviews with celebrities who speak Italian, in order to promote and enhance the study of the Italian language all over the world.

One thing is clear: Italian is not only a beautiful language but it is also one that is very crucial for the future. In all matters regarding business, art and globalization, knowing how to speak Italian will definitely be an asset for the young leaders of tomorrow. For those not able to attend the event, it can be seen live in streaming on the website www.esteri.it