Five young Australian language students have been selected as the winners of the third annual SBS National Languages Competition.
The winners were selected from around 4,000 entries representing 80 languages.
The third annual SBS National Languages Competition asked students of all ages to submit images and text describing the possibilities learning a language had opened for them.
The director of SBS’s Audio and Language Content, Mandi Wicks, says the competition received 4,000 entries from around Australia, representing 80 languages.
"We had lots of entries. We had entries from every state and territory. We had individual entries, and then we had whole classes enter as well. So we were overwhelmed by the number of entries. What it says to me really, I think, is that, across Australia, so many people are learning languages."
Education Minister Dan Tehan, who attended the awards ceremony, shared his own experience of learning Spanish for a diplomatic posting in Central America and the opportunities it opened for him.
He says the learning of languages is essential for regional relations and trade.
“The Asian region is where we reside. We have to understand the cultures of the countries that are our near neighbours. We also have to make sure that we can understand and engage with them, because, economically, they’re vital to us.”
The Australian National University (ANU) has just announced ((wed)) it is investing $11.6 million over five years in expanding the number of Asian and Pacific languages on offer through online learning.
