Leeds City of Languages: 10th - 22nd November 2025
Leeds City of Languages is a vibrant celebration of the city's languages, cultures, and communities, highlighting our connections across the world. In November 2024 we delivered a weeklong event of free activities in schools, the community and at the University of Leeds to embrace multilingualism, learn new languages, and connect with the rich cultural tapestry of the globe. The initiative is led by Bettina Hermoso-Gómez and Sofia Martinho, with the support of the Arts and Humanities Outreach Team.
Via this website teachers can book in-school language taster sessions to take place during the event, see below for further details.
To find out further information, including the wider offer from Leeds City of Languages, access the main website here.
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In-School Taster Workshops
During Leeds City of Languages we are offering fantastic language workshops delivered by our Academics in local schools. These workshops will be aimed at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 and could introduce school students to new topics or languages, help them build on their current subjects and support them in developing skills and insight into the university experience. See the list of Language tasters, their description and their availability below.
Request a sessionArabic
Availability TBA
Catalan
Available on Friday the 21st November
Session Info:
Taster for complete beginners
Subtitling workshop
Availability TBA
Intro to conference Interpreting
Available Monday the 10th AM & Tuesday the 11th AM November
Session 1 Info:
GCSE Language class, ideally a max of 20 students; no language requirements.
The taster session will introduce the profession, discuss the possible implications of AI, and give the students the chance to have a go at some of the practical skills.
1 hour long
OR
Session 2 Info:
A level languages class, ideally a max of 20 students; all languages welcome
The taster session will introduce the profession, discuss the possible implications of AI, and give the students the chance to have a go at interpreting some content.
1 hour long
French
Availability TBA
German
Availability TBA
Italian
Available:
- 13th November after 10am
- 21st November from 10am
Session Info:
Suitable for all levels.
Japanese
Availability TBA
Korean
Available 14:00 -17:00pm on 17th November
Session info:
1 hour long, no prior knowledge needed for Korean. Students need to have pens and paper. The school will need to have a computer and devices for playing sounds and videos
Linguistics
Session 1 - Linguistics Taster
Availability: TBA
Session Info:
2-hour session; any interested students of any level welcome. School to provide individual whiteboards for each student if possible.
Session 2 - How to do Linguistic Research
Availability: Tuesday 11th, Wednesday 12th, Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th November.
Session Info:
This 40-minute presentation is aimed at Year 12 A-level English Language students who will carry out a language investigation as part of their assessment. It was prepared at the request of an English Language teacher and aims to address the areas his students commonly struggled with: choosing a topic and focus, finding patterns in their data, and dealing with unexpected findings. I frame it around my PhD research, which was my first experience of linguistic research and therefore has some overlap with the challenges A-level pupils face in their language investigations. The presentation is designed to fit into an hour-long lesson with time for questions at the end.
Mandarin
Session 1 - Mandarin Taster
Availability: Tuesday 11th November AM & Thursday 13th November AM
Session Info:
Language taster session featuring Chinese cuisine. Available at all levels.
Session 2 - Mandarin (Confucius)
Availability: Tuesday 11th, Thursday 13th, Tuesday 18th & Thursday 20th November
Session Info:
2 hour session covering a range of language and cultural elements.
Portuguese
Availability: Monday 10th - Thursday 13th November (inclusive) after 10am
Session Info:
Taster for complete beginners OR heritage speakers (no mixed groups please).
Quechua
Available Friday 21st November
Session Info:
Open to all levels.
Russian
Availability TBA
Spanish
Availability TBA
Thai
Availability 10th November AM & 11th November AM
Session info:
Beginners level - Thai greetings, how to order Thai food, and a fun introduction to Thai cuisine.
Ukranian
Availability 11th November & 12th November
Session info:
Open to all levels.