Heriot-Watt university to hold multilingual debate

Heriot-Watt University has announced it will host its annual Multilingual Debates on Thursday 22 March.

Schools, colleges and universities have been invited to the debates, with the stated intention of inspiring young people to an enthusiasm for the discussion of international politics and current social issues, whilst giving proper context to language-learning.

The event will also allow students of the undergraduate course languages (Interpreting and Translating), and the postgraduate course MSc Translating and Conference Interpreting, the opportunity to display the skills they have learnt.

The day comprises two debates – one in the morning, one in the afternoon – and, in an innovation for this year, both will be streamed live on the internet.

Topics to be discussed include the possible enhancement of international understanding with the spread of 'Globish' (Global English), and the consequences for Europe as a continent if the Euro fails.

The debates are contested by two multilingual teams, the members of which then deliver arguments in their native language. The Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German and Spanish languages have all featured in past debates, as has British Sign Language (BSL).

The audience engages in the debates by posing questions to the speakers in one of the represented languages, before voting on the motion. The electronic voting system allows the audience to see any sway in opinions before and after the arguments are made.