Languages at the London 2012 Summer Olympics

"If there is currently a place where Language Rich Europe got into the spirit of things it must be the capital of Great Britain. London is a multilingual and multicultural city regardless of whether the Olympics are happening or not, but the arrival of participants and spectators from all over the world has resulted in a greater effort to recruit multilingual staff to meet and greet arrivals at airports and to produce multilingual signs. Unfortunately this hasn’t always worked as effectively as the organisers may have liked, with reports that some Arabic signs in train stations and Westfield Shopping  Centre are ‘gibberish.’ But it’s a well-meaning gesture and for an Olympic Games which places so much emphasis on legacy, I will be interested to see if there will be any lasting impact on multilingualism", says Eilidh MacDonald in her post.
 
Check out the “London 2012: Breaking the Language Barrier – a quick guide to London English” or Learn key phrases in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic using the British Council’s Visitors Handbook with Language Rich Europe here.