Multilingual Week 2026 - Bringing Campuses Together in Celebration of Language and Community

From February 23^rd to 27th, the SFU community came together to celebrate linguistic diversity, cultural exchange, and global connections across all three campuses.

The idea for MLW was conceived of five years ago by SFU’s Centre for Educational Excellence (CEE) and has been organized by SFU’s World Languages and Literatures department since 2025. CEE remains an integral part of MLW, and their crucially informative faculty directed Q&A: Curious About Leveraging Multilingualism in your Classroom but Don’t Know How? offered support and information for instructors wanting to brainstorm new ideas to enable multilingual students to flourish in the university environment.

This year, the week-long festival transformed SFU’s Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver campuses into vibrant spaces of cultural activity, dialogue, and linguistic celebration. Through keynote talks, expert panels, interactive performances, film screenings and workshops, MLW once again highlighted the ubiquitous presence of multilingualism at SFU and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where all languages and identities are valued.

Indigenous Language Revitalization Took Centre Stage

A highlight of the week was the keynote address, “Many Worlds: Experiences Working in Indigenous Language Revitalization Outside Academia,” delivered by linguist Kyra Borland at the First Peoples’ Gathering House.

Highlighting the importance of narrative and personal stories, Borland was able to demonstrate the many ways effective revitalization efforts must be community-driven, evidence-based, and sustainably supported.

Students in attendance gained valuable insight on career pathways in language revitalization, while faculty and staff were encouraged to consider the responsibilities academic institutions hold in supporting the revitalisation and flourishing of Indigenous languages.

Language as a Bridge in Healthcare

At SFU’s Surrey campus, the crucially significant panel “Multilingual Communication in Healthcare Settings: Insights from Punjabi-Speaking Experts” sparked important conversation about language access in clinical care.

Panelists shared personal and professional experiences supporting Punjabi-speaking patients, highlighting how language barriers can impact health outcomes and access to information. The discussion underscored the vital role multilingual healthcare providers play in building trust, improving equity, and strengthening community well-being. For students considering careers in healthcare, the panel demonstrated how multilingualism is more than a simple asset. Rather, it is a critical professional competency in diverse communities.

This hugely successful event was organized and hosted by SFU WLL’s Punjabi instructor and translator Reetinder Kaur and attracted an incredible 70+ attendees who expressed a desire to continue dialogue on this topic and a hope that SFU can host more of these community events in the future.

Language & Culture Expo Showcased Student Ingenuity

The week’s energy was on full display at the student-led Language & Culture Expo, where students from an array of language classes and student clubs hosted interactive tables representing a wide range of languages and cultures including Chinese, German, Farsi, Italian, Japanese, Punjabi, Spanish, and more.

Visitors engaged in hands-on activities and games, sampled cultural snacks, and listened to music from around the world. Student favourites included the opportunity to try on time-honoured Chinese clothing courtesy of SFU’s Hanfu Club, a chance to play traditional German games such as Finden Sie Minden and hands on crafting with brightly coloured yarn to make the Mexican “Ojo de Dios”.

The Language and Culture Expo commenced with a series of performances including a beautiful hulusi rendition by Chinese language instructor Eulice Jiang and an energizing Soran Bushi dance performance from Japanese language students.

This student-led event beautifully embodied the spirit of Multilingual Week: participatory, welcoming, and deeply rooted in shared curiosity and respect.

A Multi-Campus-Wide Celebration

By celebrating the many languages spoken across the university, Multilingual Week 2026 reinforced SFU’s ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion, and global engagement. This year, MLW continued to grow and expand with Student Engagement Coordinator Carmen Ho organizing daily multilingual engagement activities making it the first year Faculty of Science has taken part in the celebrations! From academic discussions to informal social gatherings, MLW creates opportunities for new connections and meaningful exchange.

As the week concluded, one message resonated clearly: multilingualism remains crucial in our rapidly evolving present moment as it enriches communication, strengthens communities, and prepares students for an interconnected world.