https://www.brusselstimes.com/1464390/europes-language-revolution-more-visible-than-ever (Brussels Times)

Published 28 February 2025, the article argues that Europe is undergoing a “language revolution” unlike any in recent decades. According to the piece, the latest Eurobarometer survey reveals major shifts in Europe’s linguistic landscape: increased mobility, migration, digital connectivity and education are all changing which languages are spoken, how many are spoken, and how multilingual many citizens now are. The article suggests that the traditional view of monolingual nations is giving way to a more complex multilingual reality across Europe. (Brussels Times)

This is a fascinating article for anyone interested in multilingualism, identity and policy in Europe. A few reflections:

• The idea of a “language revolution” is compelling because it situates multilingualism not as a niche topic but as a broad societal transformation — linked to migration, digitalization, education and identity.
• For language policy and education, this implies that multilingual competence is becoming more common, expected and maybe even necessary. It raises the bar for translation, localisations, multilingual digital services and educational design.
• From the perspective of professionalising translation/localisation: if Europe is increasingly linguistically diverse, then the demand for language services, terminologies, multilingual AI, localisation will increase — especially for less-studied languages or mixed repertoires.
• However, transformation doesn’t mean uniform improvement: the article hints at inequalities and diverging linguistic experiences between countries and within countries (e.g., urban vs rural, migrant vs native languages). So we must ask: is the “revolution” equally benefiting all languages and all communities, or just reshuffling which ones are dominant?
• The metaphor of revolution is interesting, because it emphasises speed, scale and break with past models — yet in language policy we often talk about gradual change, maintenance, preservation. So it suggests that we must adopt more dynamic models for language strategy.

– What changes have you observed in your country/region in the last 5-10 years in terms of how many languages people speak, use or learn?
– Do you think Europe is prepared (institutionally, educationally, technologically) for this “language revolution” — or is policy lagging behind practice?
– If you were advising a multilingual-services company or translation/localisation business, what language-skill strategies would you prioritise now given this transformation?

Would love to read how you see the “language revolution” in your context!