NTNU meets Languages Without Borders

During this initiative the founders of the non-profit organization “LANGUAGES WITHOUT BORDERS” will visit three research teams at NTNU University in Trondheim, Norway, for 4 days during fall 2020.

The organization “LANGUAGES WITHOUT BORDERS” has recently been established and aims to foster the inclusion of refugees, immigrants etc in the Greek society, by introducing them to the Greek language and culture through an innovative, digital (and possibly physical) tool in the form of an application/game.

The Greek team has established links with research teams in the above organizations, which share many common ideas and approaches with the solution that the Greek team suggests. More specifically:

1. The team of J. Koreman studies the phonological differences of languages and helps new speakers to learn the right phonological distinctions based on their mother tongue
2. The team of A. I. Winge studies “gamification” procedures, focusing on educational processes
3. The team of M. Divitini focuses on “social inclusion” and education through technology

Supporting vulnerable groups is already part of the activity of the mentioned teams, while the areas listed above are closely related to the solution we want to develop.

The purpose of the visit is to:

1. get to know the Norwegian teams/organizations in depth, in order to further identify fields/points of cooperation,
2. explore the potential joint submission of project proposals in the future, under the ACF or other European programs;Ac
3. exchange of best practices, skills and knowledge on areas of cooperation

Objectives a) and b) will be achieved through the detailed presentation and discussion of each team’s work and goals, while goal c) will be fulfilled through presentations and seminars on each team’s know-how.

Finally, we will develop a small deck of cards that link the Greek and the Norwegian language, encouraging the involved.