The MEITS project's Pop-Up World of Languages, the first museum of its kind in the UK, has opened its doors to the public in Cambridge’s Grafton shopping centre! During October half-term week (19–27 October 2019), our free event offered a family-friendly and engaging mix of activities, games and quizzes: a 'Word Pool' with creatures carrying loanwords in English; a 'Lost in Translation' word challenge; a 'Language Families' street; a Mr Tickle accent spotting game, and many more. 

 

    
                                                                                                                          

The pop-up museum aims to show its visitors that languages can and should be fun, and are not as difficult as people sometimes think. Although the UK is already a richly multilingual country, language learning is in freefall. Since 2000, GSCE entries in modern languages have dropped by 44%, and the situation is even worse at undergraduate level. By making the museum as inviting and unstuffy as possible, the Pop-Up World of Languages seeks to revitalise modern languages in the UK, to celebrate the languages around us and to encourage people to take up new languages.

 

 

                                                                                        Photography: Nick Saffell

After its premiere in Cambridge, which welcomed more than 1600 visitors as well as visit from schools, our pop-up event is travelling to Belfast, Edinburgh, Nottingham and London over the next five months. Whether you are 4, 14 or 84, come and visit us to uncover the hidden treasures of languages! 

 

     

                                 Photography: Nick Saffell                                                                       Photography: Nick Saffell

Learn more about our Pop-Up World of Languages: https://www.cam.ac.uk/worldoflanguages or view a short film about it: https://youtu.be/KLaGUoVCvl0