The role of foreign languages in the mobility journey of young Greeks

Abstract

The role of foreign languages in the participation of young Greeks in European mobility programs is the main subject of this communication. The target audience is former participants of mobility programs (Erasmus, Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus+, and European Voluntary Service). This research is characterized primarily as a qualitative study, with certain features of a quantitative study. According to our results, foreign languages have versatile functions for participation in a mobility program: they can simultaneously be a condition and a reason, while at the same time being an essential outcome of mobility. Mastery of foreign languages is mandatory in order to participate in mobility programs. Likewise, participants decide to take part in a mobility program and move to another country in order to practice at least one foreign language or learn a new one. The analysis of the corpus reveals that the choice to learn a foreign language is determined by different factors and based on various motivations. Finally, language policy can also play an important role and have an impact on the linguistic repertoire of individuals. Policy choices can thus create the framework for learning a foreign language and determine the host country of mobility.