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| Diplomats from 16 Spanish-speaking countries pose during the language promotion event "Spanish Day" at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on Saturday. /Courtesy of Embassy of Colombia |
By Rachel Lee
The embassies of 16 Spanish-speaking countries hosted a language promotion event "Spanish Day" at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on Saturday.
Along with the Cervantes Institute in Seoul, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain and Venezuela celebrated the day dedicated to the world's second-most-spoken language.
"At present, Spanish ranks as the second-most-spoken language (after Mandarin)," Embassy of Ecuador third secretary Ana Diaz said.
"Spanish is the second most widely used language in international communications — mainly on social network platforms (Facebook and Twitter) — and the third most frequently used language on the internet."
There are more than 500 million Spanish-speaking people around the world, according to the embassy.
Colombian Ambassador Tito Saul Pinilla said at the opening ceremony that Spanish-speaking countries had been celebrating this day to strengthen the diffusion of the language and to remember the common cultural links that, driven by the language, united a diverse range of people.
"In a world with more than 6,000 languages, it is a source of great pride for Spanish speakers to know that Spanish is greatly accepted and used by approximately 567 million people worldwide, either as a mother tongue or second language," Pinilla said.
"Twenty-two nations share Spanish as their official language."
He said he was proud that Hankuk University of Foreign Studies had a department of Spanish or Latin American studies, and that Seoul was home to one of the 69 Cervantes Institutes around the world.
The promotion featured an introductory program of symbolic words in Spanish. Each country introduced a Spanish word symbolic and/or widely used in their respective countries.
The Cervantes Institute raffled seven scholarships — sponsored by Enforex, Don Quijote Academy, Spanish Language Foundation — to study the language.
The event also featured a salsa workshop, at which two professional dancers taught basic steps.
Other activities included games and storytelling, with participants having an opportunity to try on traditional dresses from several countries.
Diaz said Ecuadorian Ambassador to Korea Oscar Herrera Gilbert had suggested ambassadors from the Spanish-speaking countries should give speeches in Spanish and not English.
"I genuinely hope this great interest will grow steadily over time. We hope that those who have been interested in learning our language continue studying it, and they will surely develop a love not only for the language, but also for the people who speak it, the culture in which this language is used, and the countries that utilize such language," Pinilla said.
"It is our hope that more Koreans visit our countries not only to learn the language, but also to become familiar with the rich culture of these countries."
