The European Union’s expansion over the past six decades has not only reshaped the bloc politically and economically, but has also made it one of the world’s most multilingual political institutions.

What began in 1958 with just four official languages, Dutch, French, German and Italian, has evolved into a system recognising 24 official languages.

According to the European Union , every citizen has the right to communicate with EU institutions in any official EU language and receive a reply in the same language.

The first major language expansion came in 1973 when Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community, adding Danish and English.

Greek followed in 1981 after Greece entered the bloc, while Portuguese and Spanish were introduced in 1986 following the accession of Portugal and Spain.

The EU’s linguistic diversity expanded significantly after the 2004 enlargement, when 10 countries from Central and Eastern Europe joined the union in its largest single expansion. Languages including Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Slovak and Lithuanian became official EU languages almost overnight.

Bulgarian, Romanian and Irish gained official EU status in 2007, although full Irish-language implementation was phased in over time, while Croatian became the EU’s 24th official language after Croatia joined the bloc in 2013.

Despite Brexit, English remains one of the EU’s dominant working languages because of its widespread use in diplomacy, business and international communication across member states.

The European Parliament and European Commission rely heavily on translators and interpreters to manage the multilingual system. The European Parliament describes itself as one of the world’s largest employers of language professionals, with thousands of interpreters and translators working across institutions.

EU officials argue that multilingualism is essential for democratic participation, ensuring citizens can access laws, debates and public documents in their native languages.

However, maintaining the system is expensive and logistically complex. The EU spends roughly €1 billion annually on translation and interpretation services across its institutions.

The EU also recognises dozens of regional and minority languages, although these do not hold official EU status.

Experts say the growth in official languages mirrors the EU’s broader political evolution from a small Western Europe an economic community into a continental union spanning much of Europe.

In many European languages, the name for Tuesday comes directly from Mars , the Roman god of war.

In Latin, the day was called “dies Martis,” meaning “day of Mars.” This Roman naming system spread widely across Europe and remains visible in Romance languages today.

For example:

In northern Europe, however, the story took a different turn.

Germanic cultures adopted the Roman calendar but replaced some Roman gods with their own deities in a process historians call interpretatio germanica.

Instead of Mars, they used Tyr (or Tiw), the Norse god of war and justice. The English word Tuesday comes from the Old English “Tiwesdæg,” meaning “Tiw’s day.”

Similar patterns appear across Germanic languages:

In parts of eastern Europe , the name for Tuesday has nothing to do with gods at all.

Several Slavic languages instead use a numerical system based on the order of the week.

For example:

Both words derive from an Old Church Slavonic root meaning “the second.” This reflects a different cultural tradition where weekdays were numbered rather than named after mythological figures.

The map breaks down the phrase “Bad Bunny” into local equivalents, often translating both “bad” and “rabbit” directly.

Some standout examples include:

The variations are more than just translations. They show how different cultures express the idea of “bad” with words ranging from mischievous to cheeky, rather than simply evil.

Europe is home to over 200 languages and dialects, and translation is part of everyday life across the continent. Linguists have long noted that names and phrases often shift meaning when adapted into new cultural contexts.

As the British Council explains, translation is never purely word-for-word. It involves tone, cultural framing, and local expression, which is exactly what makes the above map so entertaining.

“Bad” becomes:

And “bunny” becomes everything from conejito to kouneláki .

Bad Bunny is not just a Latin music star anymore. He has become one of the most listened-to artists on the planet.

According to Spotify, Bad Bunny was the platform’s most-streamed artist globally for three consecutive years between 2020 and 2022 and then 2025, marking a historic breakthrough for Spanish-language music in the mainstream.

His albums, including Un Verano Sin Ti, have topped charts far beyond Latin America , proving that language is no barrier in the streaming era.

Billboard has also credited Bad Bunny with helping push reggaeton and Latin trap into a new commercial and cultural space worldwide, with sold-out tours across the US and Europe.

Because scores are not curved, unexpected spikes in difficulty can significantly affect university admissions outcomes.

A ministry investigation found that 19 English questions were rewritten shortly before the exam, limiting time for proper difficulty assessment. Only 33% of English item writers were active teachers, below the cross-subject average, weakening alignment with classroom learning levels.

What will change

Under the overhaul, at least half of English test writers will be practicing teachers, screening of expertise will be tightened, and an integrated review committee will oversee difficulty calibration. 

Artificial intelligence tools will also be introduced to assist with passage generation and difficulty prediction, with pilot use planned for 2028.

Where South Korea lies in global English proficiency

The reforms come as South Korea’s English proficiency faces global comparison. 

According to the State University of New York’s (SUNY) South Korean arm, the country placed a lowly 49th in the  EF English Proficiency Index 2023. South Korea scored 525 — classified as “moderate proficiency” — down 13 spots from the previous year.

EF English Proficiency Index 2023 ranked the Netherlands first with a score of 661, followed by Singapore at 642, with other top performers concentrated in Northern Europe . 

Despite early exposure to English and widespread private education, only a minority of Korean learners attain strong conversational fluency, according to SUNY Korea’s analysis. 

“The reasons seem to stem from cultural and social differences, the significant differences between the two languages: Korean and English, and the Korean Educational System,” the university noted. 

With the planned overhaul of Suneung’s English section, officials hope the reforms will restore fairness and ensure the exam reflects realistic learning outcomes rather than magnifying systemic gaps.

In English and many other languages, Germany comes from the Latin Germania, a term used by the Roman Empire to describe the lands east of the Rhine inhabited by Germanic tribes. Roman writers such as Julius Caesar and Tacitus helped popularise the name, which later spread through Latin-based and international usage.

From Alemania : naming the neighbours

In Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Arabic, Germany is known as Alemania or similar variants. This name comes from the Alemanni, a powerful Germanic confederation that lived near what is now southwestern Germany and Switzerland. Because the Alemanni were the first Germanic group many Romance-language speakers encountered, their name became shorthand for the entire region.

From Sachsen : the Saxon legacy

In Finnish and Estonian, Germany is called Saksa, derived from the Saxons, another influential Germanic tribe. Saxon traders and settlers played a major role around the Baltic Sea during the Middle Ages, which explains why their name stuck in northern Europe. Linguists note that trade routes often mattered more than political borders when names spread.

From Deutsch and Niemcy : identity and language

In German itself, the country is Deutschland, from the Old High German word diutisc, meaning “of the people ”, a way to distinguish the local language from Latin.

Meanwhile, in many Slavic languages, Germany is called Niemcy, a term linked to an old Slavic word meaning “mute” or “unable to speak”, referring to people who did not speak Slavic languages. While the term sounds harsh today, historians explain that it reflected linguistic differences rather than insult.

Washington’s departure follows a formal notification of intent submitted by President Donald Trump one year earlier, as required under U.S. law. The move makes the U.S. the first country in WHO history to withdraw its membership.

The Trump administration justified the exit by citing disagreements with the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusations of political bias, and dissatisfaction with pandemic policies.

Senior U.S. officials argued the country would continue to engage in global health through bilateral agreements and existing partnerships outside WHO structures.

"The Trump Admin is working to make sure that we have those bilateral agreements in place for that kind of health cooperation — but we don't need the WHO as an intermediary essentially to push Chinese interests on the American people," National Institutes of Health's Director Jay Bhattacharya told Fox News.

That rationale echoes what Argentinian President Javier Milei has stated in his decision to also withdraw Argentina from the WHO , a move scheduled to take effect on March 17, 2026.

The Milei government has framed its exit as a defence of national sovereignty and a response to what it describes as “deep differences” with WHO policies, especially concerning the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Argentina’s annual financial contributions to WHO have been comparatively small , and Buenos Aires has claimed that its withdrawal will not disrupt domestic health services.

Critics, however, warn that leaving a global coordination platform could limit access to information sharing, vaccine procurement mechanisms and technical cooperation that support responses to outbreaks and endemic diseases.

Why WHO matters

The World Health Organisation is the specialised health agency of the United Nations. Its core mission includes:

Nearly all United Nations member states have traditionally been members of the WHO. As of early 2026, with the U.S. exit complete, the organisation retains 193 members, the vast majority of the world’s nations.

According to official results from Portugal’s Ministry of Internal Administration, only António José Seguro of the Socialist Party and André Ventura, leader of the right-wing Chega party, finished first or second in every region of the country, locking in their places in the runoff.

Seguro, the centre-left Socialist candidate aligned with the S&D group in Europe, finished first overall with 31% of the national vote , leading in almost every municipality and all but two regions. His support base stretches across much of mainland Portugal, reflecting the continued strength of the Socialist Party in both urban centres and large parts of the interior.

Ventura followed in second place with 24%, marking another breakthrough for Chega. The party won outright in two regions and placed second everywhere else, confirming its transformation from a protest movement into a nationwide political force.

Liberal Initiative candidate João Cotrim Figueiredo also secured 16%, placing third in most autonomous regions, while Henrique Gouveia e Melo, running as an independent backed by the conservative PPM, finished with 12%, also claiming third place in several areas.

Neither came close to challenging the two front-runners nationally, underscoring how polarised the race has become.

The upcoming runoff will determine who succeeds President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, whose role, while largely ceremonial, carries significant influence through veto powers and the ability to dissolve parliament.

With Portugal facing economic pressures and broader European uncertainty, the second round is expected to draw sharp contrasts between Seguro’s institutional continuity and Ventura’s populist challenge.

That moment says a lot about how English really works.

English spread through colonisation: through schools, churches, government, and media. But once it arrived, people didn’t just copy it. They adapted it, mixed it with local languages, humour, food, music, and everyday life. Over time, those local versions became the most real forms of English in those places.

We’ve seen this before. Words from Latin America and Asia have been part of English for years: macho, gringo, taco, guacamole, ceviche, reggaeton, cartel. These words stayed because English needed them. There was no better way to say what they meant.

In March 2025, the OED leaned fully into this idea with a “World English” update . It added everyday words like gigil from the Philippines, which means the urge to squeeze something cute, and alamak from Malaysia and Singapore, an expression of surprise or frustration. English didn’t have words for these feelings, so it borrowed them.

Then came December 2025, and a big moment for West Africa. The OED added words people already use daily: abeg and biko for polite requests, amala and moi moi for staple foods, mammy market for women-run community markets, and Ghana Must Go.

These words carry stories of migration , survival, humour, and community. And once they’re in the dictionary, no one can say they’re “not proper English.”

What’s changing is power. English is no longer shaped by one centre. It’s shaped by how people live. For years, speakers from the Global South were told their English was wrong. Now the same institutions are saying: this is English too.

Maybe English was never really “king.”Maybe it’s just a shared language constantly remade by the people who speak it. Global South isn’t just speaking English anymore. It’s rewriting it.

Click here to watch our previous episodes

World Reframed is produced in London by Global South World, part of the Impactum Group. Its editors are Duncan Hooper and Ismail Akwei.

ISSN 2978-4891

From the North Atlantic’s isolation to Central Europe’s dense multilingual corridors, the Germanic languages continue to evolve in ways that mirror Europe’s ongoing transformations.

The languages are traditionally divided into two major branches: North Germanic, which is spoken largely in Scandinavia , and West Germanic, which includes English, German, Dutch, Frisian, and Scots.

On the map above, Icelandic and Faroese dominate the North Atlantic fringes, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish sweep across Scandinavia, and German, Dutch, Frisian, Scots, and English cover much of Western and Central Europe.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica , the Germanic language family is descended from a common Proto-Germanic ancestor emerging around the mid–1st millennium BCE.

Additionally, the world’s most widely spoken Germanic language, English, owes its global dominance to centuries of colonisation and international trade . There are over 1.4 billion English learners and speakers globally, making it a defining linguistic force in diplomacy, science, and technology.

Meanwhile, German remains the most widely spoken native language within the European Union, a fact with cultural and political implications amid ongoing debates over EU unity and economic leadership.

The North Germanic languages, though spoken by smaller populations, have some of the highest literacy rates and strongest preservation efforts in the world. Icelandic, for instance, deliberately resists borrowing from other languages, implementing unique Icelandic terms for modern concepts.

From Breton to Walloon in southern Belgium, from the fading echoes of Picard in the north to the bold resilience of Occitan in the south, these linguistic zones tell a story far older than either republic.

According to UNESCO , several languages are classified as “severely endangered” or “definitely endangered,” including Breton, Alsatian, Provençal and Picard, reflecting a decline in use among younger generations.

For France, this linguistic diversity has long been a delicate topic. The country’s strict approach to linguistic unity dates back to the 19th century, when the government promoted French as the sole national language, at times forcefully.

Today, regional languages remain legally recognised as cultural heritage but not as official languages of education or public administration. A 2021 attempt to expand regional-language immersion schools triggered a national debate, eventually reaching France’s Constitutional Council, which struck down parts of the reform.

Belgium, however, offers a contrasting picture. There, language defines political organisation itself as Dutch (Flemish), French, and German, and each shapes the borders of the country’s federal regions.

Walloon and Picard, although less dominant than French today, continue to carry cultural influence in Wallonia. The Belgian government’s long-standing language policies and protections aim to keep multilingualism at the heart of national identity.

UNESCO’s report on AI and endangered languages argues that technological tools may play a key role in revitalising traditions once feared lost.

Meanwhile, political debates in France over decentralisation, rural identity, and cultural autonomy have intensified in the run-up to next year’s European elections. Several regional groups argue that cultural heritage, including language, should be part of broader European policies on diversity.

Let's explore some of the most notable among them.

1.Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (New Zealand)

Holding the Guinness World Record for the l ongest place name , this 85-letter Māori term refers to a hill near Pōrangahau in Hawke's Bay. When translated, it means: "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one." This name not only reflects the Māori tradition of storytelling but also serves as a testament to their deep connection with the land.

2. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Wales)

Nestled on the island of Anglesey, this Welsh village boasts a 58-letter name , which translates to: "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave." Originally named Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll, the name was lengthened in the 1860s as a publicity stunt to attract tourists. Today, it's a popular destination, with visitors eager to photograph the iconic railway station sign.

3. Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (United States)

Located in Webster, Massachusetts, this 45-letter name is the longest in the U.S. Derived from the Nipmuc language, it means: "Fishing place at the boundaries – Neutral meeting grounds." While often shortened to "Lake Chaubunagungamaug" or "Webster Lake," the full name remains a point of local pride.

4. Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein (South Africa)

This 44-letter Afrikaans name translates to: "The spring where two buffaloes were cleanly killed with a single shot." Situated in the North West Province, the name reflects the descriptive nature of Afrikaans toponyms.

5. Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik (Canada)

This 31-letter Cree name refers to a lake in Manitoba and means: "Where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks." The name underlines the significance of fishing in Cree culture and the descriptive nature of Indigenous place names.

6. Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill ( Australia )

Located in South Australia, this 26-letter Pitjantjatjara name translates to: " Where the devil urinates." The name reflects the rich tapestry of Aboriginal languages and their deep connection to the land.

7. Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä (Finland)

This 35-letter name belongs to a bog region in Savukoski, Lapland. While its exact meaning remains unclear, it's recognised as Finland's longest place name and stands as evidence of the complexities of the Finnish language.

8. Azpilicuetagaraycosaroyarenberecolarrea (Spain)

This 39-letter Basque name refers to a village in Navarra and translates to: "The low field of the high pen of Azpilkueta." The name showcases the unique structure and heritage of the Basque language.

9. Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta, India

This 28-letter Telugu name designates a railway station in Andhra Pradesh. It means: "Venkatanarasimharaju's City." The name reflects the tradition of naming places after notable individuals in Indian culture.

10. Gasselterboerveenschemond, Netherlands

This 25-letter Dutch name refers to a hamlet in Drenthe. It translates to: "The mouth of the canal of the peat colony of Gasselte. " The name highlights the Netherlands' history of peat extraction and canal systems.

This incredible linguistic diversity stems from Papua New Guinea’s unique geography and social structure. The country’s rugged mountains, dense forests, and isolated valleys have acted as natural barriers, keeping communities separated for centuries.

With over 80% of the population living in remote, rural areas, many groups have had minimal interaction with others or the outside world. This isolation has allowed individual communities to develop and maintain distinct dialects and languages.

Indonesia takes second place in linguistic diversity with 711 languages. As the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia has over 17,500 islands, and this geographic separation has fostered the growth of diverse languages. Many of these languages are tied closely to specific islands or regions, reflecting the country's people's deep cultural and historical roots.

While Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are beacons of linguistic diversity, the global picture is far less optimistic. Nearly 40% of the world’s languages are at risk of extinction. Small, indigenous languages are the most vulnerable, often displaced by more dominant languages like English, Mandarin, or Spanish.

Globalisation, urban migration , and shifts in cultural priorities have accelerated the loss of traditional languages. In many cases, younger generations are no longer learning the languages of their ancestors, leading to a gradual decline in their use and preservation.

The loss of a language is more than just the disappearance of words—it represents the erosion of a unique cultural identity, history, and worldview. Languages carry centuries of knowledge about local ecosystems, traditional practices, and societal values. When a language is lost, we lose an irreplaceable part of humanity’s heritage.

Organisations like the United Nations are working to address this crisis. Programs to document endangered languages, support community-led preservation efforts, and integrate local languages into education systems are critical to safeguarding this linguistic heritage.

For instance, the International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019 brought global attention to preserving linguistic diversity and increasing funding and awareness for at-risk languages.

Papua New Guinea’s incredible linguistic richness offers a powerful reminder of the world’s cultural diversity. At the same time, the threats facing many of these languages highlight the urgent need for global action to preserve and celebrate this unique aspect of human history.

As we look to the future, supporting linguistic diversity isn’t just about saving words—it’s about safeguarding the stories, knowledge, and identities that define us as a global community.