This 21 February 2016 marks the seventeenth International Mother Language Day.

The day was established in 1999 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the day has been celebrated across the globe since February 2000.

So what's it all about? Well, International Mother Language Day aims to promote linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as multilingualism.

If like me you've forgotten most of your high school French, German or Spanish, then now's your time to brush up your skills! Speaking another language is a really useful skill to have, even if it's just for a short holiday abroad.

On the day, the International Symposium on Translation and Cultural Mediation will be held to discuss preserving and developing our heritage and spreading awareness of our mother tongues in order to encourage diversity and even inspire us to take up learning a new language!

Learn more about how to get that tongue wagging and spread the word of your mother tongue!