Day one began with a guided tour of Brussels’ historic centre, from its beautiful main square, the Grand-Place, to the chocolate shops of the glass-roofed Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. This was followed by a visit to a Belgian waffle-making workshop in which the students tested their cooking skills.

Day two allowed the students to find out more about the EU and the possibilities it presents when it comes to careers, including the diversity of options available when you have foreign language skills. The students and teachers visited the EU Commission’s English and Irish Interpreting Unit and the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU. The winners were personally congratulated by the Director-General of the EU Commission’s interpreting service, Genoveva Ruiz Calavera. She reminded them of the importance of languages, not only for their careers, but for their greater understanding of the world and for their personal growth. 

The students also heard from the unit’s staff about their careers, before getting a rare chance to sit in on a press briefing and see interpreting in action. The team also had the opportunity to visit the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU, where they heard from the people representing Ireland’s interests in the EU, whose languages had allowed them to have their exciting and rewarding career within the EU. 

The final day started off with the students visiting the Euronews headquarters where they saw a live broadcast first hand as well as getting a chance to see the control room and the behind the scenes work.

Thanks to the continued collaboration with our friends within the EU who were generous with their time and inspiring with their stories, the team returned home to Clare excited and motivated to continue exploring where their language learning journeys could take them!

To find out more about #ThinkLanguages Week and the Champion Team Competition visit here.