Languages Futures Fair inspires the next generation of global communicators

Learners, students and industry professionals came together for an energising celebration of the power and opportunity presented by languages and language learning.

The Languages Futures Fair - held on 29 January 2026 – was co-hosted by Cardiff University’s School of Modern Languages and Corpus Christi High School in association with the Advisor for International Languages at the Central South Consortium.

Designed as an outreach and community collaboration event, the Languages Futures Fair showcased the power of languages in shaping future careers and global opportunities. It brought together secondary school, college, and university students for an evening of workshops, networking, and employer engagement. Across three hours of lively talks, interactive stalls and candid panel discussions, visitors explored how multilingual skills shape careers in media, intelligence, finance, engineering, education and beyond.

Representatives from industry, diplomacy and public services such as Admiral, ARUP, EDF, SKR Consulting, British Council, Médecins Sans Frontières and UK government demonstrated the ways in which languages benefit and contribute to their work around the world.

Through two rich and expansive panel discussions, attendees were introduced to how:

• language skills drive innovation, collaboration, client relations, and international project work across technical and commercial sectors
• multilingualism enables impact in diplomacy, international relations, humanitarian work, security, and public facing roles across cultures.

As well as leading industry organisations, the event also featured contributions from the education sector, including representation from the School of Modern Languages and the School of Welsh at Cardiff University, the Confucius Institute, the Japan Foundation, St David’s Sixth Form College and Cardiff Met.

Through conversations and hands on activities, visitors discovered just how much languages can empower them to move confidently through an increasingly connected world.

Dr Caroline Lynch from Cardiff University, said: “It was delightful and inspiring to see how industry and education came together to showcase how language learning is one of the most powerful tools for social mobility, opening doors to international careers, strengthening cultural understanding, and equipping young people with the confidence to engage in the world in a meaningful and impactful way.”