Language Fair

High school students from across the state studying Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish have the opportunity to demonstrate acquisition of language and cultural knowledge in competitive events.

45th Annual Language Fair

Theme: “TBD”

Thursday, April 4, 2024
City Campus Union, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Schedule

Full schedule forthcoming.

  • Competitive events start around 9:30 a.m.
  • Closing ceremonies start around 2 p.m.

Competitive Events

  • Categories: drama, music, poetry, creative option, poster session, folk dancing, or short film*
  • Languages: Russian, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese

* New this year. Students/schools unable to attend are still able to submit an entry for short film.

Mini Lessons

As in previous years, we will have mini lessons in other languages. More information forthcoming with our schedule.

Poster Session Room

Ambassadors will be available to talk about their experiences in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures with LangFair participants. This will also be a space for students to talk with those who have studied abroad and students who are conducting research.

Community Room

Students will be able to connect with local community partners who highlight career options for those who have a major in a language.

Teacher Lounge

We want to connect with you and get to know you! Many of the challenges you face are the same as the struggles we face during this difficult climate for language teaching. We also want to hear about students that you’re particularly proud of and that we might want to reach out to. We plan to have a faculty member rotating through the Teacher Lounge throughout the day. We’ll also have quick and fun questionnaires to fill out.

Additional Information For Teachers

How can students prepare for each event?

  • Poetry: Students can select a poem (or write their own) in their language and recite it.
  • Music: students perform a song in their language (can be a group event, can have musical accompaniment or bring recording, can be an original song)
  • Drama: students perform a scene from a play (group event, or solo if monologue)
  • Poster: (individual) students prepare a poster in their language about a cultural topic. New this year: Two awards given: one voted “best poster” by students attending the Fair, the second winner will be selected by judges.
  • Folk dancing: students (group) prepare and perform a folk dance (costumes, music, creativity welcomed)
  • Film: Entries should be student-produced, in groups, with a maximum running time of 3 ½ minutes. All entries should be in the language, and have English subtitles. The winning film will be streamed at the closing ceremony!

Student design for promotional materials:
If you have a student who would like to design artwork for our promotional materials, please submit their entries to us (via modlang@unl.edu) by February 15, 2024. The artwork should include the words “LangFair 24: THEME TBD” and should be a .jpg or .pdf file. The winner’s piece will be featured in our promotional materials and recognized at the closing ceremony.

Support

A staff member will reach out as soon as possible during regular business hours.

Support Request

Undergraduate language program information

What is Language Fair like?

Participants at Language Fair

Check out results and a recap from last year.