“Faros Global Community” is the new digital platform of Study in Greece for Chairs and Programs of Greek Studies worldwide, recently presented at the Ministry of Education. The platform enables in-depth exploration of more than 500 study programs offered by over 150 institutions across more than 40 countries. Its mission is to provide a detailed mapping of higher education institutions, educational centers, and organizations around the world that promote the Greek language, history, and culture. The platform is part of the broader strategy of Study in Greece (SiG) - the non-profit organization promoting Greece’s public universities and their internationalization and outreach - implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the aim of connecting Greek higher education institutions with the global community and attracting foreign students to Greece.

Ιn her address welcoming the proceedings of the conference, the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki, referred to the Greek language as a timeless vehicle of ideas that have profoundly influenced global thought, as a gateway connecting Greece with the world, and as a bridge linking Greece with the Greek Diaspora, philhellenes, and the international academic community. “The Greek language can become one of the most powerful tools for the internationalization of higher education. It can attract new students. It can strengthen cooperation among universities. It can open new pathways for Greece internationally. Because when the Greek language travels, Greece travels with it,” Ms Zacharaki noted.

The Minister referred to the digital platform “Faros Global Community,” noting that it maps departments of Greek studies and centers for the Greek language worldwide, creating a new international network of cooperation. At the same time, she spoke about the “e-Hellenomatheia” project, which is currently underway and makes use of the possibilities of distance learning, giving people around the world the opportunity to learn Greek and prepare for studies at Greek universities. Furthermore, Ms Zacharaki emphasized that Greek-language education abroad is a “stable and enduring priority” for the Ministry of Education, noting that approximately 40,000 students worldwide learn Greek through 230 recognized Greek language departments, supported by 752 seconded teachers from Greece. In parallel, during the current school year, more than 145,000 school textbooks have been sent to Greek educational units abroad. “With cooperation, extroversion, and confidence in the power of education, we can further strengthen the presence of the Greek language and Greek higher education internationally,” the Minister concluded.

(Source: https://www.amna.gr)

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Loverdos, addressing the event, referred to the recent proclamation of World Greek Language Day by UNESCO and the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Study in Greece. He described the Greek language as “universal” and a “language of culture,” and highlighted the unanimous decision of countries around the world, through UNESCO, to designate February 9 as World Greek Language Day, recognizing its unique contribution to global thought and civilization. “Language and culture do not belong only to Greeks; they belong to the whole world,” Mr. Loverdos emphasized.

The Deputy Minister praised the work of Study in Greece, noting that the national and supranational services it provides promote the dissemination of the Greek language and culture. He also referred to the Memorandum of Cooperation signed by the two sides, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of their collaboration and establishing a pillar for achieving strategic planning—not only for the Greek Diaspora and expatriate Hellenism, but also for all those who wish to become acquainted with Greek education and culture. “With this Memorandum, Study in Greece acquires a more active role in connecting the Greek academic community with Greek communities abroad, making use of the global network of our diplomatic authorities,” Mr Loverdos noted.

The Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, Maira Myrogianni, stressed, among other points, that “the strengthening of Greek-language education worldwide is directly linked to preserving the identity of Hellenism, promoting the country’s cultural outreach, and reinforcing Greece’s ties with Diaspora communities. Enhancing Greek studies internationally is not merely an educational goal—it is also a tool of public diplomacy and a bridge connecting our country with the global academic community”. “We are implementing the Strategic Plan for Greeks Abroad 2024–2027 and shaping the Strategic Plan for Public Diplomacy, in which support for the teaching of the Greek language and Greek-language education abroad holds a central place,” Ms Myrogianni noted.

 “The initiative Faros Global Community highlights Greece’s role as an academic and cultural destination, opening new pathways for students, researchers, and young people from the Diaspora—as well as from around the world—to become acquainted with the language, culture, and contemporary Greek reality.” “It is an initiative that contributes to mapping and connecting the international academic ecosystem of Greek studies,” she added.

“The General Secretariat is developing a comprehensive strategy to strengthen Greek-language education abroad. In 2024, for the first time, a holistic strategy was formulated to support Chairs, Departments, and Centers of Greek Studies—both Modern and Classical—in universities and research institutions abroad. This strategy is based on three main pillars: strengthening existing chairs, recording and monitoring those facing sustainability challenges, and encouraging the creation of new Greek studies structures internationally. The results are already visible. In 2024, 43 university chairs of Greek studies were supported for the first time, while in 2025 this number increased to 81. For 2026, we aim to respond to even more requests.”

“Particular emphasis is also placed on networking these chairs with each other, as well as with universities and institutions in Greece, with the aim of creating a dynamic international collaboration network that will further strengthen philhellenism and academic exchange. In this direction, we are planning to organize an international Conference in early June with the participation of representatives from Chairs and Centers of Greek Studies worldwide,” the Secretary General noted.

Study in Greece (SiG) is the organization of Greek higher education institutions, dedicated to promoting internationalization of Greek higher education. Fully endorsed by the Greek state, SiG operates as a non-profit comprising representatives from all 24 Greek state universities, and is governed by a dedicated board of directors who bring knowledge and expertise from leadership positions in Greek universities

Professor at Harokopio University and President of Study in Greece, Christos Michalakelis presented the platform and emphasized the importance of recording study programs in strengthening links with Greek higher education institutions. “From now on, we can connect Greek universities, through summer or joint programs, with chairs in the Diaspora,” he noted.

More than 300 participants attended the conference, both in person and remotely, with the overwhelming majority joining from countries abroad. Stella Kokoli, President of the Hellenic-American Educators Federation, and Fr. Grigorios Stamkopoulos, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne and Director of the Office of Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, also delivered greetings at the event. In addition, a significant part of the conference was devoted to presentations on Greek language proficiency and its potential as a driver of internationalization.

(Source: https://www.amna.gr)

Read also:

Speech by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the event celebrating World Greek Language Day at the SNFCC

Message by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yiannis Loverdos, on World Greek Language Day

Event Hosted by the Permanent Delegation of Greece to UNESCO for World Greek Language Day

The post “Faros Global Community”: The new Digital Platform for Greek Studies Worldwide appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

An event for World Greek Language Day was held on March 5 at the Rotunda in Thessaloniki by the Thessaloniki International Relations Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Professor of Linguistics, Mr Georgios Babiniotis as the main speaker. Greetings were delivered by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ioannis-Michail Loverdos, and the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Nikos Papaioannou. The event was presented by the Director of the Thessaloniki International Relations Service (YDIS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Katerina Tsapikidou.

World Greek Language Day, celebrated on February 9, is honored every year on the day of the death of Greek national poet, Dionysios Solomos. However, this year’s World Greek Language Day is special, as it is the first after the unanimous recognition of Greek language by UNESCO as such, last November in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, following coordinated efforts by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, and Education.

In his address, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Loverdos emphasized that “Greeks have a duty to respond to the modern challenges of violence with our language and our culture, and to oppose them with our struggle for culture, peace, and respect for every human being.”

The Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Papaioannou, spoke about the timeless character of the Greek language and its influence on the terminology of technology, noting that “drawing on its long history, it shows us the way forward into the future.”

In his speech, Professor of Linguistics, Mr Babiniotis reviewed the historical periods and highlighted the decisive role of the Greek language in shaping European and global civilization. He also described as historic the decision of UNESCO to recognize our language as a global one. He further emphasized the three distinctive characteristics of the Greek language on which this recognition was based: its uninterrupted continuity for forty centuries, its particular structure that allows the expression of profound meanings and ideas, and its universal presence through written texts and oral traditions. He referred to the Alexandrian period and Koine Greek language, which became the lingua franca of the time, and went on to the recognition of Greek as the official language of Christianity. He also referred to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and to the influence of Greek language on the expression of new scientific concepts, concluding with the modern era and the teaching of Greek in European schools and in Chairs of Greek Studies at universities. In closing, he stressed that, following the successful recognition of our language as a global language by UNESCO, our country should seek the reintroduction of the teaching of classical languages in European secondary education. He also underlined that investing in language is an investment in the cultivation of thought and intellect.

The event was honored by the presence of Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Philotheos, the Commander of the Supreme Military Command of Epirus and Macedonia and of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps, General Boudliakis, representatives of the Hellenic Parliament, the Coordinator of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki, Giannis Papageorgiou, representatives of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Region of Central Macedonia, and the former European Commissioner, Margaritis Schinas. Also in attendance were the majority of the Consuls General of the diplomatic missions based in Thessaloniki (Germany, France, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Georgia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria), Honorary Consuls (Armenia, Moldova, Luxembourg, Canada, Slovakia, and Estonia), the President and CEO of the International Technology Center Thess Intec, Mr Nikos Efthymiades, as well as representatives of the city’s commercial and cultural organizations.

The evening was accompanied by a vocal and instrumental ensemble from the Ano Poli Conservatory of Thessaloniki, under the direction of conductor, Mr Panagiotis Diamantis.

Read also:

Speech by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the event celebrating World Greek Language Day at the SNFCC

Message by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yiannis Loverdos, on World Greek Language Day

Event Hosted by the Permanent Delegation of Greece to UNESCO for World Greek Language Day

Event Celebrating World Greek Language Day hosted by the Embassy of Greece to the Holy See

The post Thessaloniki International Relations Service Celebrates World Greek Language Day appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

On February 9, a major cultural, literary, and musical event was held with outstanding success in a packed central hall at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The event was organized by the Permanent Delegation of Greece to UNESCO, under the Permanent Delegate, Georgios Koumoutsakos (cover photo), to mark the first celebration of the proclamation of February 9 as “World Greek Language Day,” following the ratification of the historic decision by UNESCO’s General Conference last November. This event was the most prominent among those organized abroad by our country’s diplomatic authorities to celebrate February 9.

A recorded message by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, was screened at the event (upper photo). Introductory remarks were delivered by the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, the Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany (lower right photo), and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador of Greece for the Protection and Promotion of Culture, Kostantza Sbokou-Konstantakopoulou. The keynote address was delivered by the President of the National Library of France, Gilles Pécout (lower left photo). All speakers emphasized the distinguished contribution of the Greek language to the development of human civilization over 3,000 years, its uninterrupted continuity to the present day, and its immense universal value.

In the literary part of the event, excerpts from emblematic texts and poems of Greek literature, spanning from antiquity to the modern era (the Hippocratic Oath, Anna Komnene’s Alexiad, the Apostle Paul, Seferis, Cavafy, Elytis, Ritsos), were read and recited by the distinguished Greek actors Grigoris Valtinos and Panagiota Vlanti. The musical segment featured the Greek tenor Marios Frangoulis and the Franco-Greek performer Dafné Kritharas, accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of the Corfu Music School and the Corfu Conservatory.

Although the central hall at UNESCO Headquarters, with a seating capacity of 1,400, was the venue of the event, attendance reached 1,700 people. Among those honoring the event with their presence were a representative of the President of the French National Assembly, French Members of Parliament and Members of the French Senate, the Greek film director Costa-Gavras, dozens of Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives, hundreds of officials from the Permanent Delegations of UNESCO Member States, diplomats, French academics, members of the Greek Community of Paris, prominent representatives of the Greek and French business communities, Greek students at French universities, and others.

On February 9, the archaeological exhibition entitled “The Greek Language Was Given to Me” organized by the Ministry of Culture, was inaugurated by the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni (upper right photo), in the “Salle des Actes” of UNESCO Headquarters (the title of the exhibition comes from the poem Axion Esti, first published in 1959, by the Greek Nobel laureate poet Odysseas Elytis). The exhibition (upper left photo) illustrates the uninterrupted course of the Greek language and writing throughout its long history, through selected texts, visual material, and replicas of ancient works. The Minister of Culture delivered the keynote address jointly with UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone. The exhibition will run until February 13.

(Photos: Ari Bafalouka)

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an official event on Monday, February 9, at the National Library of Greece, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, on the occasion of World Greek Language Day. The President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, addressed the event. The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was the keynote speaker. A discussion subsequently took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis, and Professor of Linguistics Georgios Babiniotis. The event was complemented by the orchestra and choir of the Alimos Music School.

Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted, among others:

“I will briefly attempt to share with you some thoughts on the significance of today’s occasion.

Almost seventy years have passed since the international community listened to and understood Xenophon Zolotas as he addressed it in English, using exclusively Greek terms—English words of Greek origin.

Today, the universality of the Greek language is formally recognized as it acquires its own distinct and honorary day within the pantheon of UNESCO-recognized languages. This development may serve as a starting point for progress in the Greek language’s long journey through time.

We are speaking of a language that is, in essence, omnipresent in philosophy, theatre, literature, the sciences, and, of course, politics.

It is a linguistic system for the production of concepts and the depiction of reality that has shaped human thought from the earliest written testimonies of the Mycenaean era to the present day, always placing at its core the pursuit of truth through dialogue.

It is also the first language to recognize the human being as a citizen, measure as a necessity, virtue as moral integrity, and freedom together with beauty as intrinsic values. These are distinctly Greek elements, attested by the many monuments and the hundreds of thousands of inscriptions.

At the same time, these are ideas which, passed down from generation to generation, lent their unique substance to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and later inspired momentous political events such as the French and American Revolutions and, of course, following the War of Independence, the Greek Revolution of 1821.

Greek thus became our “bridge” to the world, ultimately placing modern Greece at the heart of the West and at the heart of Europe.

It is an intangible source of progress, as well as a source of international prestige, which already affords our country a distinct role and voice in a world that is being transformed and changing at an unprecedented pace.

For everything, there is a Greek word. It is a particularly interesting challenge to trace the Greek equivalents of words in the established dominant languages.

The Greek language not only survives but continues to be enriched and transmitted, despite the fact that for centuries there was no unified state to protect it. The unity of the Greek language does not lie in uniformity, but in its continuity through diversity.

It is a cultural capital of more than 3,000 years that continues to nourish the intellectual world. It is also a language ready to travel into the vast universe of algorithms and artificial intelligence, and to claim there, too, its own role in relation to the future and the most widely used linguistic codes.

It is of great importance that we have created the first Greek language model, “PHAROS,” one of the first seven artificial intelligence factories in Europe, so that the data of global knowledge can now be stored also in Greek, as a source for drawing conclusions.

Supporting the Greek language is a national priority. We currently maintain 81 academic chairs, programs in 33 countries.

It is particularly significant that today Greek is recognized by UNESCO as a global constant and an important cultural value.”

The full text of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ speech is available here.

The video of the event is available here:

The post Speech by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the event celebrating World Greek Language Day at the SNFCC appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Greeks around the world,
Friends of Greece,

I am deeply moved because today we are not just celebrating World Greek Language Day. Today’s celebration is the first since the official proclamation of February 9 as World Greek Language Day by UNESCO.

The Greek language is not merely a means of communication. It is a living vessel of ideas, values, and culture, with an uninterrupted history spanning over more than four thousand years.

For centuries, it served as a lingua franca of knowledge, philosophy, and science—the language of Homer and Aristotle, of the Gospels, of the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment.

Words of Greek origin are not connected only to the past; they embody universal values that continue to guide human coexistence to this day.

The establishment of February 9^th as the World Greek Language Day by UNESCO marks a milestone for Greece and constitutes international recognition of its timeless contribution to global civilization.

This achievement is the culmination of a long-standing diplomatic and cultural effort led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Greece’s Permanent Representation to UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education.

This initiative was wholeheartedly supported by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose vision of a modern, outward-looking Greece provided the political momentum that decisively contributed to its successful completion.

This accomplishment is collective in nature. It brings together institutions, academics, and at this point, I would like to especially acknowledge the participation of Professors Korinthios, Babiniotis, and Klairis, and the Greek diaspora around a shared vision, demonstrating how culture and public diplomacy can work hand in hand.

February 9^th is dedicated to Dionysios Solomos, Greece’s national poet. Through this choice of date, UNESCO recognizes the Greek language as a heritage of freedom and a source of creativity for all peoples.

It acknowledges that the Greek language belongs to humanity and continues to inspire, unite, and guide global culture into the future.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the promotion of Greek language by placing it at the core of its Strategic Plan for Greeks Abroad for the period 2024–2027.

For example, in this context, over the past year, support for Greek Chairs and Greek Studies programs increased significantly, with further reinforcement planned for 2026.

We expanded scholarships for foreign students and members of the Greek diaspora who wish to study in Greece. Throughout the past year, we implemented hosting programs, thematic initiatives, and Greek language programs for children, youth, and senior members of the diaspora from dozens of countries, aiming to strengthen their bond with Greece.

Last year, for the second consecutive year, we organized the Global Youth Diaspora Symposium, which brought young members of the Greek diaspora closer to their place of origin and their mother tongue. It was deeply moving to see participants from the first symposium, who did not speak Greek at the time, return for the second, now speaking our language.

I wish to assure you that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to actively support initiatives that strengthen Greek language learning through the increase of the number of scholarships and through the hosting programs.

Dear Greeks, we are all proud that February 9^th is now officially inscribed in the Global Cultural Calendar as World Greek Language Day. And we should all feel even prouder, as the Greek language continues to travel, to inspire, and to unite generations of Greeks around the world.

Thank you very much.

The post Message by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yiannis Loverdos, on World Greek Language Day (09.02.2026) appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

The first International Conference on Italophony, co-organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Società Dante Alighieri, was held at the Villa Madama in Rome on November 18, 2025.

Representing Greece, on behalf of Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis, was the head of the E' Directorate General for Public Diplomacy, Ambassador Aikaterini Koika, and the Member of Parliament for the Dodecanese and President of the Greece-Italy Friendship Group, Mr. Basileios Ypsilantis.

The Conference adopted the declaration for the establishment of the "Community of Italophony," a permanent forum for the promotion of the Italian language as a language of peace and dialogue, which builds bridges of exchange between peoples in areas such as culture, economics, science, etc.

In his address, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani emphasized, among other things, the "importance of the historical ties between Greece and Italy, as Greek culture was the 'mother' of Italian culture." He added that "Athens and Rome essentially 'merged' in ancient times, creating a common identity in the Mediterranean region."

On behalf of Greece, Ms. Koika emphasized the profound influence of the Greek language and alphabet on the formation of Latin and subsequently Italian, highlighting Greek culture, which "conquered its conqueror" by enriching the Roman world with Greek art, science, and philosophy. As the Greek diplomat stated, among other things:

"For us Greeks, Italian is a neighboring and deeply familiar language. Speaking Italian often means rediscovering a rhythm and melody that have been ours for centuries. The histories of our two countries have been intertwined since ancient times: Greece and Rome were two beacons of civilization that, together, forged the foundations of Western civilization.

The Mediterranean, rather than a border, was a large common space where ideas, words, and sentiment met. It was in this dialogue that the Italian language was born.

The Italian language, a child of Latin, also carries within it a Greek heritage. The very alphabet with which we write the masterpieces of Italian literature comes from the Greek alphabet. When Rome conquered Greece, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred: Greek culture conquered its conqueror, bringing philosophy, the arts, and science to the heart of the Roman world.

The connection between our peoples is ancient and deep: from the cities of Magna Graecia to the Greek dialects of Apulia and Calabria, to the great Byzantine scholars who brought manuscripts of Greek knowledge to Italy in the 15th century. This dialogue has never ceased.

The Greek and Italian languages share a common vision of humanity: Greek offers us depth and a search for meaning, while Italian offers harmony and beauty of expression. Together, they represent the European spirit, in which logic and art are not opposed but complementary.

As Andrea Marcolongo writes: "Greek is not a language of the past, but a way of living the present with depth." And as Odysseus Elytis reminds us, being Greek means reaching the Idea through the senses - exactly what Italian continues to do, transforming thought into melody.

The dialogue between the Greek and Italian languages is not just a historical legacy: it is a living foundation for the future. Today, Greece and Italy walk side by side as partners in Europe and guardians of a common cultural heritage.

Let us keep this dialogue alive. Let us teach, learn, and celebrate the Italian language as a bridge between our communities and as a treasure for Europe.

Because Italian and Greek are not two separate melodies: they are the harmony of a single great Mediterranean song that continues to inspire the world.

The post First International Conference on Italophony appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

"Your Greek Word On A Sunday" is a popular, award-nominated, bite-sized podcast hosted by bilingual actress Emmanuela Lia, where she introduces a new Greek word each week, explaining its origins, etymology, and connection to Greek history and culture. The podcast is available on various platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Soundcloud.

Emmanuela Lia is a Greek actor, translator, and podcaster, who has worked at the National Theatre of Northern Greece and performed in numerous venues in London, including The Barbican and The Lyric Hammersmith; she has appeared in films such as Brides and Alexandria, as well as TV series, including Netflix’s The Sandman II. Alongside acting, she has translated of Helen Kostopoulou’s play "Σαν να μη συμβαίνει" (As If Nothing Happened), and her translation of Andreas Flourakis’ 'Ασκήσεις για Δυνατά Γόνατα' (Strong Knees) was staged at the Omnibus Theatre in London.

Each episode of your "Your Greek Word On A Sunday" is intentionally kept short, typically under two minutes, as Lia aims to provide an enjoyable piece of information rather than a formal lesson. The podcast, which recently has reached 300 episodes, has garnered a significant global following, reaching monthly listeners in 193 countries, with the majority of its audience residing in America and Europe, and as of recently,

Emmanuela Lia spoke to Greek News Agenda* about the creative process behind Your Greek Word on a Sunday, explaining how she chooses words that resonate with current events, holidays, or stories that personally fascinate her and her listeners. She reflected on why international audiences connect with the podcast, noting that people discover Greek to be less intimidating than its reputation suggests, especially when words are linked to familiar concepts, myths, or cultural references.

The episodes of your podcast “Your Greek Word on a Sunday” are wonderfully concise—just about a minute long. How do you go about choosing the one Greek word to feature each week, and deciding what historical or cultural thread to highlight?

Thank you! That’s a very good question. I try to make the episodes as relevant as possible. World news is the first thing I check when planning and, I always leave a little gap in the recordings, in case something happens and there’s a word I can link to that. Big holidays are another standard. Most of the time however, is the same way as choosing what to highlight within the word’s history. I focus on what I would find interesting to listen to. What would fascinate me in a story, a myth, a culture or a connection to my language and so far, thankfully, my listeners seem to agree with me.

The podcast is award-nominated and has developed an international following, reaching 193 countries, with most listeners in America and Europe. Why do you think international listeners connect with these explorations of modern Greek language and its influence on English?

I have Shakespeare to thank for! By popularising the phrase ‘it’s all Greek to me’ in his Julius Cesar, he made Greek feel extremely difficult and confusing. And although it’s partially true-it is, after all, a different alphabet- Greek language as a concept is not that confusing. And I think that’s what people realise when listening. They can see the mechanics behind the words in a way that is not a language lesson (something I actively tried to avoid) and then make the connection, work backwards in a way; you start by what you already know and connect it with something new and, you might be told a myth or two in the process.

Many of the words you explore have travelled from Greek into English and beyond. What’s one word whose journey across languages surprised you the most?

It’s not so much a journey across languages but rather a journey across humans. The word Encyclopaedia (ep. 222). I call it 'a human error word’. It was created because a Roman, translating from ancient Greek, read three words as one and then Greeks found it convenient and started using it themselves. I love words that carry the human element beyond their original creation.

Your podcast has recently approached its 300th episode and has been running for eight years. Have there been any changes in your goals for the podcast from when you started until now? Looking ahead, what are your plans for this podcast, or for any new projects/podcasts relating to the Greek language?

I started this podcast without thinking much. I just wanted to do it and dived straight into it. I learned how to produce, edit, publish and market a podcast without any help. So, for the first couple of years my goal was to make it to the next season. Then it was upgrading my production value and refining the writing. And now, yes, there are a few things I’d like to do. First of all, I would love to make it available to more people. The deaf community is a priority for me. I’m looking into creating videos with sign language and, I’m currently trying to figure out how can this happen in a bilingual, cross-alphabet way.

Another thing I’d like to start doing is promoting small businesses. I’ve been running all these years without sponsors and earlier this year Audible (the audiobook company) came on board as an affiliate and that helped me a lot. I think now, I can give some time to promote small companies and have created some really affordable plans to benefit everyone. As for another projects , right now, between acting, translating and, running the podcast, my time is very limited but, my phone is full of notes for new things and I will get to all of them, eventually.

*Interview to Ioulia Livaditi

Examples of words discussed on 'Your Greek Word on Sunday'

Syringe: Explains the origin from the Arcadian Nymph "Συριγξ" and Pan's musical instrument.

Stigma: Discusses its ancient Greek meaning "to mark" and its use as a "mark of disgrace," including historical examples from Herodotus and ancient tattoo removal methods.

Telegraph: Breaks down "Τέλε" ('something far away') and "Γραφείν" ('to write'), detailing the historical progression of long-distance communication technologies, highlighting "years of collaborations and building upon other people's ideas."

Talisman: Explores "Τέλεσμα" ('a ritual') and "Τελετή" (modern Greek for ritual), its journey through Arabic meaning "enigma" or "lucky charm," and its ancient use as divine protection.

Idol: From Ancient Greek "Είδω" ('I know' or 'I see'), describing an image or statue of gods, later associated with paganism in Christian texts.

The post It’s not all Greek to you: Emmanuela Lia on her language podcast “Your Greek Word on a Sunday” appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Dimitrios Koutsogiannis is Professor Emeritus of Educational Linguistics at the Department of Linguistics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and associate president of the Center for the Greek Language. His research interests and publications focus on teaching of Modern Greek as a first and second language, educational discourse analysis, teacher’s training, and digital literacies. He has been a research associate at the Centre for the Greek Language since 1997, responsible for the development of digital resources for the Greek language (e.g., Portal for the Greek Language). His recent research is related to the teaching of Modern Greek in the Diaspora, and the main conclusions are published in the 2024 book "Διδασκαλία της ελληνικής γλώσσας στη διασπορά: μια ολιστική προσέγγιση" [Teaching the Greek language in the diaspora: A holistic approach].

In his interview for Rethinking Greece* Professor Koutsogiannis discusses the digital tools developed by the Centre for the Greek Language (CGL), its initiatives for teaching Greek abroad, the certification of of attainment in Greek, the profile of people interested in learning Greek and finally, on the need draw up a comprehensive policy for the Greek language and its teaching outside Greece.

Since 2017, February 9th has been designated as International Greek Language Day. Would you like to share some introductory thoughts on this celebration and its impact over the years?

The experience so far points to several positive outcomes. On the occasion of this celebration, several interesting events are held, showcasing aspects of the history as well as of the present of the Greek language. We also see numerous engaging activities taking place in schools, mainly diaspora schools, as well as scientific seminars, debates and conferences in academic institutions. All these events and activities are encouraging and constructive, as they did not exist prior to the establishment of this international day of tribute.

On the other hand, there is a significant risk that the content of these discussions and events might be limited to the familiar rhetoric regarding the Greek language, its history, and its importance. One rarely sees serious analyses placing Greek within the modern global linguistic ecology, and even more rarely the formulation of proposals at the level of language policy. I would say that this day needs to be a day of both reflection and planning, especially for institutions and individuals directly or indirectly involved with the language, in terms of what has been done and what needs to be done in the future. Therefore, I consider this interview to be an important opportunity to discuss specific issues and initiatives of the Centre for the Greek Language (CGL), and I would like to thank you for this opportunity.

The CGL also deals with the examinations for the Certification of Attainment in Greek, a programme that commenced in 1999. How has this initiative progressed? Can you provide us with some quantitative and qualitative data?

Yes, with pleasure.

Indeed, this initiative, which began in 1999, has grown into one of our most important programs and a key pillar of our policy for the Greek language. The graph below illustrates the quantitative progress of participation in the Greek language certification exams. We can see that this programme set off in 1999 with very few candidates and a limited number of examination centres. Today, we have 160 examination centres worldwide, even in countries one wouldn't expect, such as Japan, China, Congo, and Tanzania. The graph also clearly marks a continuous increase in the number of candidates, with the only period of stagnation or even decline being during the pandemic (2020-2021). As shown in the chart, the number of candidates in 2024 reached almost 9,000. 

Of particular interest is the info on the age of the candidates[1]. Our data (see next table) indicates that the largest percentage, as might be expected, consists of school-age children (8-18 years old). This critical age group accounts for more than one-third of our candidates. However, there is also a significant percentage of candidates over the age of 35, meaning there is also considerable interest from older age groups in learning the Greek language.

An important aspect is also the profile of the candidates in relation to their connection with Greece. Our analysis shows that the majority (52%) of those taking the exams have some biographical connection to Greece, compared to 48% who do not.

An important aspect is also the profile of the candidates in relation to their connection with Greece. Our analysis shows that the majority (52%) of those taking the exams have some biographical connection to Greece, compared to 48% who do not.

The Certification of Attainment in Greek is a significant programme for several reasons, and I will mention two here. One is that it encourages children to learn Greek in order to use this certificate – which is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and is recognized both within and in many countries outside Europe – as a qualification for further studies, particularly in educational systems that recognize and support language skills and multilingualism. This is a particularly important incentive for children of the diaspora, who, by learning Greek, not only gain a better command of their heritage language but also acquire an additional qualification that they can use in their studies. The second reason is that it provides a clear framework for teachers and parents to understand their children’s progress in learning the Greek language.

Which groups of people are interested in learning Greek? What is the profile of those who seek to acquire the CGL Greek language certification?

According to our exam data, the number of foreigners learning Greek is significant. As mentioned earlier, it is estimated at 48% of our sample. The two following charts provide some interesting data related to your question. The first bar-chart shows the place of residence of those who do not have any familial connection with Greece and participate in the Greek language certification exams.

It is evident that most of them live primarily in Cyprus, followed by Greece. Knowledge of Greek is thus clearly very useful for them for both social and professional reasons. After Greece and Cyprus, the majority of non-Greek candidates come from the USA, Italy, and Germany, followed by smaller numbers from Russia, Turkey, France, the United Kingdom, etc.

The biggest difference between this group and those of the diaspora is that they tend to learn Greek at an older age, as can be seen from the table below. In contrast to the findings mentioned earlier where the majority of examination candidates are aged 12-18, here we observe that the majority are aged between 27-45.

The above data gives us an initial insight as to your question. However, the issue is not completely covered by our data, primarily because it is only quantitative but also because it is based on those who participate in the certification exams. There are, obviously, thousands of others who are not interested in taking the exam or obtaining certification. In order to get a fuller picture, focused research, both quantitative and qualitative, is needed to attain in greater depth the profile of these individuals, which may vary from country to country and also by age.

Can you briefly tell us about the goals, actions, as well as digital tools the Centre for Greek Language uses, such as the Portal for the Greek Language?

Yes, with pleasure.

At the Centre for the Greek Language we realized quite early, from the end of the 1990s, that the internet was creating a new reality in the field of languages, which is why we made a systematic effort to adapt to the new reality in communication. As a result, the CGL has developed scientifically valid online environments that provide reference tools and a wealth of linguistic material for all periods (ancient, medieval, modern Greek) and fields (language, literature) related to the Greek language and its teaching. The best-known of these are the "Portal for the Greek Language" and the "Digital Resources for the Greek Language". Through these initiatives, we address a significant condition of the digital age, i.e., that Greek speakers have at their disposal reliable platforms for their daily communication and educational practices. It is no coincidence that these platforms have widespread acceptance and high traffic.  

It is important to highlight that our platforms are open and easily accessible from anywhere in the world. In fact, without these digital resources, the online presence of the Greek language would be significantly limited. Furthermore, as the internet plays an increasingly vital role in nearly every aspect of daily life, this absence would be especially harmful as it would deprive the Greek language of a crucial and widely used space for application and growth.

What are the specific challenges of preserving the Greek language for the diaspora? Are there any CGL initiatives for teaching Greek abroad?

There are several CGL initiatives in this direction by way of specific programmes that have been or are being implemented. I will mention two recent ones. As of this year, we began offering remote Greek language teaching courses and we will systematically expand this initiative, the significance of which is obvious, over the coming years.

Another exciting initiative is the establishment of the international group of special scientific interest D.EL.EXO. in 2022. It focuses on the teaching of Greek outside of Greece and provides the organizational framework for developing and advancing debate, criticism and research related to the teaching of Greek worldwide. In other words, it could be said that it is the digital platform for bringing together the scientific forces involved in the teaching of Greek globally. This team has already launched many initiatives, organized two seminars, and is organizing a large international conference (5-7 February 2026) on the teaching of Greek around the world which will involve scientists, educators, and Greek communities.

Additionally, we are already in the process of planning the creation of a digital environment for teaching the Greek language, which will consist of a modern educational teaching platform, accompanied by an abundance of digital language resources that can be used in teaching. At the same time, we have already worked on the utilization of Artificial Intelligence in the teaching of Greek. These are projects that are expected to be ready within the next three years.

I would also like to address the first part of your question, regarding the specific challenges that the preservation of the Greek language for the diaspora involves. This major issue was addressed in a recent study we conducted with children and parents from the diaspora in Australia and Germany, which was funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI). In the volume "Διδασκαλία της ελληνικής γλώσσας στη διασπορά: μια ολιστική προσέγγιση" that is based on this research, we not only highlight the significant challenges that exist but also lay out specific proposals for teaching the Greek language in the diaspora. Hopefully, these will be considered.

What kind of interventions would be useful for a language, especially one with relatively few native speakers like Greek, to survive in today's globalized digital environment?

This is a critical question and exactly what has guided our actions over the past 20 years. It is now evident that the existence of reliable linguistic resources on the internet is an indispensable requirement for any language, especially for less spoken languages such as Greek. One only has to consider that, as we mentioned earlier, if we removed the tools and resources freely available through the CGL, the needs arising for learning and teaching of Greek would be covered -to a significant degree- by subjective personal opinions expressed on social networks.

However, digital tools alone are not enough; the initiatives and actions undertaken and those we are planning are not enough. It is time to draw up a comprehensive policy for the Greek language and its teaching outside Greece. Such a policy must begin with an analysis of the global linguistic context, place Greek within this framework, register existing structures (both digital and conventional, inside and outside Greece – Cyprus), institutions, and practices (e.g., teaching), and formulate proposals to be implemented by competent ministries and as well as agencies outside Greece. I believe that in the context of such an effort, cooperation with Cyprus should be pursued, as we share common goals and our cooperation so far[2] has been highly productive.

* Interview to Ioulia Livaditi / Translated from Greek to English: Magda Hatzopoulou

[1] In each table, N denotes the number on which the results are based. This number varies either because some candidates submitted handwritten applications at the local examination centres or/and because answering was not mandatory.

[2] A five-year memorandum of cooperation for Greek language learning is being implemented between the Ministry of Education of Greece and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus.

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Message from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Kotsiras

On the Occasion of the Celebration of the International Greek Language Day

9 February 2025

Greeks of the world

Friends of Greece

The celebration of the International Greek Language Day is a unique opportunity to reflect on the universality and timelessness of the Greek language. A language that has been spoken without interruption for centuries and constitutes the ark of Greek identity through time. A language with a unique contribution to global civilization, the sciences and the arts, a language that unites, gives shape and meaning to the world.

Through a series of initiatives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is consistently promoting the Greek language internationally. The promotion of Greek language learning is among the main objectives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Strategic Plan for Greeks Abroad 2024-2027. The celebration of the 9th of February is also part of the Strategic Plan, and its designation has been a long-standing demand of the Greeks Abroad.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens signed a Protocol of Cooperation aimed at strengthening Greek language, history and culture. We upgraded the “staellinika.com” application, the modern Greek language learning platform and we strategically strengthened Greek Studies chairs and programs worldwide. We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Study in Greece organization aiming at connecting Greece’s academic community with the Diaspora and the internationalization of the Greek higher education.

Dear Friends,

Proud of our linguistic heritage, and in cooperation with our diplomatic and consular authorities abroad, the Greek schools and diaspora organizations, we continue to highlight the contribution of the Greek language to the global civilization. A language that was forged through our centuries-long, common historical journey and gave birth to the Greek culture and universal concepts and values. This is our legacy to the world and we should do our utmost to preserve it.

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‘Meltemi’ is the first Greek Large Language Model (LLM),  trained by the Institute for Language and Speech Processing of the Athena Research & Innovation Center  on a corpus of high-quality Greek texts.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have revolutionized the field of AI, opening up new opportunities for research and industry applications.  It been shown that open LLMs are competitive alternatives to commercial, siloed solutions and their utilization can provide a higher level of control over the development of safe and application-optimized models.

However, due to the sheer volume of data required, most developed open LLMs have been trained on vast, mostly English, monolingual datasets (e.g., Dolma), limiting their performance in other languages. Recently, there have been efforts to extend the capabilities of open LLMs to other languages (e.g., LeoLM for German, Aguila for Spanish, etc.).

To address these challenges the Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP) developed and released Meltemi, the first LLM for the Greek language. Meltemi is developed as a bilingual model; while being highly proficient in English, it has been extended to understand and generate fluent text in Modern Greek. Meltemi was built on top of the Mistral-7B language model, which is trained on a large corpus of English text, so ILSP extended it with added proficiency for the Greek language, by utilizing a large corpus consisting of approximately 40 billion tokens (i.e. words).

Out of these 40 billion tokens, 28.5 billion are Greek, derived from publicly available resources. Furthermore, to ensure that the model has bilingual capabilities, ISLP used additional sub-corpora with 10.5 billion tokens of English texts and a parallel Greek-English dataset of 600 million tokens. This corpus has been processed, filtered, and deduplicated to ensure data quality.

There two variants of Meltemi: the foundation model, and a model which can be used for chat applications.

As for the model’s name, “Meltemi is a strong, dry north wind that blows across the Aegean Sea, during the summer months, with its peak usually occurring in July and August. Its intensity can vary from gentle breezes to strong gales, making it both a vital aspect of local weather and a significant factor in the region’s climate.” The name ‘Meltemi’ was chosen to symbolize the feeling of freshness and rejuvenation this cool breeze brings.

The ILSP's Intradisciplinary History

The Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP) was established in 1985 by of a small team of scientists working on the EUROTRA machine translation project. This team, composed of linguists and information technologists and led by NTUA Professor George Carayannis, gradually grew both in size and scope of activities.

In 1991, ILSP was officially recognized as a Research Institute under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Research and Technology In 2003, ILSP became part of the newly established Athena Research and Innovation Center in Information, Communication and Knowledge Technologies (Athena R.C.).

As, Nasos Katsamanis, principal researcher and deputy director at ILSP, tells it to newspaper “Kathimerini,” the team that built Meltemi came together thanks to one savage tweet:: "About a year ago, colleagues from the U.S. came here for a seminar. They were telling us that they are working on new language models, asking us we are doing here for the Greek language. This discussion coincided with a very scathing comment on Twitter from someone well-known in the field who wrote: "What are they doing at the Athena Research Center, won't they finally produce a Greek language model?" So, after all that, here we are with our Meltemi''.

With the Institute’s history of bringing together researchers from various fields -such as linguistics and informational technology- to work on language technologies, it was always a question of "If not us, then who?" However, as reported by Kathimerini’s, for such a project to take shape, four key elements were necessary:

• Linguistic data, meaning texts containing billions of words
• Machine power, in this case Amazon's cloud computing infrastructure accessed through GRNET - National Infrastructures for Research and Technology
• Algorithms
• Expertise

It is evident that without the Institute's data collection projects that have been active since the 1990s, the team would not have been able to create the first Greek Large Language Model

30 Billion Greek Words

"We collected numerous Greek texts, homogenized them, and prepared them. We removed duplicate texts and those with toxic, racist, and sexist content. The Greek words we have collected and included in a large training corpus total 30 billion, although some words are repeated. Of these, eight million were collected within 12 months," explains researcher Prokopis Prokopidis.

The undertaking was further complicated by two factors: cost and time. In this case, a three-day mistake would have cost them more than $7,000.

“The team had reserved the cloud computing infrastructure for a specific period, and the usage cost amounted to $100 per hour. There was a moment when we realized that a mistake would cost us dearly. In the end, we fixed it, but I will never forget how anxious I felt," recalls researcher Georgios Paraskevopoulos.

Due to the fact that the choice of training data is related to the results the user will receive, the team excluded from the beginning the huge sources of data coming from Greek social media, choosing to use data from theses, books, school textbooks, the Greek legislation and everything else that was free to use copyright.

“It's actually very difficult to make a model in a language that doesn't have as much appeal as English. Consider that a Portuguese can understand a Spanish when they speak, so you can adapt Portuguese to a Spanish model, just like Bulgarian to a Russian one. This is not the case for Greek. It is a language spoken by about 15 million people on the planet, that is less than 0.5%. So we had to do it from the scratch with great attention to getting the data right," Georgios Paraskevopoulos stresses.

Meltemi Uses

Although Meltemi is available as an open model for research and commercial purposes, the general public cannot yet try it online – like they can with ChatGPT, as the team still needs to complete some technical issues. Small and medium-sized businesses are already using customized versions of it to build specific products in the health, education, tourism and culture sectors.

Giving a concrete example of where Meltemi can be used, scientist Maria Yagou tells "Kathimerini" that the institute is currently creating a digital assistant based on Meltemi. In an educational setting, the digital assistant will be able to chat with students, solve questions on their teaching material, create exercises according to their needs, explain terms and even simplify some texts from their textbooks. In the health sector it could decode the doctor’s medial reports or even create a report upon the user´s request.

Members of the team behind Meltemi

Vasilis Katsouros: "We are here for the digital survival of the Greek language"

One of the challenges we are discussing is the timelessness of the Greek language. That is, how can a language model speak from ancient Greek, to dialects and the colloquial language. This is a complex undertaking. But we are here to support the digital survival of the Greek language.

Meltemi can be applied to anything you can imagine, from the field of economics to the field of commerce, as long as the fundamental model is adapted to specific data from the field in question.

Prokopis Prokopidis: "Our role is to support Greek with new technologies"

Building Meltemi was a challenge because Greek has a different alphabet, so it's more difficult to transfer knowledge from other languages ​​or dialects. Apart from the fact that there are few people who speak, write and produce Greek, there are also few people who are interested in the protection of the language.

I believe that the role of the Speech Processing Institute at the Athena Research Center is to support the Greek language with new technologies.

Nasos Katsamanis: "We didn't have the funding that OpenAI had"

We are talking to at least 50 different companies and organizations right now to implement Meltemi into their products or services. The techniques OpenAI followed were not unknown to the community at large, but the important thing was that they had multi-million funding. We didn't have anything similar.

Maria Yagou: Meltemi is a key tool for SMEs

We are currently working with small and medium-sized businesses to build specific products in the health, education, tourism and culture sectors.  There are also many SMEs who come to us to teach them the basics of AI, as all this change has caught them somewhat unprepared.

At the same time, we are working on the development of digital assistants in specific services that will aim to guide and inform the citizen on various issues.

Sokratis Sofianopoulos: "We want Meltemi to be accessible to everyone"

Meltemi is open source and anyone can download and use it for research purposes as well as for developing innovative applications. We aim for the data we use in the future to be free to use copyright.

Stelios Piperidis: "Language models need continuous training"

Training language models is not something you do once and you're done. ChatGPT said in its first seven months of operation that its knowledge was up to September 2021 because the training data was up to that point.

Consider that when the pandemic came our own voice systems could not recognize the word "coronavirus", "SARS-COV-2", etc. We had to train the systems to learn these words, just as we ourselves learned them.

I.L. with information from ILSP and Kathimerini

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