Video Fix: We celebrate 30 years of the Erasmus programme

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What is the Erasmus Programme

The Erasmus Programme (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme established 30 years ago in 1987. There are currently more than 4,000 universities and higher institutions participating in Erasmus across the countries involved in the Erasmus programme and by 2013 there were more than 3 million students had taken part since the programme’s inception in 1987.

In the first year of its existence the programme involved more than 11 countries, with an estimated number of 3,244 students for study stays abroad. During the years, the programme has undergone a series of major changes as for example the one in 1995 when Erasmus became part of the framework education programme Socrates in order to include teacher mobility and international cooperation among universities. However, student mobility still remains at the heart of the programme, making it the best-known and most popular of the EU’s educational programmes.

erasmus-programme1987-2017

What about the film

We propose you to take a look at one of the most well-known films about the Erasmus programme and the lives of some European students called “L’auberge espagnole“. The main character of this film is a French student called Xavier who is from Paris and who thanks to an Erasmus programme will be studying in Barcelona for a year. The film gives us an idea of some different cultural and linguistic challenges between Xavier and the other students from England, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Denmark who are living in the same apartment all together.

Why studying abroad

Do not hesitate to study abroad because it is an amazing experience. The international environment is the best way to learn about different cultures, improve the knowledge of a language, establish intercultural contacts and grow as a person and as a professional. It is seen as a plus from an academic point of view and it has become a must for several different professional profiles such as: terminologists, translators, interpreters, linguists, economists and so many other jobs. Student international mobility is highly beneficial not only for the students themselves, but also for the further development of the cooperation among European universities.


Written by Olga Jeczmyk: Translator-Interpreter, Social Media and Content Manager as well as Communication and Terminology Trainee. Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament in Luxembourg.

Sources:

  • IT, E.S.N. (2014) Why study abroad? Available at: http://bit.ly/2iw5rF5 (Accessed: 9 January 2017).
  • Wikipedia (2016) ‘Erasmus Programme’, in Wikipedia. Available at: http://bit.ly/2i6i5hV (Accessed: 9 January 2017).
  • Wikipedia (2016) ‘L’Auberge Espagnole’, in Wikipedia. Available at: http://bit.ly/2jlb3ls (Accessed: 9 January 2017).