He testified in an exploratory inquiry looking at challenges and opportunities to increase the use of the Welsh language across Wales. He participated in an evidence session along with other Canadian and international experts.
The members of Parliament were interested in the Canadian experience of bilingualism and multilingualism and possible applications to the Welsh context.
Read an excerpt from Professor Slavkov’s talk on the linguistic risk-taking approach to language learning:
"We encourage 糵 students to overcome the instinct to stay in their comfort zone and actually push them to take linguistic risks. These are authentic situations they are anxious about. Some risks were submitted by actual learners. It’s important to listen carefully to learners and users of the language. Sometimes, they are the best people to propose rewarding, motivating and fun ways of using the language. Then we, as professionals, can integrate them into the curriculum." ─ Nikolay Slavkov, OLBI Professor
In the past few months, Professor Slavkov also participated in two international conferences. In May, he gave a keynote address at a symposium on actions for social justice in multilingual societies organized by the . Its title was “Language policy, social justice and multilingualism in Canada: Calls for inclusion and linguistic de-hierarchization in education and society.” The ECSPM is a partner of the Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning (CCERBAL).
Lastly, in early June, Professor Slavkov participated in a plenary session entitled “Pitfalls and opportunities for intergenerational language transmission across contexts” at the Third HaBilNet Colloquium by the .