The Department of World Languages will present the 18th annual Fulbright Language Festival, a joint speech contest in four language programs on Thursday, April 11, at the Arkansas Union.

This contest features a diverse range of less commonly taught languages including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian. Students in these programs will present their original speeches to a panel of judges, and top contestants in each program will receive awards.

This is the 18th annual contest, with the first one taking place back in 2002 with only Arabic and Japanese. The department does this annually under the title "Fulbright Language Festival" to celebrate the legacy of J. William Fulbright, whose birthday is in April. Today, students from five language programs participate in this event to demonstrate their level of language proficiency. Most of the contestants write original speeches and presentations for the event.

The department thanks its contributors and supporters:

• J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences   
• Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures   
• Asian Studies Program   
• European Studies Program   
• King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies