Organisers aim to attract several hundred participants to the latest annual International Languages Week at the University of Otago, which starts today.
The week celebrated ''multicultural diversity and languages'' and would highlight the value of study in languages and cultures at the university, Dr Pat Duffy, a member of the organising committee, said.
Otago University student radio station Radio One will broadcast music and stories involving several languages and cultures from noon to 1pm throughout this week, including German today, Japanese tomorrow and Chinese on Wednesday.
Overseas student numbers at Otago fell about 10% this year, compared with last year, partly because of the continuing effect of the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, university officials said.
It would be ''really good for Dunedin'' if more overseas people appreciated that the city remained an excellent place to study languages and cultures, and it had not been damaged by the Christchurch quakes, she said.
Dr Duffy, a senior lecturer in French, said understanding other languages and cultures was vital, given the importance of foreign trade and tourism to the New Zealand economy.
The week also includes a ''Cultures Quiz'' at the University Union main common room at 5pm on Wednesday and a mass photo of people wearing their national costumes on the registry's front lawn at 1pm on Thursday.
