The Faculty of Letters at Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB), through the Department of Romanian Language, Culture, and Civilization, in partnership with the Japanese Cultural Center, announces the 6th edition of the international conference “The Voice of Romanian-Speaking Foreigners.” The event will take place on 16 May 2026 and, as is tradition, will be held in a hybrid format, both at the faculty’s headquarters in Cluj-Napoca and online.
The conference serves as a unique platform dedicated to promoting the Romanian language among native speakers of other languages. The central goal is to celebrate cultural diversity and encourage the use of the Romanian language as an essential tool for intercultural communication, offering foreigners who study or speak Romanian the opportunity to share their motivations and personal connection to the Romanian cultural sphere.
This year’s edition is pleased to have confirmed the presence of a special guest: H.E. Takashi Katae, Japan’s Ambassador to Romania, who will address participants via an online connection. This participation continues the tradition of high-level diplomatic engagement, following the success of the previous edition attended by H.E. Yoichiro Yamada.
Alongside the officials, students Osaka Amane, Matsuda Yumi, and Doi Nanaka—active members of the Japanese Cultural Center at UBB—have already confirmed their attendance; they will highlight the perspectives of young Japanese people who are passionate about the Romanian language.
Strategically supported by ICR Tokyo and the Romanian Embassy in Japan, the event aims to strengthen the cultural bridge between the two nations. Following the success of the previous edition, which brought together 29 speakers from 17 countries, this year’s conference is breaking its own record: 36 presenters from 21 countries will deliver lectures organized into three thematic sections
