Cancelled: Festival of Cultures 2025: Lost in Translation: Latino edition

Unfortunately this event has been cancelled due to force majeure situation. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Please see other Festival of Cultures events for the week to find something else to do.

From "chela" to "birra": how latinos really talk? Lost in Translation: Latino edition is a lively, interactive session that uncovers how different Spanish-speaking countries give their own twist to everyday words. Discover why a Mexican’s “bocina” is an Argentine’s “parlante,” how “chela,” “birra,” and “pola” all mean “beer,” and many more fun regional variations. Whether you’re a language lover, traveler, or Spanish learner, this event will open your ears to the diversity and creativity of real-world Spanish. Come celebrate the shared humor, culture, and identity behind the words we use.

Please note that the main language of the event is English The event is organized by volunteer students and staff members from the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences.

The University of Oulu, in collaboration with Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the Student Union of the University of Oulu, and the Student Union of Oulu University of Applied Sciences, is organizing the Festival of Cultures week to celebrate our multicultural community in Oulu and promote cultural awareness. The events of the week are open to everyone interested. We expect all participants to demonstrate respectful behavior and consideration for others. Any kind of discriminatory behavior is not tolerated at our events.

Festival of Cultures is part of the Oulu2026 programme and cultural climate change.