ABSTRACT
At Helsinki, language policy in all its senses and levels has been one of multilingualism from the outset even though the languages, their relative weight, and overt or covert policies have changed over the centuries. The languages of instruction have moved from monolingual Latin, then Swedish, to bilingualism and current trilingualism. This chapter analyses the university’s positioning itself in its language policy, the digital and physical manifestations (or lack thereof) of these principles, and explores perceptions among international students of the language environment and its affordances. It turns out that in any mode of communication, the more central, permanent, and official it is, the closer it follows the trilingual policy. Conversely, the more ephemeral and informal the communication, the more diverse and multilingual it is. The trilingual façade, then, hides widely multilingual daily practices.
