Zumba Class (for everyone)

Language: Spanish

Relax, have some fun, and dance with us! There’s almost no talking during the class—just music, fun, and me showing you all the steps. You don’t need to be a dancer or know how to dance—it’s all about enjoying the moment, discovering music, and learning steps from around the world. It’s the perfect way to unwind and get energized before the exciting talks and activities for the rest of the day!

Adrian Makoć

Language enthusiast and teacher of Polish as a second language, as well as a dancer and performer. With a deep passion for languages, I’m always exploring new ways to connect through communication and movement. I taught Zumba and other fitness programs in Spain and Poland for around 5 years, blending my love for dance, languages with my cultural experiences. Currently, I work as a language teacher, but the spark for dancing has never left me.

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Un tesoro aislado: descubriendo el euskera (An isolated treasure: discovering the Basque language)

El euskera es una de las pocas lenguas no indoeuropeas que se hablan en Europa, y es bien conocido por no compartir raíces ni similitudes claras con ningún otro idioma del mundo. Pero, ¿te has preguntado alguna vez qué significa esto realmente? ¿Y hasta qué punto es cierta esta afirmación? ¿El euskera siempre «sobrevivió» al impacto del asentamiento de las lenguas romances en el sur de Europa o también ha sido influenciado por el latín en cierta medida? Y, en cuanto a la gramática, ¿la forma de expresar ideas y emociones en euskera es completamente diferente en comparación con las lenguas romances?

El objetivo de esta charla es dar a conocer la maravillosa lengua vasca tratando todas estas preguntas, ¡y mucho más! En este curso intensivo introductorio aprenderás sobre el asombroso origen poético detrás de muchas palabras cotidianas en euskera, pero también sobre el contraste en una lengua con un sistema fonético realmente simple y, sin embargo, una gramática compleja y bastante particular. ¡No te lo pierdas!

The Basque language is well-known among the few non-indoeuropean languages spoken in Europe for sharing no clear roots or similarities with any other language on earth. But have you ever wondered what this really means? And to what extent is this statement true? Did Basque always “survive” to the impact of the settlement of Romance languages in southern Europe or has it been influenced by Latin as well to some extent? Regarding the grammar, is the way to express ideas and emotions in Basque completely different compared to Romance languages?

The aim of this talk is to introduce you to the wonderful Basque language by treating all of these questions, and much more! In this introductory crash course you will learn about the stunning poetic origin behind lots of everyday words in Basque, but also about the contrast in a language with a really simple phonetic system and yet a complex and quite particular grammar. Do not miss out!

Ander Chocarro Salaberria

Graduated in Mathematics three years ago and currently pursuing his PhD studies on Architectural Geometry at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Ander is a language enthusiast who has learned around 6 new languages during the last seven years. He is originally from the Basque Country and both a native Spanish and Basque speaker. Even though it has always been his mother’s tool for communication with him, Ander is completely aware of the fact that the Basque language is a unique phenomenon in the vast world of languages, and definitely a treasure that deserves to be protected and supported.

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Do employers value your language skills?

Language: English

Some airlines pay their staff a little extra for every language they speak, but other employers are entirely uninterested in their staff's language skills. While it has often been argued that these skills offer a competitive advantage and that one can even expect to be paid a premium, this seems to vary a lot from country to country and from industry to industry. In some jobs communication may be less relevant, but more often language skills are beneficial in various ways.

In my own experience speaking Scottish Gaelic, a minority language, gave me the competitive advantage to get a job at the BBC. While my knowledge of several other languages has repeatedly benefited my work, it would seem that they are not interested in the skill. 

After reference to some research I want to hear of your experience – good and bad. The more countries and industries we hear from, the better the picture. Depending on the outcome of the workshop a recommendation for employers could be drafted and further research could follow.

I'm happy to take contributions in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Scottish Gaelic and English.

Andreas G. Wolff

A videojournalist for BBC ALBA, the Scottish Gaelic tv channel, Andreas originally hails from Berlin and has learned Gaelic. He is a regional reporter in the West Highlands, but has also repeatedly reported for a European current affairs programme. Andreas has conducted interviews in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Fering (Northern Frisian), Scots and Swedish. He is president and Gaelic tutor of the Taynuilt Gaelic Choir, organises an annual Doric (or North East Scots) Language Bootcamp and is a member of HYPIA.

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Experience the student perspective: I'll teach you Telugu in 3 different styles

Language: English and Telugu

Telugu, a beautiful Dravidian language from the south of India, ranks as the 17th most spoken language in the world with 96 million L1 + L2 speakers. However, as it is not very well known and not often studied outside of the Indian cultural sphere, you may not have heard of it ever before. If so, worry not: it makes you the perfect fit for this workshop (but also feel welcome if you know some Telugu or have heard of the language of course!). Within these 45 minutes, you will experience Telugu from a super-beginner student’s perspective, engaging with the language using three different learning styles. Which styles are those? Be sure to join and find out! The only giveaway is that this will not be traditional classroom study. Afterwards we will discuss which style you preferred, and I will be happy to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Anika Rettig

Anika has always been fascinated by the different scripts of languages, but for most of her life, she felt like learning a language was only possible in a traditional classroom setting. Faced with the challenge of learning her partner’s language Telugu, for the first time this approach didn’t work, which led her to research other options, and to eventually discover communication-based approaches like TPRS. She fell in love with this way of learning, leading her to experiment with it in different languages, attend seminars, explore its limits and eventually start teaching in this way to share her experience with others.

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Quechua: Aprendemos el idioma de los Andes

Language: Spanish

Antes aprendieron un idioma indígena? El Quechua es el más grande del continente Americano. Sus hablantes se conectan en el pasado con el gran imperio Inca. En este Workshop no solo aprenden los bases del idioma sino también sobre el contexto de su uso y porque es algo muy especial aprender el misk’i runasimi de los Andes.

Anna Reyeros Petsch

Anna Reyeros Petsch has first discovered her interest in language learning during an exchange year in Ireland. After French she started to learn Quechua at university and can now look back on over four years learning the language. During that time she has spent a year in Cusco, Peru, working with Quechua communities and completing in August 2024 her Quechua diploma at the Academia Mayor de la Lengua Quechua.

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Roleplaying with Chat-GPT – A fun way to practice writing in your foreign languages

Language: English

You want to practice writing in your languages, but you don’t like writing a diary or find it hard to come up with exciting topics to write about? You really want to talk to your imaginary friends, travel to the past or the future or maybe just to the place where your language is spoken?

Recently I discovered how to do all of this using an AI-Chatbot as a Role Playing buddy. The AI won’t judge you, speaks lots of different languages and will support your wildest creative ideas. I want to share some thoughts with you, on how you can use this to practice your writing in different languages, let your imagination go crazy and have lots of fun at the same time.

Astrid Stangl

Astrid lives in Vienna (Austria) and works as a tourist guide, a job that allows her to practice speaking in different languages almost every day. It also involves telling stories about people who lived in the past, and Astrid thinks that storytelling can also help us and motivate us in our language learning. Because stories are something everybody needs and they make us happy.

呀! aa3! Cantonese Sentence-Final Particles: The Secret Sauce of Expression

Language: English and Cantonese

We Cantonese users would like to let you in on the real secret behind why Cantonese sounds so uniquely expressive. It’s the reason you can almost hear the exact emotions through a mere text message written in the language, and the reason why translating Cantonese sentences accurately is a task for the bravest among us. You think Cantonese tones are tough? Wait until you meet the final boss. Sentence-final particles (SFPs) – the cheeky little buggers that’ll make or break your day.

These particles – surprise surprise – hang out at the end of sentences or clauses. Depending on how you use them, they either perfect or ruin your speech, or aid or destroy your job interview. Get them right, and they’ll cement your relationship with your in-laws; get them wrong… good luck at the family dinner.

Even if you’ve memorised the entire Cantonese dictionary, sentence-final particles will remain the difference between sounding like you’re quite good at Cantonese and being a pro. The stakes are pretty high.

Welcome to the power of 呀 (aa3), 喇 (laa3), 嘅 (ge3 / ge2). Welcome to the magical world of delightful semantic chaos. Welcome to SFPs. T&Cs apply.

Aurum Lai

Aurum was born in Hong Kong and is currently based in the UK. He’s loved languages ever since he failed his first French exam at school, after which he made it his goal to get top grades in French. He worked so hard on his grammar and vocabulary that he fell hard down the rabbit hole of languages and linguistics. A native speaker of Cantonese and English, he also learned Mandarin in primary school. During university, he worked as a part-time Cantonese/Mandarin-English interpreter.

Poliglotti in Movimento: La Kinesiologia a beneficio dell'apprendimento delle lingue

Language: Italian and Mexican Sign Language / Lingua Italiana y Lengua de Señas Mexicana

Collegare il nostro cervello al nostro corpo e farli lavorare insieme sembra facile, ma: Stiamo davvero sfruttando tutto il nostro potenziale? Dalla mia esperienza come Ballerina professionista, metto tutto in relazione al movimento; pertanto, desidero presentare agli amanti delle lingue, opportunità e possibilità di tecniche e metodologie che possono svolgere per ottenere il migliore utilizzo nell'apprendimento delle lingue attraverso la kinesiologia, visto da diverse sfaccettature del movimento: artistico, sportivo, del benessere e della salute fisica, mentale ed emotiva, per sviluppare con gentilezza i nostri obiettivi e raggiungere i nostri traguardi nell’acquisizione di nuovi linguaggi partendo da un approccio olistico.

Brenda Liliana Ruvalcaba Montoya

Brenda Liliana Ruvalcaba Montoya. Artistic name: Brandy Ruvalcaba. Mexican. Professional Dancer. Magician-Illusionist. Juggler. Dog Trainer. Polyglot in Spoken and Sign Languages. Creator of “Special Tangotherapy for Patients with Parkinson’s”. Speaker at TEDx: “Tangoterapia, un abrazo de vida.” Choreographer. Gymnast. Nutritionist. Evangelist of Korean Culture in Mexico. International Relations. Member of the Technical Committee of the Mexican Gymnastics Federation.

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Overcoming mental roadblocks in language learning

Have you ever wondered what is holding you back? Why on earth is your progress stalled, even though you just found a new language, revived an older one, met new friends, discovered literature… You learn a day, two, then take a break. At day 133 of your “pause” you wonder if you will ever achieve anything meaningful with your studies. Every restart feels harder. Eventually, you start dreading all this. You avoid conversations about your goals as they make you feel ashame.

In worst case, you may consider not visiting language events anymore. The ’backlog’ of language learning you feel piling up on your shoulders seems just too embarrassing. It is a spiral which is easy to enter, as life happens, and sometimes throws curveballs at us.

This is, however, not a prophecy, and you can change it anytime. No matter how long you have been riding this road, you can leave it anytime. I know. I have been there, for around 20 years, and I have never felt better about language learning than today, and it is just the start.

Allow me to give some inspirations from my personal life and building up on advice of experts in psychology.

Christian Vetter

Born and raised in Germany, Christian was always intrigued by other languages in cultures. Being tired of the discouragment in his social circle, he left eventually for a bigger city.

He loved the next language, the grass on the other side, always a bit too much. ;-)

In 2018 though, he entered a job in Customer Support, which facilitated organized learning as clients are eager (and sometimes expecting) written and spoken replies in their languages.

As of today, he speaks German (native), English, Dutch, Spanish, can converse in some Italian and French, and is learning the languages of his best friends (Finnish, Lebanese Arabic, and at the time of the conference, Czech).

ale li pona: what do you know about the language of good?

Language: English

Toki Pona, literally the ’language of good’, is a constructed language that allows people to communicate clearly using 120 words in total! It makes extensive use of imagination and empathy, while aiming at the very ’heart’ of things. Would you like to learn some?

Claudio Cantale

Passionate teacher and storyteller. Everything’s a story: you’ve been making one since the moment you woke up today. How’d you like to end it? Please, tell people about it. Make it happen.

Speed Connecting: The Icebreaker Game for Language Lovers

Language: Multilingual

Come and meet new People, one Conversation at a time!

Want to make instant connections with fellow language lovers? Join Speed Connecting, a dynamic and fun networking game that ensures you properly meet a handful of new people in just one session! You’ll be randomly paired with another participant for a 5-minute conversation, then switch to a new partner in the next round. And so on... Speak any language you like — the only rule is to engage and enjoy!

This is the perfect icebreaker at the start of the conference, helping you turn strangers into friends in a relaxed, low-pressure setting. Whether you’re here for the first time or a returning attendee, Speed Connecting will spark great conversations and expand your global network.

Optional Icebreaker questions will be provided as inspiration. I will guide you through the game and keep the energy high — just come as you are!

Are you ready to make meaningful connections in just minutes? Join us and let the conversations begin!

Daniele Bozzi

Daniele Bozzi is a polyglot at heart, his passion for language learning started at a young age. Known for his open and entertaining personality, he loves bringing people together and turning gatherings into truly meaningful experiences.

As a Community Manager at various software companies, his current job is to spark meaningful connections online and in person. His “Speed Connecting” game is a favorite at conferences, weddings, and festivals. (This year will be his first time attending Polyglot Gathering and he cannot wait to run this game for his own community!)

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Introduzione al ligure: storia, diffusione, caratteristiche, letteratura

Language: Italian

Nel senso comune il ligure viene spesso considerato un dialetto dell’italiano, ma in realtà, dal punto di vista scientifico, rappresenta una lingua a tutti gli effetti. Esso, infatti, non deriva dall’italiano, ma, come il francese, il portoghese o l’italiano stesso, deriva direttamente dal latino, ossia è una vera e propria lingua romanza ed è classificato, in particolare, tra le lingue galloromanze, le lingue neolatine a sostrato celtico. In questa presentazione, faremo un affascinante viaggio attraverso il tempo e lo spazio, un viaggio che dal misterioso popolo dei Liguri antichi, forse addirittura di origine preindoeuropea, ci porterà in ogni angolo del Mediterraneo lungo le rotte secolari della Repubblica di Genova, dalla Corsica alla Crimea, dalla Sardegna al Principato di Monaco, dalle coste tunisine alle isole greche, da Costantinopoli al Caucaso, e poi, seguendo le direttrici dell’emigrazione italiana, fino all’Atlantico e al Pacifico. Nel corso di questo itinerario, avremo modo di conoscere non solo la storia e la geografia del ligure, ma anche le sue principali caratteristiche fonetiche e sintattiche, nonché di scoprire qualcosa della sua interessante tradizione letteraria, che dal poeta medievale conosciuto come Anonimo Genovese giunge fino al celebre cantautore contemporaneo Fabrizio De André.

Davide Bozzo

Davide Bozzo is linguistic specialist at the Center for Language Evaluation and Certification of the University for Foreigners of Perugia. He taught Italian language and culture in the same university as well as at the University of Florence and McGill University and he was director of the Cinque Terre Summer School. He received a PhD in Philosophy (University of Pisa) and a Master’s Degree in Teaching Italian as L2 (University of Padua). He is president of a Ligurian dialectology society and artistic director of a Ligurian language music festival. He writes lyrics for his band, fifth times winner of the Ligurian language song contest.

Italiano vs español: similar but different

If you already know Italian or Spanish, you have a head start in learning the other. But be careful: similarities and false friends can be tricky! This bilingual presentation is designed for those who want to fully leverage the connections between Italian and Spanish while avoiding common pitfalls of linguistic overlap.

Through practical and engaging examples, we’ll explore shared grammatical structures, pronunciation differences, and deceptive vocabulary. You’ll gain useful tools to confidently navigate your first conversations, with strategies to turn your existing knowledge into a strong foundation for learning the other language.

Ready to discover how easy (and fun) it can be to build a bridge between these two sister languages?

Davide Gemello, Pedro Rodriguez Trigo

Davide Gemello is a content creator, language lover and founder of Podcast Italiano, a project for people learning Italian.

Pedro Rodriguez Trigo is a polyglot, language teacher and content creator from Spain.

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自分を克服する。私の言語は私について何を教えてくれたか。Overcoming myself in the process – What have my languages taught about me

Language: Japanese (slides in Japanese and English)

複数の言語をマスターすることは数年間、数十年間かかります。このプロセスに習得者はどうしてもついに「自分」と立ち向かわなければなりません。複数の言語にペラペラになりたいですか？もしそうなりたいのであれば、自分自身を習得者として見てみましょう：好きな習得する方法、強み、避けることや引っ掛かるところなど。私（えーろ）は習得者として自分の言語との歩みをここで話し、私が学んだ各言語は私自身について何を教えたかをシェアしたいと思っています。あなたの言語はあなたについて何を教えましたか？

Eero Huhtanen

Eero is a language enthusiast with a background and university degree in psychology. He’s currently living in Japan as a coordinator for international relations for Finland and a Japanese small countryside town. In his spare time he hopes to encourage people around him to learn languages that are meaningful to them and use their limited time resource productively. His main languages are Japanese, Spanish, English, French, Swedish, Danish and Korean.

Building Your Personal Language Learning Strategy: A Step-by-Step Approach

In this workshop, whether you are a language learner or a language coach, you will learn how to build a personalized language learning strategy using a clear, step-by-step approach. This method will help you focus on what matters most, optimize your learning, and achieve results faster.

Using your own language as an example, you will define your goals, create a structured plan, and break the learning process into manageable steps. You’ll also learn how to apply this strategy to help others effectively.

By the end, you’ll have a concrete, personalized plan for your language journey and tools to help others. If you want more structure and clarity in your learning or consulting, this workshop is for you!

Elena Kocheva

Elena Kocheva is a language coach, polyglot, and former IT analyst. She helps people learn foreign languages by combining innovative methods with a project-based, systematic approach, crafting personalized strategies that deliver maximum efficiency. She has helped over 250 clients, including C-level executives of major tech companies, learn languages as a coach.

Combining her own experience in language learning out of passion and necessity with the experiences of her clients in various life situations, she shares her product-oriented methodology to help achieve results efficiently.

Elena is also the author of the book Lingua Hacking: How to Learn a Foreign Language Effectively and Without Burnout (published in Russian) and runs the blog Изучение языка как стратегия on Telegram.

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Latin and Greek: The forgotten key to multilinguism

Language: Italian

Unlock the secrets of the European intellectual lexicon and discover how Latin and Ancient Greek shape modern languages! In this engaging talk, you’ll explore how these ancient languages have influenced vocabulary across many European languages. Words like philosophy and democracy are shared across languages such as English, French, German, and Russian—discover how these roots connect cultures.

Surprising words with classical roots will also be revealed. For example, “biscuit” comes from Latin bis (twice) and coquere (to cook), while “salary” stems from salarium, meaning “payment for salt.” These unexpected examples show how Latin and Greek permeate everyday language.

The talk also highlights how Latin and Greek case systems influence the grammar of modern languages like German and Russian. Understanding these systems gives you a head start in mastering complex syntax.

Finally, we’ll emphasize the importance of engaging actively with Latin and Greek—not just reading or translating. Speaking, writing, and discussing these languages helps internalize vocabulary and grammar, accelerating your progress in any modern European language.

This talk will give you the tools to enhance your language learning and unlock new dimensions of understanding European languages!

Francesco Morganti

Francesco is a 16-year-old classicist and language enthusiast from Italy, attending a school near Rome. He developed a passion for Russian language and literature at age 13 and has since expanded to six other languages. For Francesco, learning a language is accessing the culture it represents, with a focus on reading classical works in their original languages. As a student at Accademia Vivarium Novum, he has developed fluency in Latin and Ancient Greek, exploring how they enhance language learning. Francesco is involved in multilingual local projects aimed at fostering inclusion. He is also passionate about philosophy, literature, and the arts.

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Greek Temporal Oddities

Language: English & Greek

This workshop explores time as it runs across Greek tautological syntax patterns. We will see how the semantics of “time” and “addition” overlap in different languages, and how Greek brings both together through the concept of “otherness”. You need to be at least half-A1 to be able to follow this presentation… or just extremely confident.

George Karampalis

George (or Yorgos) is an educational-content creator, Greek tutor, and adept procrastinator. He enjoys breaking down language structures through context, etymology and comprehensible input. He has co-founded Difficult Greek, a project consisting of a website and a YouTube channel, on which he should post more often.

YouTubedifficultgreek.com

The Importance of Lusophony in the Iberian Peninsula: A Vehicle for Development and Cultural Exchange

This talk explores the cultural, historical, and economic significance of Lusophony in the Iberian Peninsula. From its role as a bridge between Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia to its contribution to regional development, Lusophony serves as a powerful vehicle for communication, exchange, and growth. We will also examine how learning Portuguese opens doors in both personal and professional contexts, fostering international connections and a deeper understanding of linguistic diversity.

Guillermo Renda

Guillermo is a Galician with deep Lusophone roots, as both sets of grandparents are Portuguese. Although their professional background lies in a technical field, they are making an exception to share their passion for languages and their heritage. Fluent in Spanish, Galician, a language closely connected to Portuguese, and Portuguese itself, they bring a unique perspective shaped by their upbringing and family ties. Their talk aims to highlight the role of Lusophony as a bridge for development and cultural understanding in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond

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Don't Fall for These! The Sneaky World of False Friends

Language: English

Learning a new language can be an exciting endeavor, but it also comes with its share of surprises—especially when it comes to false friends. These are words that look or sound similar across languages but have very different meanings, often leading to mix-ups and mistakes by learners.

In my talk, I’ll dive into the world of false friends in language learning, focusing on Finnic, Baltic, and Slavic languages. I’ll explore how these linguistic tricksters can give learners a false sense of mastery, making them think they’ve nailed a word or phrase when they actually haven’t. Through real-life examples, we’ll see how even the most enthusiastic language learners can be caught off guard by these sneaky words.

Join me as we explore how false friends slip into everyday conversations and learn to spot them before they lead to any misunderstandings.

Introduction to the Latgalian Language

Language: English

Latvian and Lithuanian are often considered the most archaic living Indo-European languages. But what about Latgalian? Could it be a language in its own right, and not just a dialect of Latvian? And could it be even more archaic than Lithuanian?

Spoken by about 165,000 people, mostly in Latgale, eastern Latvia, Latgalian is unique—but hardly understood by other Latvians. The Latvian nation and the country of Latvia are likely to have derived their name from the Latgalians. While written historical sources mention Latgalians as early as the 11th century, archaeological evidence from burial traditions suggests that their presence can be reliably traced back to the 6th-7th centuries.

In this language crash course, I will briefly examine Latgalian from a historical and linguistic perspective, comparing it to Latvian and Lithuanian and assessing the influence of Slavic languages on it. We will also learn some basic phrases in Latgalian to bring this fascinating language to life.

Join me in uncovering the story of Latgalian—an overlooked gem of the Baltic linguistic heritage!

Inese Pintāne

Inese Pintāne is a folklore researcher, linguist, and translator. Her academic path commenced with a Bachelor’s in Finno-Ugric Studies, followed by two Master’s degrees—one in Semiotics and Electronic Culture, and the other in Modern Linguistics. Currently, she is working towards a PhD in Slavic Philology. Her research focuses on how language shapes our cultures and the important role storytelling plays in preserving traditions.

Српскохрватски, Хрватскосрпски, БХМС, Нашки: један језик или четири?

Language: Serbian

Српски, хрватски, босански и црногорски – да ли су то четири засебна језика или варијанте једног језика? Ова тема изазива дискусије међу лингвистима и говорницима ових језика.

У овом предавању ћемо истражити историјски развој српскохрватског језика, разлоге за његову поделу и степен узајамне разумљивости између његових савремених варијанти. Да ли су разлике веће од оних између британског и америчког енглеског или између европског и бразилског португалског? Ко одлучује шта је језик, а шта дијалекат?

Осим тога, причаћемо о томе шта ова подела значи за полиглоте који желе да науче један или више ових језика. Да ли треба да учите „четири“ језика или је довољно научити један? Ако вас занимају словенски језици, овај разговор ће вам помоћи да разумете њихову динамику и лакше одаберете стратегију учења.

Дођите и откријте како историја и лингвистика обликују оно што зовемо језиком!

Isailo Dondic

Isailo Dondic has been a mathematics professor for many years, but he has also had a long-standing passion for languages. In addition to his native Serbian, he speaks German, English, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Esperanto, Italian, and Romanian. His interest in languages led him to start a YouTube channel in 2024, dedicated to the Serbian language. Through his work, he enjoys exploring linguistic connections, teaching, and helping others understand the beauty of Serbian and other languages.

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More than perfect! Verb aspects across languages

Language: English

Many language enthusiasts will be familiar with the concept of grammatical aspects: the different ways that an action relates to time, as opposed to tense, which expresses when an action happens. However, a lot of us limit our understanding to perfective and imperfective aspects, denoting complete and incomplete actions respectively. Having previously written a popular article explaining these two aspects in Slavic languages, in this talk, I would like to dig deeper into the riveting world of aspects, and explore how different languages treat aspect drastically differently, how detailed you can express an aspect, and how aspects can be combined with each other or with different sentence structures.

The complexities of translating time from one language to another have always fascinated me. I hope that you will have opened your mind (see what I did there?) to the endless possibilities that time can be moulded and communicated in language.

Israel Lai

Israel Lai is a composer by day and a language learner by night. He discovered his passion for languages when he first taught himself German on his own, over ten years ago. Amid lockdown, he created the language-linguistics podcast 絮言．狂想, discussing language topics closer to Cantonese listeners and creating listening materials for Cantonese learners. He also runs the YouTube channel Rhapsody in Lingo, creating multilingual videos about his language learning and life abroad. Israel is currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at the University of Manchester. He is also a stenography learner.

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An Introduction to Stenography: How to Type at 300 Words Per Minute

Language: English

This proposed workshop aims to introduce stenography (steno), the art of typing at speeds exceeding speech, up to 300 words per minute, and sustain it for hours. This workshop is perfect for polyglots who are also interested in the intersection of linguistics and technology.

We’ll examine how steno theories work, with a particular link to phonology and phonotactics, using the English system as an example. We’ll give you a chance to decode some steno output, which is like learning to read a new script!

We’ll also take a brief look at steno systems of other languages. We’ll briefly talk about the development of Maajik, a work-in-progress Cantonese steno system, and how we try to surmount the challenges associated with the language’s unique features in contrast to English and other European languages.

The bulk of the workshop will give attendees a chance to play with steno hands-on. We’ll demo how English steno works, and we’ll also show you how you can learn and practice steno at home, without any expensive equipment. We will provide multiple steno keyboards that people can try and write simple sentences with, which will hopefully spark their interest to learn about it more!

Israel Lai, Samuel Lo, Kenneth Ngan (collectively known as the 絮言・狂想 podcast)

Israel Lai, Samuel Lo, and Kenneth Ngan, collectively known as the 絮言・狂想 (Seoijin Kwongsoeng) podcast, are three linguaphiles from Hong Kong from different backgrounds who are united by their love of languages and linguistics. They have been working together for more than 4 years on the language-themed podcast in Cantonese. Besides language learning and linguistics, they also acquired the hobby of stenography together, which they have been sharing the joy of to others, but especially polyglots, who can further appreciate the beauty and fun of stenography.

YouTube

Wie(so) sagt man das (so)?

Language: German

Was können uns Begriffe wie Eigentore, Schwalben oder Neujahrsvorsätze über Europa sagen, wenn wir sie ins Englische und Französische übersetzen? In diesem interaktiven Vortrag wollen wir gemeinsam anhand eines bunten Mosaiks von Ausdrücken entdecken, wie eng die deutsche, englische und französische Sprache durch ihre Wurzeln und kulturellen Bezüge miteinander verbunden sind. Für die Teilnahme genügt es, wenn Sie neben Deutsch nur eine dieser beiden Sprachen beherrschen und Lust auf eine kleine Sprachreise haben. Sie können wählen, ob Sie nur passiv zuhören oder auch aktiv mitmachen möchten. Was uns noch erwartet: Unerwartete Seitenblicke. Solide Fakten und interessante Trivialitäten. Eine Prise Etymologie als Würze. Und schließlich eine Herausforderung für die Freiwilligen: Wie sagt man das auf Tschechisch?

Ivan Kupka

Ivan Kupka is a Slovak mathematician, publicist and language enthusiast. He is an avid reader and the author of two books on language learning. He speaks 6 languages. The number of languages in which he has read at least 10 books is 12. He is a couch potato, but has lived and worked abroad for a year - in France - and likes to frequent second-hand bookshops in Bratislava and Vienna.

ivankupka.wordpress.com

Play + ing with basque verb-s

Language: Multilingual

Ongietorri! It takes you 3 years of study to come up with beautiful and funny verbs? Do you want to see how a "didazue", "genezake" or a "dakarkizut" is made? In a moment we will disassemble these intricate Basque verbs into small pieces and play and learn along the way.

Iñaki DPB

Musician, actor and performer. Teacher and museum guide in San Sebastian. Content creator talking about art and culture. And yes, he likes playing with the audience!

artdpb.com

Speak Latin like the Romans!

Language: Latin, English

This Latin crash course is a great introduction to the language of ancient Rome. You’ll make your first steps in Latin and learn basic phrases with engaging learning techniques and approaches.

No previous language knowledge is needed. You will memorise neither declensions nor conjugations. On the contrary, you will learn to use the context to help you understand the text you read.

Jan Oko

Jan Oko is a passionate polyglot, educator, and content creator with a deep love for languages, history, and literature. He teaches English and Polish as foreign languages and promotes "living methods" for learning Latin, making the ancient tongue more accessible to modern learners. Jan creates Latin-language content and hosts the Polish with John podcast, helping learners master Polish. He is also involved in a project digitalizing texts for a database of Polish Latin authors. A dedicated fan of Tolkien and speculative fiction, he dreams of one day writing a science-fiction novel in Latin.

Low Saxon – Bridging gaps between Germanic languages

Language: English

Being from the East of the Netherlands, I was always surrounded by the Low Saxon Language in one way or another. Visiting the Polyglot Gathering for the first time in 2024 however, I was once again reminded of the fact how little people know about it. And that while the language is present in quite a significant part of both the Netherlands and Germany.

Often being overshadowed by Dutch, Low Saxon does not always get the appreciation it deserves. In this workshop however, you will find out why it is worthy of so much more. Find out how Low Saxon relates to German and Dutch, who its speakers are and why it is important we take action now.

Expect to learn who speaks Low Saxon, what the speakers are like, which different forms the language can take, ways we can improve the current situation, as well as to learn some core Low Saxon words and phrases! Kum zeker langs um te zeen hoe schier ‘t plat proat’n wa nich kan wean! (Be sure to come by to see how beautiful Low Saxon can be).

Jip Derkman

Jip Derkman is a self-taught polyglot from the Netherlands. Learning Russian, his first fully self-taught language, had a great impact on his life, experiencing incredible moments, getting to know new people as well as now working in a Dutch language school for Russian and Ukrainian speakers, and also performing standup comedy in Russian. Originally from the region of Twente, he takes pride in the local differences in culture and language present.

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El arte de la memoria

Language: Spanish

¿Qué es la memoria? ¿Podemos entrenar el cerebro como si fuera un músculo? ¿Existen técnicas eficaces para estimular los recuerdos? ¿En qué se basan?

Desde los albores de la humanidad, poetas, filósofos y oradores han desarrollado diversas estrategias para recordar grandes secuencias de información. Hoy en día, los atletas de la memoria realizan exhibiciones sorprendentes en campeonatos internacionales. Pero, ¿existe alguna relación entre la memoria y el aprendizaje de lenguas?

En este taller exploraremos la paradoja de la memoria y el olvido emprendiendo un viaje a través de la historia. Nos acercaremos a los retóricos griegos, Marco Aurelio, Hermann Ebbinghaus y Jorge Luis Borges. Analizaremos conceptos fundamentales como la economía del lenguaje, la memoria de trabajo y la curva del olvido. También descubriremos las técnicas mnemotécnicas de los hiperpolíglotas, desde Giuseppe Mezzofanti hasta Alexander Argüelles.

Intentaremos comprender cómo influye la memoria en la adquisición de lenguas y, sobre todo, pondremos en juego herramientas que transformen la teoría en práctica.

Jonathan Martínez

Jonathan Martínez is a communication specialist and writer from the Basque Country. He earned a degree in Hispanic Philology and obtained his PhD in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Seville with a research study on Mexican cinema. He has developed an interest in media analysis, linguistics, and literature. Currently, he is delving deeper into Slavic languages.

The Letters of India

Language: English

What do ancient Indian scripts reveal about the cultures they shaped? In this talk, we’ll take a fascinating journey through the evolution of India’s writing systems—from the ancient Brahmi script carved into stone to the flowing curves of Tamil and the crisp, angular lines of Devanagari. Have you ever wondered why North Indian scripts tend to be straighter and more linear, while South Indian scripts are beautifully rounded? There’s a practical reason for it, but also a mythological tale that’s just as intriguing.

Indian alphabets are more than just symbols—they reflect the pluralistic philosophy that’s at the heart of India. Across the subcontinent, diverse languages and scripts have coexisted for centuries. Just take a look at an Indian currency note—it’s a living testament to this diversity, with multiple scripts coming together on a single piece of paper. (By the way, we’ll play a little game during the talk, and there’s an artistic prize waiting for the winner!)

The arrangement of Indian alphabets is something truly special, and we’ll explore that together. Many polyglots admire the elegance and logic behind how these scripts are structured. There’s even a beautiful philosophy woven into the letters: consonants are like “bodies,” while vowels are the “souls” that bring them to life. It’s a system that’s both transparent and deeply symbolic.

Here’s a little teaser to get you thinking: Can you guess the approximate age of the oldest Indian script? (Hint: it’s older than you’d imagine!)

Whether you’re captivated by the artistic beauty of these scripts, their cultural connections to sound and identity, or the philosophies they hold, this talk will leave you with a whole new appreciation for the elegance and variety of India’s letters.

Joshua Balata

I was raised by language lovers who spoke to me in various Indian languages as a child. It came naturally to me to pick up languages as my parents did it so effortlessly.

I moved to France for business studies and currently work in Paris in the world of Data (I mean Indian dude and computers – the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!)

Since moving to Europe, I've taken a fond liking to make Indian food, calligraphy and video making. This year will also be my first at the Polyglot Gathering where I join by association the #FitGlot community (bring your running shoes jic!).

joshuabalata.com

Paper Magic for Polyglots: Simple Books and Pop-Ups for Language Learning and Teaching

Language: Multilingual (fr, de, es)

Technology has made language learning so much easier. And there’s still a place for tactile learning which engages the brain in a different way. Join me for a hands-on workshop where we’ll create simple books, pop-ups and other magical paper structures. These can be great tools for language learning or teaching—helping with tricky grammar, conversation scripts or vocabulary that just won’t stick. Or, they can be a fun and creative way to celebrate languages: perhaps a pocket-sized book with those exquisite untranslatable expressions, a selection of Persian poems or Finnish song lyrics, or your favourite words in various languages. En français / Auf Deutsch / En español. No problem if you don’t understand all the spoken instructions—it will be visual. No art experience required!

Kate Battle

Based in Montreal, Kate has been working as a book artist (bookbinding and pop-ups) and language tutor/coach for over 20 years. She has always enjoyed bouncing between art and languages, but the sweet spot is when the two come together—whether in her artist books, handmade props for teaching English to adults, or second-language art workshops with kids in schools. Kate loves the thrill of giving workshops in different languages: most are in French or English, with occasional exciting opportunities in German or Spanish. (Oh, and once in her far-from-fluent Japanese!)

katebattle.caInstagramInstagram

Português do Brasil vs Portugal: Diferenças e semelhanças

Language: Portuguese

Será que os brasileiros e os portugueses falam realmente a mesma língua? Às vezes parece que não!

Nesta apresentação, o casal luso-brasileiro Marcela de Oliveira e Leonardo Coelho explicam as principais diferenças entre o português do Brasil e de Portugal, partilhando alguns dos episódios mais divertidos de «barreira linguística» da sua vida a dois.

Leonardo Coelho & Marcela de Oliveira

Leonardo and Marcela are a Luso-Brazilian couple who everyday navigate the differences between their 2 versions of the Portuguese language.

They are also language teachers and avid language learners: Leonardo runs Portuguese With Leo, the biggest YouTube channel teaching European Portuguese, and Marcela runs Francês com a Mar, a podcast teaching French to Brazilians.

portuguesewithleo.comInstagram

Cultivating translingual and transcultural competencies though the use of picturebooks

Language: English

This talk discusses how translingual and transcultural picturebooks develop linguistic competencies and cultivate young language enquirers. It focuses on the production and reception of I want to Speak Ukrainain, a trilingual picture book in English, Ukrainian and Irish that was created in 2022 to facilitate interlingual and intercultural exchange in Irish schools in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Our talk will introduce the text which was written in both the Roman and Cyrillic script and show some examples of its multilingual illustrations. It present the activities that we created to facilitate its use in two multilingual, primary schools, one in Ireland and one in Spain. It describes some of the intercultural, interlinguistic and intergenerational exchanges that took place in our classrooms and shows a few of the drawings and mini-books that our students produced. A respect for, and interest in, the languages, scripts and cultures of others is a necessary requirement for language learning and the conversations that took place in our classrooms all revolved around the intercultural benefits of being a polyglot speaker. They showed how interaction with translingual, picturebooks can bring about a shift in perspective and engender a humanistic, integrative view of language learning.

Lindsay Myers and Erin Becht (this is a co-presentation about an internationak collaboration)

Lindsay Myers is a Lecturer in Italian and Children’s Studies at the University of Galway, Ireland. Her specialisms are Italian children’s literature, picturebooks, children’s literature in translation and the adaptation of children’s books in theatre and film. She is interested in the relationship between words and pictures in multilingual children’s picturebooks and in the playful ways in which these can foster and develop interlinguistic and intercultural competencies. She is the author of two picturebooks for children, I Want to Speak Ukrainian (2022) and Mootsy and the Awfully Big Bite (2020) and an advocate for the child’s voice in children’s literature.

Erin Becht is a PhD candidate in Education at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She is based in Spain and has over ten years experience as an English, German, and Spanish language teacher. Her PhD project explores the potential of translingual picturebooks in multilingual educational environments. Erin is currently working as a primary teacher at an International school in Northern Spain and enjoys exploring creative ways to support students in developing their linguistic and cultural identities.

Native Esperanto speakers

Language: English

Esperanto is a constructed language, yet Ethnologue says it has about a 1000 native speakers. Is that correct? How can an artificial language with no nation even have “native” speakers? Does their mere existence not defy the assumed neutrality of Esperanto, which is promoted as “everyone’s second language”? And do these people play any special role in the development of the language or community? Come to learn more about this little-known phenomenon from Marek, who is himself a father of three native Esperanto-speaking children, and discuss the topic with fellow Esperanto speakers in the audience.

Marek Blahuš

Marek Blahuš is an IT scientist, Wikipedian and polyglot based in Brno, Czech Republic. In his job in the field of computational linguistics, he is handling millions of words every day, routinely in languages he cannot speak. His areas of interest include text corpora, digital lexicography, terminology extraction, and interlinguistics. Searching for patterns in natural phenomena is his life-long passion, as demonstrated also in his long-time hobby, genealogy. Marek is married and a father of three bilingual children (Czech and Esperanto).

sketchengine.eu

5 Fun and Creative Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

Language: English

Do you want to expand your vocabulary but are tired of boring conventional methods? Are you looking for ways to unleash your true, not-so-serious self in the target language, with or without others watching? Are you stuck in a plateau and want to motivate yourself again? Then this talk is for you! We’ll talk about five fun, free and creative methods you can use to improve your vocabulary and look at some examples together. Suitable for learners of all languages, especially Spanish, German, Greek, French or Hungarian, who feel stuck getting past beginner (or intermediate) level. Let’s get unstuck together!

Maria Spantidi

Maria was born and raised in Greece. At the age of 20, she caught the language learning bug while testing a new language learning website. She went on to learn several languages by taking on fun and creative challenges. A language learning bet with herself prompted her to move to Germany, where she now lives and works, using German, a language she learned completely for free. Her book "Fluent For Free" inspired many language learners and some famous polyglots to learn and teach languages more effectively.

fluentforfree.com

Guia d’aprenentatge de llengües minoritzades | Guia de aprendizaxe das linguas minorizadas

Language: Catalan, Galician, English

A través de dues històries personals amb el gallec i el català, volem fer una aproximació a com és i què significa aprendre llengües minoritzades (que no minoritàries!). Són llengües que sovint passen desapercebudes, però que, com totes les llengües, obren portes a mons i persones que altrament no hauríem pogut conèixer. Som dos neoparlants, apassionats per llengües i us volem encomanar el nostre amor al gallec i al català. Si estàs aprenent català, gallec o una altra llengua minoritzada, fa temps que en volies aprendre una o simplement és un tema que desconeixes i t’interessa, vine a parlar amb nosaltres!

A través de dúas historias personais co galego e o catalán, queremos achegarvos aos temas de como é e que significa aprender linguas minorizadas (que non minoritarias!). Son linguas que a miúdo pasan desapercibidas, mais as cales, como todas as linguas, abren portas a mundos e persoas que doutro xeito non teríamos coñecido. Somos dous neofalantes, apaixoadas de linguas e gustaríanos transmitirvos o noso amor polo galego e o catalán. Se estás a aprender galego, catalán ou outra lingua minorizada, levas tempo querendo aprender unha delas ou simplemente é un tema que descoñeces e che interesa, vén a falar connosco!

Marilena Opferkuch, Kuba Wysocki

She was born in Austria and studied Galician at a university in Germany. Then she spent a year as an Erasmus student in Vigo and moved back a few years later, even though now she lives in Barcelona.
As a translator and interpreter she works with the Galician language, plays the tambourine in a Galician music group and visits the "Terriña" whenever she can.

Born in Poland and settled in Catalonia since 2018, language rights defender, especially in Spain. Interested in "dolor de llengua" (language grief) and how IA can help create resources for minoritized languages. He learnt Catalan by immersion (from abroad) and he studies it now at the university. He also studied Galician, Basque, Aragonese and Occitan.

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Falares Brasileiros: Cultura Regional e Linguagem

Language: brazilian portuguese

É sabido que o português brasileiro se distingue do português europeu em vários aspectos: do ponto de vista fonético, ortográfico, sintático e no seu vocabulário, enriquecido pelas culturas indígenas, africanas e de migração europeia, oriental e asiática. Trata-se, por um lado, de um idioma nacional que se diferencia do idioma-matriz e, ao mesmo tempo, de variantes regionais faladas e culturalmente vividas diferentemente no país. O enfoque de minha apresentação está na articulação cultural destes falares regionais e na discussão linguística que daí resulta: Bahia, Minas Gerais, Brasil Central, Amazônia, Nordeste, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo e Rio Grande do Sul. Os exemplos audiovisuais serão discutidos em suas manifestações culturais através da oralidade assim como em sua escrituralidade, da inclusão de elementos regionais na língua oficial (desde a topografia até expressões idiomáticas) assim como da exclusividade de termos e expressões locais consideradas intraduzíveis, mas que encontram correlatos em outras variantes locais e na língua oficial. Essas duas vertentes indicam uma valorização dos falares regionais e da memória das culturas locais, situando-as num contexto mais amplo do português brasileiro oficial e da importância de sua intrínseca diversidade, além de fomentar a discussão da traduzibilidade de falares regionais.

Marina Corrêa

Marina Corrêa is lecturer at the University of Vienna, Austria. She studied musicology, German and romance studies. Her main interests lay in language as an aesthetic communication (PhD in a comparison between music and word expression), language and the translation of cultures, as well as the vernacular de-hierarchization.

ufind.univie.ac.at

Ár var alda: A short introduction to the earliest germanic languages and their literary corpora

To get to know the past, is to help understanding the present. Let us embark in this talk on a journey through the linguistic history of the germanic languages and see what were some of the first attested languages spoken across northern Europe. This is a story of Kings, Queens, Poets, Warriors, Monks, Runes, Dragons, Vikings, and so forth.. I’ll present some of the main first attested languages by showing the literary works and social-cultural contexts in which they were written. We’ll take a look at the people’s behind the stories and history by analyzing the languages and the worldviews embedded in their rich and vast vocabulary. If it’s for instance Old English, Gothic, Old Norse or Old High German you always wanted to hear more about, don’t hesitate in attending this talk and together let’s explore the fascinating legacy of the early medieval world!

Matheus Ventura Lang

Matze is a Carioca-Swabian Hyperpolyglot, Anthropologist and language enthusiast currently located in northern Germany. With a deep interest for language and it’s nuances, he’s pursuing his Masters degree in Philosophy and Scandinanvian Studies with a focus in Medieval studies. With his passion for etymology and historical linguistics Matze is also a language teacher, helping people around the world to perceive language by the optic of history, culture and philosophy.

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Учење на твојот прв словенски јазик по 40 години: зошто македонскиот јазик?

Language: Macedonian

Словенските јазици можеби се полесни отколку што мислите. Дојдете и откријте ја неверојатната моќ на македонскиот јазик, најлесниот словенски јазик.

Matias Barmat

Systems analyst and majored in Journalism. Director of Recruitment for HYPIA (The International Association of Hyperpolyglots).

polyglotassociation.org

Divina Commedia: Lettura del Primo Canto dell'Inferno

Language: Italian

La Divina Commedia di Dante Alighieri è probabilmente l’opera più importante e maestosa di tutta la letteratura italiana. Molte parole inventate da Dante ed apparse per la prima volta in quest’opera sono entrate nell’uso comune e molti suoi versi sono diventati proverbiali.

In questa lezione leggeremo insieme il Canto di apertura della Divina Commedia, immergendoci nel contesto storico e culturale dell’epoca, ma soprattutto scoprendo quanto le parole di Dante rimangano in realtà attuali anche al giorno d’oggi. Infatti, nei versi che leggeremo, un ruolo importantissimo è ricoperto dalle emozioni e dai sentimenti umani, che restano invariati in ogni epoca e che i grandi poeti come Dante ci aiutano a comprendere e ad esprimere, regalandoci le parole.

Non lasciatevi intimorire dalla apparente complessità dei versi: ogni passaggio sarà spiegato in modo chiaro e accessibile, rendendo la lezione adatta a chiunque abbia una buona comprensione dell’italiano.

Se non vi siete mai avvicinati a Dante, questa è un’opportunità unica per scoprire la bellezza della sua opera ed approfondire la conoscenza della cultura italiana. Se invece questi versi vi sono già familiari, vi invito comunque a partecipare. Sono sicuro che insieme riusciremo a cogliere nuove sfumature e significati inattesi.

Michele Galasso

Michele is a young scientist from Italy. He combines a strong technical background, holding a MSc in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Materials Science, with a variety of hobbies mostly related to the humanities. Beyond his work in an AI company, Michele is an accomplished saxophone player, a passionate reader and a language enthusiast. Over the past 10 years, he has lived in Sweden, Russia and Czechia, becoming fluent in the local language of each country. During this time, he has deeply immersed himself in their cultures, all while proudly representing and celebrating his Italian heritage.

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Language Competence and Access to Coping in New-cultural Environments among Polyglots. A presentation of my Master's Thesis.

Language: English

Foreign languages have been an important subject of interest of individuals for a long time. There exist many historical examples of individuals who mastered multiple languages and were passionate and motivated about learning them. Nowadays, such individuals are defined as polyglots and are characterised by their high level of motivation, enthusiasm and passion for studying, improving and practising languages. Even if some research in the areas of neuropsychology and motivation of polyglots exists there exists a research gap in the investigation of polyglots and their adaptation to and functioning in new-cultural environments. The purpose of this study is to seek to fill this research gap and to address two research questions. Firstly, it is examined to what extent language competences impacts polyglots’ awareness, understanding and adjustment to different cultures. Secondly, it is questioned which concrete language competences are relevant in this respect. The model of sociocultural adaptation was chosen as the main theoretical concept of this study where interaction with locals, understanding of cultural differences and obtaining of cultural knowledge are essential factors for an individual to adjust to a different culture. The present study is based on a qualitative approach where six polyglots from five different countries were interviewed, after which the interviews were hermeneutically interpreted by applying the sequence analysis approach. The results of the present work demonstrate that multiple language competence of the participants play a pivotal role in their awareness, acceptance and adaptation to different cultural encounters. Furthermore, profound knowledge of vocabulary, communication with locals in the local language and understanding of the contexts behind some grammatical and lexical phenomena are the most essential factors that positively influence polyglots’ ability to coping and functioning in different culures. Overall, even if the present study could be considered as a first step to investigate the relationship between polyglots’ linguistic competence and sociocultural adaptation it is encouraged to conduct further research in this context. For instance, it would be worth questioning how polyglots’ language learning approaches could impact their ability to adjust to and function in different cultures.

Multilingual concert with Helga

Language: Multilingual

During this max. 1 hour long concert, I would like to perform songs in different languages and different styles such as Latino, jazz, Bossa Nova and many others. Come and have fun!!!

Olga Koeva (Helga)

Olga Koeva is a Bulgarian hyperpolyglot and a professional organist and pianist. She has a Bachelor's degree of sacred music and a master's degree of organ improvisation. Additionally, Olga has a Bachelor's degree of International Relations and Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Regensburg, Germany. Recently, she successfully completed her Master's degree of Management of Intercultural Studies at the same university and obtained a Grade A (1.0) for her Master’s Thesis.

Olga Koeva has always been interested in studying, practising, analysing and improving languages. Olga speaks 13 languages fluently and is still improving them by reading literature in all these languages, listening to radio and communicating with her friends.

YouTube

The Language Bubble

Language: English

Looking at the bubbles and echo chambers we create in our own world. How does this affect our learning? How does it affect perceptions? What can we stand to achieve? And what can we stand to lose? From planning to learn, learning and using languages, we all create our own language bubbles. Let’s think about them together.

Richard Simcott

Richard Simcott is a British polyglot, who has studied over 50 languages. HarperCollins described him as one of the most multilingual people in the United Kingdom, and the Goethe Institute gave him the title Ambassador for Multilingualism.

He has many years of consulting experience using languages with diverse clients and offering his expertise on multilingual and multinational projects.

He is the original founder of the Polyglot Conference and The Language Event and manages a popular Facebook page called Speaking Fluently.

SpeakingFluently.comPolyglotConference.com

Break the Ice in 10 Languages!

Language: Multilingual

Every language has a secret phrase that instantly connects you with native speakers. In this workshop, you’ll learn ice-breakers in 10 languages—expressions that make locals smile and engage with you. Join us for a fun, interactive session to start conversations with confidence!

Ruslan Kokorin

Ruslan Kokorin was born and raised in Russia. From 1998 to 2015, he lived in the UK and Ireland and now resides in Cyprus. He runs an online language school for Russian speakers learning English. A passionate language enthusiast, Ruslan loves connecting with people through language.

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Vous kiffez le français?

Language: French

Envie de parler comme un vrai Parisien et d'ajouter un peu de fun à votre français ? Cet atelier de 45 minutes vous plonge dans l'univers dynamique et coloré de l'argot français ! Découvrez les expressions les plus populaires utilisées par les jeunes et dans la vie quotidienne, de « Ça roule ? » à « Ouf ! ».

À travers des jeux de rôle interactifs, des quiz amusants et des explications simples, vous apprendrez à intégrer l'argot dans vos conversations. Vous saurez comment exprimer vos émotions, faire bonne impression et comprendre l'argot dans les films et chansons françaises.

Cet atelier est conçu pour que vous puissiez pratiquer dès le premier jour, avec des mises en situation réelles qui vous aideront à utiliser l'argot de manière naturelle. Que vous soyez passionné par la culture française ou un voyageur curieux, cet atelier vous offrira une porte d'entrée passionnante dans un aspect essentiel de la langue.

Alors, prêt à kiffer le français ? Rejoignez-nous pour un moment fun, décontracté et enrichissant !

SEBASTIEN CAPPELIER

Sebastien Cappelier has been teaching French to diverse audiences for over 20 years, working in France, Mali, the USA, Senegal, and, most recently, at the International School of Prague. He holds a master’s degree in French as a foreign language and is passionate about language acquisition, intercultural communication, and innovative teaching methodologies. Dedicated to fostering engaging and inclusive learning environments, he continually explores new pedagogical approaches. Beyond teaching, Sebastien loves traveling the world, discovering new cuisines, cooking, running, and attending concerts. He is also an avid reader and enjoys learning about history, music, and different cultures through his experiences abroad.

Sobre la belleza y la gramática. El caso del español.

Language: Spanish

¿Qué pasaría si la gramática no fuera solo un conjunto de reglas, sino una herramienta para dar significado, color e incluso belleza al lenguaje? En esta charla, exploraremos cómo gracias a la gramática podemos transmitir información para no depender tanto del léxico y así enriquecer nuestro discurso en una lengua extranjera.

A través de ejemplos fascinantes del español, descubriremos cómo pequeños cambios gramaticales pueden transformar el significado de una frase: beber vs. beberse, he roto vs. se me ha roto o busco una silla que es vs. sea verde.

Al final de la charla, tendrás una nueva visión de la gramática, no como un simple pegamento para tu vocabulario, sino como una poderosa herramienta que te va a ayudar a transmitir mejor la información que quieres comunicar.

Sergio Martínez

Sergio is a passionate Spanish language teacher at a language school in Madrid. His love for languages led him to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages at Universidad Complutense of Madrid. Fascinated by the logic of grammar and the essence of language, he thrives on exploring how grammar works to make it easier to learn for his students.

Der heimliche Endgegner: Intuitiver Aspektgebrauch in slawischen Sprachen

Wer eine slawische Sprache lernt, ist erst einmal mit dem reichhaltigen Nominalsystem beschäftigt. Doch sobald man denkt, das Schlimmste ist vorbei, taucht der eigentliche Endgegner auf: der Verbalaspekt, und der ist, je nach Sprache und Lehrwerk, erstaunlich knapp dokumentiert.

Slawische Verben werden in zwei Gruppen eingeteilt: die imperfektiven, die eher den Prozess einer Handlung beschreiben, und die perfektiven für das Resultat dieser Handlung. Weil ein Resultat keine zeitliche Ausdehnung hat, kann es keine Gegenwart beschreiben, stattdessen werden die perfektiven Verben auch mit Futurbedeutung verwendet. Und schließlich bilden Verben mit gleicher Bedeutung aus beiden Gruppen sogenannte Aspektpaare, und die muss man eben lernen.

Soweit die Grammatik, das ist auch alles logisch und richtig, man kommt damit aber im aktiven Sprachgebrauch nicht sehr weit – die (Re)Konstruktion eines korrekten Satzes aus den gegebenen Regeln funktioniert nur bedingt. In diesem Vortrag will ich deshalb der Frage nachgehen, wie man eine sprachliche Intuition für den Verbalaspekt entwickeln kann, auch wenn er in der eigenen Muttersprache nicht existiert, und praktische Methoden zeigen, die ich für mich selbst entwickelt habe.

Alle Beispiele Ukrainisch, die Konzepte sind abstrahierbar und auf andere slawischen Sprachen anwendbar.

Sonja Krause-Harder

Sonja Krause-Harder has a background in linguistics and software engineering and started learning Ukrainian in February 2022. She learned the language through self-directed massive immersion through YouTube and podcasts in combination with private tutoring, passed a B2 exam in June 2024 and is now hovering somewhere around C1. She is also teaching Ukrainian at Bildungszentrum Nürnberg to pre-intermediate students.

After collecting many textbooks for Ukrainian as a foreign language, she has found that verbal aspect isn’t adequately handled in most of them. Her talk explores practical strategies for not only understanding this specific aspect ;-) of slavic languages, but also developing a solid intuition of its use, using her experience with Ukrainian as a guide.

Linguistic Typology for Deeper Insights for Language Learners

Language: English

There is an untapped wealth of tools from linguistics beyond what polyglots and aspiring polyglots tend to already know (use IPA, analyze morphological paradigms, analyze the syntax). In this talk, I review the basics before discussing a few of them. First, how patterns of sound change long known in historical linguistics can inform our understanding of multiple languages, and demystify seemingly complex patterns. Second, how the tension between pragmatic roles topic and focus on the one hand, and semantic roles on the other can help us understand everything from auxiliary selection in Romance and Germanic languages to the semantics of binyanim in Hebrew and the impersonal passives in Czech...not to mention unexpected word orders from native speakers. Finally, I will tie everything together with an explanation of how linguistics implicational universals can create shortcuts for language learners, reducing mental load.

Taylor Jones

Dr. Taylor Jones holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, and runs the youtube channel and blog Language Jones. An expert on language variation and change, he is currently working on an academic grammar of Black American English.

languagejones.com

How Ecuadorian Kichwa Transformed my Multilngual life and why Every Polyglot Should Learn it too!

Language: English(main) + Kichwa/French/Japanese/Spanish

In spring 2011, my syntax professor summoned me to his office and asked me if I want to study Kichwa the coming summer. "It’s fully sponsored by the school." He added. Studying a language for free and gets paid. That’s a no-brainer for me! Thus, I went all the way down to the Amazonian jungle of Ecuador and started to learn it immersively with the help of Kichwa field school. At first, I thought I would just dabble it for a summer. However, to me surprise, I did not only sticked with it for years but also became an activist for indigenous languages. On top of that, my other languages also flourished thanks to Kichwa! In this talk I will share my journey in Kichwa and how this language transformed my multilingual life and why I encourage every polyglot and aspiring polyglot to pick up an indigenous language!

Terry Chih Hsiang Hsieh

Terry is the founder of Polyglot.tw, the first organized and officially registered polyglot group in Taiwan. He is also an immersion program designer/engineer, a published writer, an entrepreneur and a language revitalization activist. He has learned more than 50 languages to various levels so far and continues to learn new languages. In addition to his linguistic passion, he is also a cat rescuer, a globe-trotter and a hardcore gamer.

polyglotimmersion.com

Basic Thai Phrases for Your Next Vacation

This 105-minute session is designed to help you navigate Thai pronunciation with confidence while equipping you with essential communication skills for real-life interactions. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or simply interested in the language, this engaging talk will provide practical insights to enhance your understanding of spoken Thai.

We begin by exploring the fundamentals of Thai pronunciation, focusing on unique sounds and tonal variations that distinguish meaning. Through interactive exercises, you’ll develop an ear for these nuances and practice producing them accurately. By mastering these essential elements, you’ll build a solid foundation for clear and effective communication.

The session then shifts toward practical language skills, emphasizing useful expressions for everyday situations. Engaging activities will help reinforce what you learn, making it easier to recall and apply in real-life scenarios.

Beyond pronunciation and practical usage, we will also touch on cultural aspects that shape the way Thai is spoken. Understanding tone, rhythm, and common communication habits will give you deeper insight into how to interact naturally and respectfully.

By the end of the talk, you will feel more confident in your ability to engage with native speakers, making your Thai language journey both enjoyable and rewarding.

Tian Hai (Layla Hai)

Layla is a third-culture kid who grew up immersed in the cultures of China, Thailand, and the United States. Her passion for effective cross-cultural communication led her to a career as a language teacher and interpreter. Now based in southern Germany, she teaches English and Thai, helping students bridge linguistic and cultural gaps with confidence.

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Linguistic adventures of a Ukrainian teacher of English on a Czech-learning journey

My favorite question asked by my Czech colleagues since I came to Prague in 2022 has been “Is the difference between Ukrainian and Russian the same as between Czech and Slovak?” In my presentation, I’m going to explain why it is much bigger but may seem the same due to the artificial assimilation of Ukrainian to Russian during the Soviet times.

I also hope to entertain you with my story of learning Czech only by listening and being the subject of many smiles or blank faces due to using false friends or making mistakes with direct translations of set expressions and idioms. We will also see why trying to understand a word or phrase in Czech through its English translation is for a Ukrainian like scratching your left ear with your right hand :-) At the end, I will give my own comparison of Ukrainian and Czech (including their history) from the point of view of a linguist, English teacher and a native Ukrainian speaker.

Victoria Burbelo

Victoria Burbelo is an ESL teacher with 26 years of experience from Dnipro, Ukraine. During her career, she was a language school owner, copywriter, interpreter, and a manager of an international localization conference “UTICamp”. In March 2022, she relocated to Prague with her two children and is now working as a full-time teacher of English at Gymnázium Nad Štolou. Victoria writes poetry and articles in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. She has recently got interested in the processes taking place in modern Ukrainian and would like to offer her perspective on the comparison of Ukrainian and Czech.

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La vida de un políglota adolescente

Language: Spanish

Hay muchas historias de políglotas adultos que ya han aprendido 10 idiomas y tienen muchos años de experiencia. ¿Pero cuántas historias de políglotas adolescentes has escuchado? ¿Tres o dos?

En este discurso me encantaría mostraros cosas de detrás de las cámaras de mi vida y de las de mis amigos políglotas. ¿Qué desafíos afrenta un políglota adolescente?, y lo más importante; ¿cómo los afrentamos? Desearía cubrir el tema de nuestra «fluencia» en tecnología, que según algunos poseemos como los adolescentes y ¿cómo la aprovechamos a nuestro favor?

Wiktor Gołaszewski

Wiktor (pronounced just like Victor ;P) is a 17-year-old passionate about languages and language learning. He has a long list of languages he hopes to learn throughout his life. His main goal is to promote language learning as a fun and productive way to spend time, especially among teenagers.

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