Worried about your foreign accent or just want to tune it up a bit? You're in the right place! This is the first of a series on sounding good in you your target language. I'm calling it Pronunciation Plus! We all want to make sure that a thick foreign accent does not get in the way of good communication. It's really important to win the confidence of your … [Read more...]
Insights from the Polyglot Gathering 2018
This was the second Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava and the biggest ever. If you don't know about the Polyglot Gathering, you must be new to the site. I've attended (and reviewed) all five (the first three were in Berlin). In short: it's a five-day event of talks, socialising and evening events run by enthusiastic volunteers for anybody who's into learning one language or … [Read more...]
Why they won’t stop speaking English and how to keep the conversation “foreign”
You’re visiting the country at last. Your long-awaited chance to practise “in the field” has arrived. You start to speak….stumbling utterances and then….. You are answered in English. It’s happened to me often enough and it’s left me feeling a failure, humiliated or just disappointed. What’s this all about and how can I get people to stop speaking English? I’m … [Read more...]
Polyglot Gathering 2018: the daily vlogs
Ahoj from the Polyglot Gathering 2018 in Bratislava. The Gathering has recently finished and I've been daily vlogging. All five vlogs are now out, beginning with the Polyglot Gathering opening evening on Wednesday right up to the closing ceremony and beyond on Sunday, the last day. Needless to say, I've had a great time. It's the people who make it and thanks to all of … [Read more...]
Viennese slices: first impressions of the Austrian capital
Grüß Gott aus Wien! It’s my first time in Vienna, the second station in my “three capitals” trip to Central Europe. Here are my impressions (with an update in the form of a short vlog from Schloss Belvedere, down at the bottom of the post). I arrived from Berlin on Wednesday, by train. It would have been quicker, and about a third cheaper, to fly. I enjoy train journeys so … [Read more...]