I'm recently back from the Language Event: Edinburgh. It was a two-day conference in celebration of languages and language learning. The head organiser was Richard Simcott of the Polyglot Conference. Here's my review (with three vlogs at the bottom of the post). The "Event" has grown out of last year's less formal Edinburgh language meet-up (staged at short notice by … [Read more...]
Language events: the ultimate guide 2024
Regulars on the site or the YouTube channel will know that I'm a fan of meetups at which language learners share their passion, hear about the latest language learning books, courses and tech, exchange tips and listen to the experts. This post tells you all about the main language events. Who are they for? Where and when do they take place? What are they like? Let's look at the … [Read more...]
Polyglot Conference Fukuoka: Daily Vlogs
The seventh Polyglot Conference took place in Fukuoka Japan. In this post, I share the three daily vlogs I shot at the event. The Conference is "for everyone who loves languages" and takes place each October, in a different location. In the vlogs, the focus is on conveying the vibe and giving a voice to some of the many attendees. I attended a lot of the talks as well and … [Read more...]
The Polyglot Gathering: learner “takeaways” review
This year the Polyglot Gathering took place in Bratislava for the third (and final time). If you saw the daily vlogs I made from the event (or my reviews and vids from previous years), you'll need no introduction to this language lovers' conference-cum-celebration. In the vlogs there are many brief shots from inside different talks but my main concern was to convey the … [Read more...]
What is the Eisteddfod like?
I've spoken fluent Welsh (as an adult learner) for over half my life and one way I've grown into the culture is by attending the Welsh National Eisteddfod or Eisteddfod Genedlaeathol Cymru. It's held for the first week of August each summer. The location changes from year to year. The National Eisteddfod is a huge cultural and social celebration (with a dash of … [Read more...]
Polyglot Gathering daily vlogs 2019
The 2019 Polyglot Gathering: whoooosh! It's been....and gone. I'm now back in London. My week in Bratislava seemed to be over more or less right after it began. It was the sixth Gathering, the third one in the Slovak capital. I've reviewed them all and vlogged the last three. Last year and the year before I pumped out the daily vlogs overnight during the event. This year … [Read more...]
Britain’s “other” languages: three creators speak (report)
"Indigenous: Welsh, Gaelic, Scots, Cornish and More" was an evening event recently held at the British Library here in London. Three creators who work in some of Britain's "other" languages took part. Is it realistic to redefine "Britishness" to include some of the oldest Brits of all? What does it mean to create in these languages? What are the challenges and rewards if you … [Read more...]
Edinburgh language learners’ meetup, reviewed
Here's a review of the Edinburgh language learners' meetup that I recently attended. It had a bit of a back-story. A new event for language lovers called "LingoFringo" was scheduled to take place in the Scottish capital. The event website was a mess (with no clear programme) and Edinburgh is a long way to travel just for a couple of days. That's especially the case in January, … [Read more...]
At London’s Language Show (with vlog)
Last weekend I attended London’s annual Language Show for the fifth year. The event runs for an autumn Friday, Saturday, Sunday and is a mix of trade fair, training event and chance to meet other language learning enthusiasts. It’s free (though you register for a ticket online in advance). Many of the attendees are language professionals (translators, interpreters), … [Read more...]
Polyglot Conference Daily Vlogs (Ljubljana)
Pozdravljeni iz Ljubljane! Greetings from Ljubljana! I'm in the Slovene capital for this year's Polyglot Conference. It was great to be a speaker at the Conference's Language Learning Event the day before the Conference weekend. That evening, Friday, there was a "Welcome" reception. Day One of the Conference itself was Saturday and we had another full day of talks, … [Read more...]