The Italic Languages: Latin’s Lost Sisters

It is well-known that the Romance languages have their origin in Latin, but many are not aware that Latin did have several sister-languages, spoken in other parts of what is now Italy. How did they look like? How much is known about them? How does their grammar work in comparison to classical Latin? When and how did they go extinct? Can those languages be learned and spoken? And… how would the Romance languages look like today, if not Rome had become a world power, but instead another city somewhere? Let's delve deeper into Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, Messapic, Venetic, Picene, Pre-Samnite and… well, also Latin and Proto-Italic!

André Müller & Ronja Sturm

André Müller studied linguistics and Chinese studies in his hometown Leipzig and later did his PhD in Zurich about language contact in Myanmar, after which he returned to Leipzig to teach German as a foreign language as well as Klingon. André is a regular at Polyglot Gathering and is into linguistic typology, constructed languages, phonetics, morphology, Egyptology and writing systems (of which he knows 27!).

Ronja Sturm is doing her BA in linguistics at the University of Leipzig and interested in linguistic typology, and morphological and syntactic theory, and most things linguistics. She’s currently working on gender and number and likes languages with a lot of affixes. Besides, she likes making music.

Practical Guide to Reading Your First Book in a Foreign Language

Language: French

Reading a full-length book in a foreign language is a milestone many learners dream of, yet many abandon the idea after struggling through the first page. This talk offers a practical, encouraging roadmap to make that goal achievable—starting as early as the A2 level.

We’ll look at how to choose the right first book: what to prioritize, how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to select stories that motivate rather than overwhelm. Participants will learn what to expect when reading with limited vocabulary, how to handle unfamiliar words without stopping every few sentences, and how to build confidence even when the text feels challenging.

The session will also tackle the realities of busy daily life. We’ll explore simple strategies for integrating short reading moments into your routine, creating sustainable habits, and maintaining motivation when progress feels slow. By shifting expectations and using smart techniques, learners can turn reading into an enjoyable, consistent part of their language journey.

Attendees will leave with a clear method and the confidence to begin—and finish—their first book in a new language.

Anna Ostojska

Anna Ostojska is a lifelong language enthusiast who has learned English, French, Dutch, and Swedish by exploring diverse learning methods. Books have always been central to her approach, helping her accelerate and enrich her language journey. Balancing a busy professional life in the IT sector and family life, she pursues languages in her own unique way. Passionate about sharing her experience, Anna inspires others to see language learning as a joyful, rewarding adventure, showing that curiosity and consistency can turn reading into a gateway to new worlds.

Language learners in the early modern period

Language: English

During the early modern period (1500-1800), European expansion and colonialism brought as a result a new wave of multicultural exchange in which languages and cultures merged in a speed never seen before. Throughout this period, language acquisition proved essential both for European colonialists and local societies. In this talk, I want to explore how language learning became a hot topic during the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, from places like Nueva España (Mexico) and Brazil to Japan and Taiwan. This talk also explores how language learning affected one's status in colonial societies, how Europeans got to know about foreign languages spoken thousands of kilometers away, and how translators and interpreters fared in the midst of the early modern world. I hope this talk can inspire others to look into this often ignored history of language learning and polyglot agents.

Arturo Ortiz Casillas

Arturo is a Mexican national studying his last Master's year at Paris. He is carrying out a thesis on the diffusion of European firearms in the East Asian space during the 16–17th centuries. His studies also focus on European expansion in the early modern period, with a particular focus on colonial studies and multilingual use of primary source materials.

Be Five Again: A First-Hand Journey Into The Magic Of Early English Learning!!!

Language: English

Come with me and step into the world of a kindergarten classroom and experience English the way 5-year-old children do—through movement, rhythm, and play. In this engaging hands-on workshop, participants will become the “children” as we explore a mini-lesson drawn from over 20 years of teaching English in my local kindergarten.

Discover how raps, rhymes, songs, games and storytelling—combined with simple, purposeful movements—can create a joyful, happy environment where even the youngest learners feel confident and motivated. You’ll see how these techniques build vocabulary, support memory, and invite spontaneous participation, all while keeping the energy high and the atmosphere relaxed.

Whether you teach young learners or adults or simply want to bring more creativity and movement into your lessons or your own language acquisition, this workshop will give you practical ideas you can use immediately. Come and join in, have fun, and rediscover how magical early language learning can be.

Astrid Pfeffer

Astrid lives in the south of Germany and is married with two adult daughters. A teacher and translator for more than 30 years, she has taught English and German to learners of all ages. For over 20 years, she has worked in a local kindergarten, introducing five-year-olds to English through a dynamic approach and innovative methods that blend movement with raps, rhymes, songs, games and stories. She is also the author of several books containing additional teaching material used in schools and at home. Her main passions are teaching, studying lots of languages and dancing!!!

pfefferverlag.de

Ў не складанае: why Belarusian is easier (and harder) than you think

Language: English

Belarusian is often mistaken for a “simplified Russian,” yet it is one of the most distinctive and surprising members of the Slavic family. This workshop offers a clear and engaging introduction to the language, showing what sets it apart and why it deserves far more attention from language lovers

We will explore the sounds, grammar, and vocabulary that make Belarusian unique — from the famous letter Ў to features that place it closer to Polish or Ukrainian than many people expect.

To make the session interactive, we’ll compare short phrases across Belarusian, Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian and learn how to recognise Belarusian “in the wild.” A fun cultural segment will introduce Belarusian’s traditional curse formulas, known for their colourful imagery and dark humour

The workshop will also touch on how Belarusian lives today, especially within diaspora communities where the language often becomes a symbol of identity and continuity.

Whether you’re a Slavic-language enthusiast or simply curious, this session will give you a fresh, accessible look at a language that is both familiar and unexpectedly different. Join us to rediscover Belarusian beyond the stereotypes.

Asya Cariuk

Born in a small Belarusian town, Asya speaks multiple languages. She moved to Poland, the home of her grandparents, when she was 16, and after finishing her education, she set out on a lifetime travel journey. She lived and learned languages through immersion in eight different countries, from China to the Middle East and Ireland. Türkiye is one of her favourite destinations, as it is where she developed her ability to fit in with the locals. She enjoys showing people Istanbul, which she believes is the greatest city on Earth. With this presentation, she returns to her roots after many years of shaping a diverse and cosmopolitan identity, reconnecting with the language and cultural heritage that first sparked her passion for languages.

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La danse des mains : une comparaison de quatre langues des signes: mexicaine, américaine, brésilienne et internationale

Language: French, Sign languages

La langue des signes n’est pas universelle ; il existe plus de 7 000 langues parlées et plus de 300 langues des signes. Pour moi, danseuse professionnelle, la danse est l’expression la plus pure et la plus ancienne de l’âme, où le corps, transformé en pinceau traçant des histoires comme une toile aérienne, abrite des milliers de cœurs qui parlent sans un son: les langues des signes, univers merveilleux aux possibilités expressives et de communication infinies.

Dans cette conférence, je propose une analyse linguistique contrastive et comparative de Quatre Langues des Signes : Mexicaine (LSM), Américaine (ASL), Brésilienne (LIBRAS) et la Internationale (IS). Je dévoilerai l’architecture grammaticale, morphologique et sémantique qui sous-tend la « danse des mains », en examinant ses similitudes et ses différences dans la configuration des paramètres formatifs du signe.

Je vous invite à un voyage poétique, où la main, cet instrument de caresse et de création, devient l’ancrage de la grammaire et le miroir de l’identité dans un espace de vastes chorégraphies culturelles.

« La main qui bouge, c’est le cœur qui parle, et le visage, c’est le rythme qui le guide. »

Brenda Liliana Ruvalcaba Montoya

Brenda Liliana Ruvalcaba Montoya. Artistic name: Brandy Ruvalcaba.

Mexican Polymath. Professional Dancer. Magician-Illusionist. Juggler. 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. Volunteering with Elephants and Dolphins. Dogs Trainer. Member of the Technical Committee of the Mexican Gymnastics Federation. Traveling Dancer around the world with her project “Brandy Ruvalcaba The World is my Stage”.

YouTube

Intro to Greek: Demystify the Chimera

Language: English, Greek

Have you ever thought it would be cool to know Greek, to Greeksplain fancy words to your friends or just spend every summer at a gorgeous beach? And then you saw a weird alphabet with traumatic memories from math class and words that make no sense? In this workshop we will give you an overview of the Greek language, clarify which parts are important to get started and what can come later, hidden logic and patterns to make the language easier, and top it off with the delicious spice of slang!

Dimitrios Amperiadis, Tilemahos Doganis

We are two Greek polyglots living in Germany with a passion for the Greek language.

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Was sind denn nun eigentlich diese Modalpartikel?

Language: German

Das gibts […] nicht! [ja/doch/halt/wohl]

Modalpartikeln sind ein wichtiger Bestandteil der deutschen Sprache, doch leider wird über sie viel zu selten gesprochen. Von Deutschsprachigen und sogar in der Linguistik werden sie noch immer oft als „Füllwörter“ abgestempelt; für Deutschlernende sind sie meist ein einziger Albtraum. Kein Wunder, es wird ja auch in keinem Lehrbuch beigebracht. Aber das wisst ihr wohl schon … oder wisst ihr es doch schon? Ihr wisst es ja vielleicht schon! … eh schon?!

Dabei sind Modalpartikeln eigentlich echt nützlich! Man kann mit diesen kleinen Wörterchen nämlich eine ganze Menge ausdrücken, wenn man weiß wie man sie richtig einsetzt.

In diesem Talk geht es also darum was Modalpartikeln eigentlich sind und wofür sie im Deutschen verwendet werden.

Kommt bloß vorbei! … Ich meinte: Kommt doch vorbei :)

Emi Tedman

Emi is an aspiring polyglot with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Japanese and a Master’s degree in Linguistic Data Science. She loves learning about general linguistic theories and connecting them to language learning and teaching people how linguistic principles can make language learning easier.

YouTube

Language at Play – Improv Comedy for Polyglots!

Language: English

Join us for “Language at Play” – a fun and interactive workshop joining the worlds of language learning and improvised comedy.

Yes, improv comedy. The one where performers make up comedy on the spot. If you think that looks hard -- guess what? Improvisers do this using the same skills you use to learn a language:

• Active listening
• Embracing uncertaint
• Observation
• Responding in the moment (even when you’re not ready)

And best of all? Everything you say is right and there is no such thing as a mistake.

This is an on-your-feet workshop where we’ll take you through the basics of improv comedy via a series of games and exercises designed to teach the core skills you need onstage while giving you a chance to use your languages. Through playful icebreakers, multilingual games, and sample scenes, you’ll have the chance to express ideas across languages without fear of mistakes. In fact, mistakes are half the fun!

This workshop is beginner-friendly, although any experienced improvisers will be welcomed to help model scenes for others. All explanation will be provided in English, but the games will enable you to freely mix languages.

Erica Pohnan

Erica is a multilingual comedian who performs in 7 languages. She has performed all over the world, where she also teaches both improv and standup comedy as she travels, to help people bring more laughter into their lives. She is a former featured player on the Comedy Club Bangkok improv team who has headlined comedy shows in 8 countries, and most recently learned how to say “I will fight a bear for cake” in Estonian, onstage.

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Grammatik lernen mit Liedern

Language: German, English

Zum Sprachenlernen gehören zwei Dinge: das Verstehen und das Fühlen. So wichtig es ist, die grammatischen Strukturen, Muster, Regelhaftigkeiten einer Sprache zu erkennen und damit systematisch zu arbeiten, so wichtig ist es auch, in die Kultur und Mentalität des Volkes, das die Sprache spricht, einzutauchen, zum Beispiel durch Musik. Wir finden: warum nicht beides verbinden? Wir bringen Euch Lieder mit und zeigen, welche grammatischen Muster man dort entdecken kann. Ihr seid herzlich eingeladen, mitzusingen und eigene Lieder mitzubringen!

Felicitas Andermann & Ronja Sturm

Felicitas Andermann is a PhD student in linguistics at Leipzig University. She is working on morphological theory and indigenous languages of North America. In her private life, she is interested in Romance and Slavic languages and European folk music.

Ronja Sturm is doing her BA in linguistics at the University of Leipzig and interested in linguistic typology, and morphological and syntactic theory, and most things linguistics. She’s currently working on gender and number and likes languages with a lot of affixes. Besides, she likes making music.

felicitasandermann.wordpress.com

Change of Being, Change of Standing, Change of Owning

Language: English

This talk is about how different languages express permanent and temporary attribute, location and ownership and changes thereof, as well as tips on what to learn first to be able to express yourself without any bottlenecks. Examples from English, Portuguese, Norwegian, Esperanto, Mandarin Chinese and Georgian, as well as from translations. You will be intrigued at how the same verb across different language groups can express staying in a place and becoming something else, and change the way you get into a language and what you get from it!

Hidson Ronaldo Monteiro Guimarães Filho

I am a Brazilian polyglot who has been into languages since the early 2000's forums, delved into systematic studies between 2012 and 2020 and ever since has worked as a professional technical, creative and audiovisual translator.

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Mandarin Crash course

Language: Mandarin, English

Mandarin Crash Course: Speak First, Think Later

Curious about Mandarin but intimidated by tones, pronunciation charts, or textbooks? This 45-minute Mandarin crash course is designed especially for polyglots who love using languages, not analyzing them.

From the very first minute, you will be speaking. No tones, no phonetic symbols, no pressure. Instead, you’ll learn Mandarin the way humans naturally do: by listening, mimicking, and interacting. Through carefully guided scaffolding, you’ll pick up useful expressions step by step, building confidence before you even realize it.

The focus of this session is real communication. We’ll practice self-introductions and simple exchanges so that when you meet people at the gathering, you’ll know how to present yourself in Mandarin—from zero to conversation-ready. Expect lots of pair work, group interaction, laughter, and “aha!” moments.

This is not a lecture; it’s an experience. You’ll open your ears, trust your instincts, and let the language flow. By the end of the session, you won’t just know about Mandarin—you’ll feel what it’s like to speak it.

Come curious, leave confident. Let Mandarin meet you where you are.

Pushing Learners to the Wall: How to Create Thinking Pressure Without Killing Confidence

Language: English

Why do so many language learners talk fluently but think so little in the target language? After 21 years of teaching Mandarin, I’ve learned that the problem isn’t a lack of vocabulary or motivation—it’s too much comfort.

In this 45-minute workshop, you’ll discover how to deliberately create productive pressure in the classroom: the kind that forces learners to take a position, defend it, disagree, complain, and reorganize their thoughts—without damaging confidence or rapport. Drawing from real classroom moments, live demonstrations, and practical questioning techniques, I’ll show how to push learners “to the wall” in a way that feels challenging, safe, and surprisingly empowering.

Grounded in one core belief—the best language emerges from struggle, complaint, and disagreement—this session will help teachers move beyond polite answers and surface-level fluency, and instead trigger the kind of thinking that makes language truly stick.

Huimin Zhang

Huimin is a professional Mandarin teacher with a contagious enthusiasm for teaching. Her classes are dynamic, interactive, and intellectually stimulating. Students often describe the experience as “brain-smoking” in the best possible way—their minds are fully engaged, actively processing new patterns and transforming input into their own authentic voice. Rather than relying on rote memorization, she guides learners through meaningful interaction, listening, and speaking. With clear scaffolding and constant encouragement, she helps students build confidence step by step. Her teaching philosophy is : learning Mandarin should be challenging, fun, and empowering at the same time.

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But why tones?????? The wacky history of the Chinese language(s)

Language: English with German slides

Did you know that Chinese used to have no tones… and sounded more like Klingon than what you’re used to hearing? Or that while you’re practising your ups and downs, you’re actually pronouncing the ghosts of dead consonants? Or… when you learn the millionth reading of the same Japanese kanji, you get a glimpse into cultural exchanges over time?

Many learners view Chinese tones as one of the biggest hurdles, but to language nerds like us, they are clues in a historical scavenger hunt. In this talk, we will go back thousands of years to retrace how a language with no tones transformed into the tonal languages we hear today.

The engine behind this is tonogenesis, or the process by which sounds disappear and leave behind pitch as a footprint. We’ll discover how tones and other sounds in Chinese languages ended up so different, and also uncover traces of this history preserved and reflected elsewhere. Whether you are battling through HSK 1, fluent in Korean, or just a language nerd who loves a good historical puzzle, this talk will change the way you hear Chinese(s) forever.

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. Amidst 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 advocating for linguistic equality, and has appeared in international media from Poland to Wales. Israel is currently PhD candidate in Composition at the University of Manchester. He is also a stenography learner.

YouTube

Standardizing a language, the case of Euskera (and others).

Basque is a very old language with a very recent standardization process. Let's see how we arrived at this standard and compare it with other languages.

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

From Viking runes to Rødgrød – the tale of Danish

Language: English

Let me take you into the fascinating history of the Danish language, all the way back from Viking runes all the way up to the modern day diversity of Danish and its many dialects. I will focus on what makes Danish stand out from Swedish and Norwegian, its complex phonology system, which makes it challenging to learn for foreigners.

Jacob Overgaard Madsen

I'm Jacob from Denmark, a passionate language learner for many years. My mother tongue, the Danish language, is very close to my heart, and has been for my whole life. I like helping others understand the Danish language better.

Deutsch lernen mit Kinderliedern

Language: German

Wenn du Deutsch lernst, dann komm vorbei und sing deutsche Kinderlieder mit uns! Egal ob du singen kannst oder nicht – wer nicht singen kann, der singt umso lauter mit. Wir werden gemeinsam nicht nur Deutsch üben, sondern auch deutsche Kultur kennenlernen. Wer in Deutschland aufgewachsen ist, kennt bestimmt Kommt ein Vogel geflogen, Hänschen klein oder Grün, grün, grün. Und nach diesem Workshop wirst du sie auch kennen! 

Jana Meyer zu Hörste

Jana studies environmental sciences at university in her homecountry Germany and grew up with multiple international experiences. She has participated in student exchange programs her whole life, starting at 8 years old with an exchange to France and has since lived in Canada, Spain and Czech Republic.

She is actively engaged in volunteering with ESN (Erasmus Student Network) as well as groups for environmental activism to fulfill her biggest passion – protecting the environment.

Czech 101

Language: English

A fun and very interactive way to learn basic Czech – for complete beginners. The ideas can be adapted for any language. The Czech lesson will be completely in Czech (no need to panic)

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor has been a TEFL trainer since 1998 and gives lessons in Czech so that student teachers can experience the feeling of learning a new language. He's lived in the Czech Republic since 2006 and his Czech should be much better than it is.

languagelearningjokebooks.com

Juntos, pero no revueltos

Language: Spanish

«Nunca aprendas dos lenguas de la misma familia al mismo tiempo. Terminarás confundiéndolas y no hablarás correctamente ninguna de las dos.» ¿Cuántas veces has escuchado este consejo? ¿Tiene alguna base científica?

Los estudios hablan de interferencia léxica. Al principio, tal vez te cueste separar con claridad ambos sistemas. Es probable que mezcles el vocabulario y caigas en la trampa de los falsos amigos. La gramática de una lengua podría entrometerse en la gramática de la otra. Y viceversa.

Sin embargo, es común exagerar los inconvenientes y minimizar los beneficios. La realidad es que el parentesco facilita la transferencia entre lenguas. Los cognados se adquieren a gran velocidad. El cerebro recicla estructuras y patrones. Además, nuestra intuición comparativa nos ayuda a detectar mejor las reglas y las excepciones.

¿Deberías estudiar italiano y francés? ¿Portugués y español? Mediante el ejemplo de las lenguas romances, aprenderemos a sortear los obstáculos y a aprovechar las ventajas de estudiar dos o incluso más lenguas de una misma familia a la vez.

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.

AI Prompts for Accelerated A0 to C2

Language: English

AI is easily one of the most effective language learning tools out there, but only if you know how to use it. In this talk, you’ll learn exactly how to harness AI at every stage of language learning, from absolute beginner to advanced, to make your study time more productive, efficient, and motivating. You will learn the best strategies for using AI and how to recognize and address its limitations. By the end of the session, you’ll walk away with a practical cheatsheet of AI prompts you can start using immediately to guide your learning, structure your practice, and accelerate your progress.

Juliette Chirol Hill

Juliette is a passionate language learner with a background in software engineering who combines technology and language acquisition in innovative ways. She learned Polish from A0 to B1 in four months using AI and currently uses AI to overcome the intermediate plateau in Mandarin, progressing from B2 to C1. With a background in software development, Juliette has built several Chrome extensions and web apps designed to tackle common language learning challenges. Her work bridges AI, technology, and effective language learning strategies.

Swing 101: The Universal Language of Partner Dance

Language: English, body language, and exaggerated facial expressions

Ever wonder what it's like to hold a conversation without saying a single word? Welcome to the world of partner dancing, where leads and follows create an intricate dialogue through the wordless, yet infinitely expressive language of connection. In this hands-on swing dance workshop, you'll learn basic steps and connection techniques, just enough vocabulary and grammar to hold your first "conversation" on the dance floor (and face the world-famous Polyglot Gathering dance parties with confidence). If you've never danced before or have already tripped twice today, this workshop is for you. Come with or without a partner, ready to move, laugh, and discover a language that transcends borders and cultures!

Juliette Chirol Hill, Bob Zeng

Juliette has been dancing for over 20 years, driven by the same passion that fuels her language learning: a fascination with how humans express themselves. Dance isn't just a hobby, it's woven into her identity, shaping how she moves through and connects with the world. She has taught beginners in over 10 partner dance styles, from swing to waltz, and has joined dance socials across eight countries including Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Mexico, and France, where she's experienced firsthand how dance transcends linguistic barriers, creating deep connections with locals often without any language in common.

Ergative, Ejective, Endless – A crash course in Kabardian

Language: English

Welcome to a real linguistic challenge: Kabardian is a language of complex grammar, challenging phonemes and words with a ridiculous number of parts, some of which I will do my best to teach you in 45 minutes. You'll come away with a sense of achievement, defeat, or maybe even thirst for more, but I hope you'll have fun as I take you though the fascinating complexities of a language that I know and love, and I'll leave you with a clear idea of what to do next if you wanted to learn it to the full. Sharing the ergativity that Basque has, the ejective consonants that you'll also find in Ethiopia, or the ridiculous verb agglutination that makes Turkish infamous, Kabardian truly is its very own challenge, and a true pleasure once you get somewhere with it.

Introduction to the Circassian/Kabardian language

Language: English

Take a leap towards understanding one of the most enigmatic languages of the Caucasus, a land filled with strange sounds, baffling grammar and a fascinating and fraught history. With a brief background on the languages and history of the region, this talk will then focus on the language there that I know and love best – the Kabardian variety of Circassian. Full of ejective consonants, verbs with half a dozen morphemes, and numbers that make you want to laugh and cry at the same time, I'll do my best to show you what I most love about this very special language and share it through my eyes and the eyes of my friends who have been fortunate enough to speak it from their very first words.

Karl Rose

Although he currently spends his time as a teacher of Spanish and English, two fairly large languages to say the least, or learning Persian to interpret for refugees, Karl Rose has a passion for connecting with speakers of minority languages around the world, making friends with them and encouraging their connection with their cultures and languages. He promises to learn the language of every good friend he makes and hopes he'll manage to keep that commitment before too long. He lives in Devon in southwest England.

Mobility & Stretching Class

Language: English

Take a break from all the brainwork and join me for a relaxing and fun mobility & stretching session at the Polyglot Gathering! Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or someone who hasn’t stretched in years, this class is for everyone. No flexibility or previous experience is needed — just bring yourself and a willingness to move a little

This gentle class is designed to release tension from long hours of sitting, improve your range of motion, and help you feel more refreshed and energized. We’ll combine simple mobility exercises with easy stretches, guided by calming music and good vibes.
It’s the perfect opportunity to reconnect with your body, recharge your mind, and maybe even learn how to say “ouch, that feels good” in a few new languages

Wear comfortable clothes, bring a towel or mat if you like, and come ready to smile, breathe, and stretch it out with fellow language lovers.

Krisztina Fehér

Hi, I’m Krisztina — a certified fitness & aerobic instructor with over 15 years of experience and an orthopedic surgeon by profession. I’ve always been passionate about movement, health, and the human body. When I’m not in the operating room or leading fitness classes, you’ll probably find me exploring new countries, connecting with people from different cultures, and learning new languages (obviously).

I’m very excited to be part of this amazing community where language meets lifestyle — and to move and stretch together during the event!

Ey Up Mi Duck – unlocking the dialect from Derbyshire and the Peak District

Language: English

It is often said in jest that, in the UK, if you drive 20km and the word for a bread roll changes. Derbyshire and its stunning national park are no exception! In this interactive workshop, I want to share with you some of the funniest and most original corners of the Derbyshire dialect. Together, we’ll pretend we’re sitting in front of the fire of a Peak District pub in leather seats and pint in hand, and try and decipher (and pronounce) the words and phrases that have been exchanged across generations, teapots, dry stone walls and sleepy hamlets.

Luke Jackson

Luke is a British-born polyglot, educator and aspiring writer living in the north of France. He has lived and studied in 8 different countries and has travelled to many more. He is passionate about minoritised languages, linguistic policy and rights and language equality. He works in an international language school in Lille, welcoming French learners of all ages and nationalities for immersive courses. When he is not studying languages, he is most likely running or cycling, trying to locate some weird border on Google Maps or judging people from a terrace with a café allongé in his hand.

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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 lived and worked, 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.

mariaspantidi.com

Corfiot Linguistic Heritage: Exploring Venetian and Italian Influences

For over four centuries, Corfu stood at the crossroads of Greek and Italian worlds. During Venetian rule (1386–1797), language became one of the most enduring traces of this encounter. The Corfiot dialect emerged as a distinctive variety of Greek, shaped by sustained contact with Venetian and Italian in administration, trade, culture, and everyday life.

This talk explores how foreign elements entered the dialect and were gradually reshaped through Greek phonology and morphology, becoming part of local speech rather than remaining external borrowings. Through concrete examples of loanwords and structures, it reveals how history is preserved in language.

The presentation also addresses the current status of the Corfiot dialect, its gradual retreat in favor of Standard Greek, and ongoing efforts to document and preserve it, highlighting its value as a linguistic and cultural archive of the Mediterranean.

Marilena Koufogianni

Marilena Koufogianni is a linguist and translator. She holds a Master’s degree in Language Sciences from the University of Ca’ Foscari in Venice, where she wrote her dissertation on Venetian and Italian influences on the Corfiot dialect of Greek. She is combining academic research with professional experience in translation, diplomacy, and cultural institutions. She is particularly interested in dialects as expressions of historical memory and community belonging.

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Carmina Latina antiqua et recentiora

Language: Latin

Carmina constat multum prodesse discipulis in linguis ediscendis. Etiam Latine multa cani possunt – cum carmina antiqua poetarum, tum quaedam mediaevalia et etiam multo recentiora. In hac schola canemus carmina metrica Horatii, Catulli et Ovidii sat simplicibus et iucundis modis musicis illustrata, quaedam mediaevalia (ex Carminibus Buranis deprompta) nec non recentiora, nostro aevo exarata.

Martinus Loch

Dr. Marcin Loch (better known as Martinus) is an independent researcher, private Latin teacher and founder of “Schola Latina – Ad Fontes”, where he teaches Latin online using a direct approach. In his free time, he plays organ, engages in carpentry, furniture restoration, and watchmaking, and tries to combine his passions with the Latin language—which isn't difficult, as numerous books have been written in Latin about all of these topics.

ad-fontes.eu

Learning Languages to Belong, Not Just to Speak

Language: English

Many people start learning languages for simple reasons. They want to connect with others. They want to make friends, feel included, and belong to a community.

However, language learning is often treated as a technical skill focusing on efficiency, fluency, and correctness. In this talk, I argue that this way of thinking can cause us to overlook what language learning is actually about.

Growing up in Japan, a largely monolingual environment, I once believed that speaking English well would naturally lead to meaningful relationships. Through real-life experiences and later through studying applied linguistics, I realized that speaking a language is not the same as belonging to a community.

Drawing on research in second language acquisition, multilingualism, and discourse, as well as my studies at UCL, this talk explores how language learning is closely connected to participation, identity, emotion, and social interaction. I also examine why environments like Polyglot Gathering make it easier to connect with others, even when participants have very different language levels.

This talk invites learners, educators, and community builders to rethink language learning. Not as the pursuit of perfect speech, but as a way to participate, connect with others, and find a sense of belonging.

Masato Inoue

Masato Inoue is a master’s student in Applied Linguistics at University College London (UCL). He previously worked as an English teacher in Japan, then at an EdTech company, and later founded his own English education business. Through both teaching and industry experience, he developed a strong interest in multilingualism, second language acquisition, and discourse. His current work focuses on how languages are learned through play, experiences, and meaningful participation in real communities. He aims to bridge applied linguistics research with practical language education and multilingual learning spaces.

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Musical language quiz

Language: Multilingual

How good are you at recognizing various spoken languages? And what about sung languages? Come to our quiz show and try to guess what language the songs are in!

If you participated last year or during the Polyglot Gathering Online, don’t worry, the songs will be different.

Matthieu Desplantes

Matthieu is from France but has been living in Austria for 5 years, after 7 years spent in Slovakia. He studied computer engineering. He speaks (to various degrees) French, Esperanto, English, Polish, German, Russian and Slovak; he is currently busy improving his Polish and German and trying not to forget Slovak. Aside from languages and travelling, he likes science (especially astronomy), cooking and bicycling. He also has a YouTube channel and a blog about languages. He has been a core organizer of the Polyglot Gathering since 2017.

apprenti-polyglotte.netYouTube

Ek Erilaz – A short introduction to runes and their history

Language: English

Step beyond the clichés and into the real world of runes. Ek erilaz is a sharp, provocative, and myth-busting presentation designed to challenge what you think you know about these ancient letters. Far from mere fortune-telling icons or fantasy props, runes carry a complex story shaped by shifting cultures, evolving alphabets, and centuries of scholarship—and misunderstanding.

In this talk, we dive into the discipline of runology itself: what it studies, how it works, and why it matters. We will confront the most persistent misconceptions head-on, exposing where popular beliefs come from—and what the evidence actually shows. From the earliest inscriptions etched in wood and stone to the branching development of the Elder, Younger, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval futharks, you’ll follow the runes’ journey through history, literature, and language.

Along the way, we’ll explore current research and the debates animating modern runologists: origins, functions, sound values, and cultural context.

This is not just an introduction—it’s an invitation to rethink runes entirely. Prepare to unlearn, to question, and to rediscover.

Matze Ventura Lang

Matze is a Carioca-Swabian Hyperpolyglot, with a BA in Philosophy and Cultural Anthropology and language enthusiast currently located in Oslo, Norway. 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. Beyond 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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Swahili – Insights into the world of a Bantu language

Language: English

Swahili – it sounds like an African adventure and, to Western ears, like a different (linguistic) world. Have you always wanted to know what ‘simba’, ‘rafiki’, and ‘hakuna matata’ from ‘The Lion King’ really mean? Do ‘safari’, ‘Swahili’, ‘sukari’, ‘marahaba’ and ‘salama’ sound strangely Arabic to you? Can you recognise the Portuguese, German and English origins of ‘meza’, ‘shule’ and ‘picha’ from the colonial era? Who does actually speak Swahili as their mother tongue, or is it just an artificial lingua franca? And if you're wondering whether it should correctly be called ‘Swahili’ or ‘Kiswahili’, then we're already at the heart of the nominal classes characteristic of Bantu languages.

This lecture will provide you with answers to these and other questions. You will learn about the logic and mindset of this Bantu language and discover that Swahili is actually quite easy to learn. Swahili can open up a whole new (linguistic) world to you, connecting you to approximately 100 million people in Tanzania, Kenya and throughout East Africa! I will share with you my experience of learning Swahili from scratch in a couple of months including a stay in Tanzania in January 2026.

Michael Patscheke

Michael Patscheke, *1967, is a language enthusiast from Germany. His main interest is comparative grammar and etymology. He started learning mainly Germanic and Romance languages as a hobby as a high school student and has been fascinated by the links between languages ever since. His latest language adventure was to learn the Bantu language of Swahili and travel individually to Tanzania to actually use the language on site with the locals. Apart from German, he is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Italian and has basic knowledge in several other languages – especially when it comes to the structure and grammar.

A Friendly Introduction to the Armenian Language

Language: English

Have you ever been to Armenia? Were you able to say “thank you” during your last trip to Yerevan? Did you already make some Armenian friends in the many diasporas around the world? Or are you simply curious to learn what all of this is about? No matter how familiar you are with Armenia and the Armenian language, this presentation will take you on an exciting journey and it will leave you enriched with new insights. We will talk about the birth and the diffusion of the Armenian language, explore its unique alphabet, and introduce its different variations. We will also examine the current diffusion of the Armenian language in the world, the various communities of the diaspora and their linguistic islands. Finally, we will teach you some Armenian words and we will speak a bit of Armenian, to give you a feeling of the language, with transliteration and English translation included on the slides to help you follow along. We can’t wait to begin this journey! Can you?

Michele Galasso, Stephen Artinian

Michele Galasso 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 as a battery researcher, Michele is an accomplished saxophone player, a passionate reader and a language enthusiast.

Stephen Artinian partners with senior leaders as an Executive Coach. In his spare time he collects languages, books, and travel miles with equal enthusiasm, occasionally surfacing to play the piano.

Dainuok lietuviškai! Sing in Lithuanian!

Language: Lithuanian and English

Join me in the singing in Lithuanian language workshop! I have 19 years of experience in teaching breathing, warming-up excercises, improvising and singing various songs, but I’ve never taken part in the Polyglot Gathering – this is one of my dreams.

Milda Arčikauskaitė

Milda is singer, voice over artist, and dancer, particularly interested in experimental, improvisational music with some ethno flavors. She has been working as voice teacher for 19 years. Now Milda works for the Business News magazine in Vilnius as a podcaster and sound director. She loves her native language – Lithuanian – one of the oldest and most antique languages in the world and she always tries to articulate clearly in her language.

Milda loves communicating with people in different languages.

mildarche.lt

Multilingual concert with Helga and friends

Language: Multilingual

Traditionally, since my participation in the Polyglot Gathering offline, I usually organise multilingual concerts. This year, I would like to repeat this tradition and make a multilingual concert with songs in different styles such as pop, jazz, bossa nova, latino, and in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Bulgarian, Romanian, Slovak and many others). I would like to share my love for music with my polyglot friends and that's why, I need an active audience!!! Come and sing with me!!!!

Song lyrics as an important resource for learning the grammar of any language (on the examples of my experience with Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese)

Language: English, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese

Two years ago, I presented a talk about how pronunciation and singing can contribute to language learning. This time, I would like to talk about music again but in a little bit another context, namely regarding song lyrics. When exploring songs from Brazil and Japan, could I really find any good examples of difficult grammar of Portuguese and Japanese? What are these examples? How can we remember this concrete grammar? I will answer all of these questions by explaining and singing a cappella. That's why, dear language and music fans, welcome to my talk!!!

Olga Koeva

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. In March 2024, 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 14 languages fluently and is still improving them by reading literature in all these languages, listening to radio and communicating with her friends. Since August 2024, Olga Koeva has been teaching Bulgarian, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian on iTalki.

YouTube

Clever zur Mehrsprachigkeit mit System

Language: English

Seid ihr gerade am Anfang eures Sprachenabenteuers? Habt ihr verschiedene Sprachen entdeckt und möchtest am liebsten direkt durchstarten? Warum klingt harvest so ähnlich wie „Herbst“? Was ist mit yield und „Geld“? Und was haben llegar, chegar, plier, plicare und a pleca mit Segeln, Zelten und dem Falten zu tun?

Die folgenden Themen geben besonders viel Potenzial her, um euch diese oben genannten Zusammenhänge aufzuzeigen:

• Allgemeine vergleichende Sprachwissenschaften
• Wortherkünfte / Etymologie
• Phonologie
• Sprachgeschichte

Mehrsprachig zu werden erfordert Disziplin und Ausdauer, um Vokabeln zu lernen und sich seine Sprachkompetenzen aufzubauen. Besonders, wenn mehrere Sprachen aus einer Familie gelernt werden, helfen systematische Ähnlichkeiten aus dem Wortschatz, der Morphologie, der Aussprache sowie die Grammatik, den Lernprozess zu beschleunigen

Nach diesem Vortrag werdet ihr einen guten Überblick über alle Sprach-Hacks bekommen und dadurch viel strukturierter und schneller Vokabeln lernen können!

Patrick Geneit

Patrick Geneit is a language enthusiast, having studied many Romance languages, some other Germanic languages and Asian languages like Japanese. On his way, he picked up a lot of linguistic and etymological knowledge that supports keeping all the languages in his mind together. He can also help giving tips on how to study languages while having a very busy life with studies, work and other hobbies like making music.

YouTube

In cuors accelerau dil lungatg romontsch (sursilvan)

Language: Romontsch Sursilvan with Spanish slides

Rumantsch, the fourth official language of Switzerland, is a fascinating and one-of-a-kind Romance language and the perfect entry to Swiss culture. Let’s explore the unique rhythm, hodgepodge grammar, and history of the Rumantsch language.

Being a minoritized language within its home canton of Grischun/Graubünden, revitalization efforts and resources are almost exclusively available through German, meaning it is often forgotten among the Romance languages. Until now!

The goal of this workshop is to teach the most spoken idiom, romontsch sursilvan, for those with knowledge of another Romance language. We’ll run through the grammar, find commonalities with other Romance languages, and learn how Rumantsch has changed after centuries of heavy Germanic influence. Then we’ll practice speaking Rumantsch with dialogues, audios, and songs, and hopefully by the end, tuts san discuorer in tec quei bi lungatg.

Pierce Moen

Pierce Moen is an American polyglot having lived for the last four years in Switzerland. Having a great appreciation for the multilingualism of the country, he has learned Swiss German and continues to study Rumantsch, with the goal, alongside other language projects, of learning other local Swiss languages including Ticinese Lombard and Évolènard Patois (Arpitan), as well as languages of many minority groups in Switzerland today.

Lär dig jonglera

Language: Swedish

I en lugn och trevlig miljö kommer du att lära dig grunderna i jonglering och samtidigt lära dig svenska på ett enkelt sätt. Kom och var med på en rolig stund, där du kan träffa nya människor, skratta och lära dig något nytt. Gör dig redo att visa vad du kan, ha kul och skapa fina minnen! 😊

Prasanna Deshapriya

Prasanna Deshapriya is a polyglot juggling seven languages at different levels. This time, at PG 2026, he’ll help you start juggling for real – no pun intended. A beginner himself just a few years ago, he learned to juggle at PG 2022 in Terezín, Poland. Now he returns to the Polyglot Gathering to share this new passion with participants, building on the success of two editions of Juggling 101 held in French and Italian in Prague and Brno over the past two years.

YouTube

Interslavic Crash Course for Slavic and Non-Slavic Speakers

Language: Multilingual - English, Russian, Polish, Czech, Interslavic

This workshop is a practical introduction to Interslavic, a constructed language designed to be mutually understandable across Slavic languages. Slavic speakers will discover how quickly they can read, understand, and use Interslavic with minimal effort. Non-Slavic speakers are also welcome and will gain insight into shared structures and patterns common to Slavic languages. No prior experience with Interslavic is required.

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.

Designing Esperanto Stenography Theory: Making Specialized Tools More Accessible

Esperanto may be (one of) the world’s easiest language to learn, but what about learning to write it using steno? With virtually no stenography resources available in Esperanto, I set out to create a steno theory that would be as compatible as possible with existing English steno systems, allowing learners to leverage the wealth of English-language tutorials and materials.

I’ll share my journey using AI to analyze Esperanto’s consonant and vowel clusters, designing chord patterns that feel familiar to English steno users while accommodating Esperanto’s unique features. Along the way, I bumped into unexpected challenges: mapping agglutinative morphology to chord-based input, adapting English steno’s phonetic shortcuts to Esperanto’s perfectly regular orthography (where every letter is actually pronounced), balancing compatibility with linguistic accuracy, and wrestling with compromises between “borrowing from English” and “doing it right for Esperanto.”

This talk explores the practical realities of creating learning resources for niche intersections, where enthusiasm meets scarcity, and where sometimes “accessible” means accepting imperfect solutions that actually help people get started.

Tanja Orme

Tanja enjoys making things! This includes (and is in no way limited to) repairing alarm-clocks, knitting and crocheting, building keyboard layouts, and apparently, stenography theories for constructed languages. All of these create output from logical input, which makes Tanja very happy. She approaches language learning through tools and systems, which led to her Esperanto steno project when existing resources proved virtually non-existent.

A Polyglot’s Fieldwork across "Sudamérica": Crosslinguistic comparison of Quechua, Mapuche and Guarani

Language: English, Multilingual

I will embark on a cross-linguistic field trip to Peru, Chile and Paraguay in the first quarter of 2026. This talk will be focusing on cross-linguistic comparison of Quechua, Mapuche and Guarani from a polyglot perspective. I will examine these 3 languages in 3 different ways. First, from the learner's point of view, what are some unique and interesting phonological and morpho-syntactical elements? Secondly, do these 3 major languages of South American influence each other? in what ways? Thirdly, their relation to Castellano (Spanish) is also a very interesting topic of discussion. Last but not least, I'd like to share how learning indigenous languages can make us a better and more efficient polyglot!

Terry (Chih Hsiang) Hsieh

Terry is the founder of Polyglot.tw. With his lovely team based in Taiwan, he just successfully co-hosted Polyglot Conference Taipei 2025 with the renowned Richard. He is also an immersion program designer/engineer, a published writer, a linguistic entrepreneur, and a language revitalization activist. He began his polyglot journey when he was 20 and has learned more than 50 languages. Today he continues to learn new languages and especially enjoys conversations in different languages. Outside the language world, Terry is also a cat rescuer, a globe-trotter and a serious video gamer.

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The Synergy in Mastering Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese

Language: English

Discover the fascinating similarities among Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, fueled by historical and cultural connections. Tim, drawing from his extensive experience as a professor of Cross-Cultural Management, sheds light on the unifying factor—the use of Chinese characters—and how it shaped the “East Asian Cultural Sphere.”

Tim showcases the potential synergy when studying these languages. Despite their distinct language families, the utilization of Chinese characters binds them together, creating a unique linguistic harmony.

Uncover the significance of Sino-vocabulary shared by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Tim explores the intricate web of words that find common ground, offering learners a shortcut to mastering multiple languages simultaneously.

Tim unravels grammatical similarities and important differences that make learning these languages much easier.

Explore the politeness levels in Japanese and Korean, uncovering similarities in plain form, polite form, and honorific language. Tim breaks down the intricacies, offering a valuable comparison for learners seeking proficiency in both languages.

As Tim concludes, he encourages language enthusiasts to embrace the challenge of mastering Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Uncover a world of rich cultures and diverse perspectives through the rewarding journey of language acquisition.

Tim Keeley

Tim Keeley is a Japanese citizen and a retired professor of Cross-Cultural Management, who had been learning and using languages around the world as an adult for more than 5 decades.

polyglotdreams.com

The best language of science: anything but English!

Language: Multilingual with English slides

English is the language of science… isn’t it? No, it’s not... Thank god, there is something better than English, namely all other languages! Why are Languages Other Than English (LOTEs) better? Scientific research is built on collaboration, which is built on personal connection, which requires language. Which language do you want to use to build this personal connection? Do you use words in English, the language used for transmission of information to generic foreigners – in a European context – or words I. the language of your collaborator?! As the Serbs say “Lepa reč i gvozdena vrata otvara!” A beautiful word opens an iron door! Or West German Chancellor Willy Brandt “If you’re buying, I speak your language. If I’m buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen.” There is so much business in science. Or Nelson Mandela “if you speak to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you speak to him in his language, that goes to his heart”. English reaches many heads but fewer hearts…

In this talk, I will practice what I preach, and speak in LOTEs, including Czech, of course, to describe how each LOTE has opened up scientific opportunities by creating interpersonal relationships much more effectively than English, and how science offers wonderful chances to learn LOTEs! I will present the results of our SciLang GLOBAL interview series, which shows how scientists enhance their careers by using languages. I hope more scientists are encouraged to learn languages!

Timothy Douglas

Timothy E.L. Douglas is a lecturer in Chemical Engineering, a researcher in Biomedical Engineering, and addicted to language learning, but if there's a cure for the addiction, he doesn't want it! He is passionate about showing the opportunities for language learning in a scientific career and the benefits of using Languages Other Than English (LOTEs) in science: his favourite idiom is "to kill two birds with one stone". His mottos are that if you want to speak well, you have to speak very badly and very often, or "butcher" a language, and that if you wait and wait until you are ready, you never will be ready! As Lomb Káto said "language is the one thing worth knowing even badly”

YouTube

Bʰáh₂omos somóm! Branch-hopping in Indo-European

Language: German with English slides

Learn to hop between Slavic, Romance and Germanic! Keeping a handful of sound changes in mind will boost your vocab recognition.

Tomás Recke

Tomás is a Linguistics Student and Conlanger from Switzerland. Their main interests lie in Typology and Historical Linguistics, particularly Proto-Indo-European and the Indo-European Language Family. Their YouTube channel Mangotalk03 has videos about conlangs and linguistics.

YouTube

The fascinating history of German idioms

Language: English, German

Knowing how the rabbit runs – a wild journey through the fascinating world of German idioms.

You think the German language lacks creativity, wit, and humor?! Then why would Germans bother to tie bears onto others, step into every possible grease bowl, and eventually slide each other’s back down?! Now you’ve really got the salad! 😉

Maybe you’ve been studying German for a quite a bit and now wonder what kind of drugs Germans take to come up with these bizarre cluster of words?! And honestly, what’s the point of over-complicating things, by making them sound like “Bohemian villages”?! Well, as often, there’s much more to it than meets the eye

Join me on a linguistic time travel, all the way back to the Middle Ages, where some of the wittiest, darkest idioms have left their cultural fossils – contrasted by more light-hearted, modern-day expressions, but still meaningful examples that will reveal how German history, mindset and humor are reflected in their language. Whether you’re an advanced learner, a daredevil wanting to sniff into Mark Twain’s favorite love-hate-language, or an “old rabbit” ready to dig even deeper down the hole – by the end of the talk, you’ll know how the rabbit runs 😉 So let’s call the child by their name, add our mustard, and Germanize your mind just a little bit more!

Vanessa Berger

Vanessa, also known as Linguadicta, is a language edupreneur, freelance teacher, and content creator. Over the past few years, she has been teaching her mother tongue to more than 2,000 students across 5 languages. She firmly believes that language learning and personal development are closely intertwined. A seasoned globetrotter in pre-pandemic times, Vanessa meanwhile committed to a nomadic lifestyle, housesitting across Europe while following her mission to guide and coach fellow language enthusiasts through their own lifelong learning journeys.

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Acento, identidad y la persona que elegís ser en otra lengua

Language: Spanish

Muchos hablantes multilingües sienten que son otra versión de sí mismos en cada idioma. El acento se vuelve una señal visible de esa identidad en movimiento. En esta charla nos enfocaremos en el aspecto interno y el aspecto externo del acento y la pronunciación: quién estamos siendo cuando hablamos en otra lengua, cómo nos percibimos y cómo nos relacionamos con la forma en que otros nos perciben.

Veremos decisiones concretas, como cuándo buscar integrarnos y mezclarnos, y cuándo elegir resaltar, y cómo esas elecciones pueden servirnos en la vida personal y profesional. Exploraremos creencias típicas como «no pertenezco» o «me quedo afuera», y trabajaremos más allá de estereotipos culturales para conectar con personas reales según nuestras propias preferencias.

La propuesta combina reflexión guiada, ejemplos y un breve ejercicio para definir una «intención de acento» alineada con la identidad que elegimos crear.

Walter Freiberg

Walter Freiberg is an Argentinian life and language coach based in Uruguay. He works with multilingual adults who are reinventing themselves across languages, helping them move from inaction and reaction to conscious, intentional action. Walter combines insights from coaching, skill-building, and identity work to explore how language shapes courage, belonging, and self-expression. He has published a series of graded Spanish readers and hosts the podcast “Poder aprender,” where he shares reflections on learning, transformation, and the art of change.

walterfreiberg.com

Is the “Sie” dying? Reflections on formality in German compared to some other European languages

Language: English

With flat hierarchies, startups, and English influence everywhere, many people assume that German formality is on its way out.

In reality, Sie is far from obsolete — but its rules are shifting. In this talk, I’ll explore how formality works in contemporary German, how it differs from other European languages, and why choosing du or Sie can still make or break a social interaction. No previous knowledge of German is necessary.

Werner Skalla

Werner Skalla is a publisher of story-based language learning textbooks and online courses. He is fluent in five languages (German, Norwegian, English, French, and Czech).

skapago.eu

How (not) to be rude in Norwegian and Swedish: handling languages that don’t even have a word for “please”

Language: English

Are Norwegian and Swedish informal languages, shaped by an egalitarian society? Some people think so — or even that Scandinavian languages are downright rude compared to other languages. But politeness and formality do exist, they are just more subtle. Learn how to express yourself in an appropriate way in Norwegian or Swedish and how to navigate their often invisible rules of politeness. Previous knowledge of Norwegian/Swedish is not necessary.

Werner Skalla with Joacim Eriksson

Werner Skalla is a publisher of story-based language learning textbooks and online courses. He is fluent in five languages (German, Norwegian, English, French, and Czech).

Joacim Eriksson is a Swedish teacher based in Vienna. He is a co-author of the story-based Swedish course Alfred the Ghost.

skapago.eu

Capoeira – quando o corpo vira uma língua

Language: Portuguese

A capoeira não se expressa só com palavras. Na verdade, ela se expressa principalmente pelo movimento. Esse movimento, junto à música, ritmo e reflexo, cria um diálogo que se parece com uma conversa verbal. Na roda de capoeira é preciso se enfocar, observar e responder, igual como numa conversa.

No workshop vamos experimentar um pouco de cada de dois aspectos da capoeira: a música e o movimento. Você vai aprender o movimento base – a ginga – e uns movimentos principais. Também vamos cantar as canções tradicionais da capoeira.

Nenhuma experiência prévia é necessária para participar. O único que requisito é a vontade de experimentar um novo jeito de se expressar e comunicar e, claro, um pouco de axé.

Wiktor Gołaszewski

Wiktor is a Polish language enthusiast exploring how movement and culture shape communication. Passionate about languages, capoeira and wildlife, he has been practicing capoeira for almost three years and sees it as more than a martial art — a living language of rhythm, attention and response.

Deeply interested in language learning beyond textbooks, he enjoys connecting physical experience with linguistic awareness. When he’s not studying languages or training capoeira, he dreams of working with wildlife and building bridges between cultures through movement, music and communication.

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How multilingual journaling bridges the gap between learning and real progress

Language: English

Think you’re not progressing in your languages? Unlock the real secret to language progress. If studying from textbooks and memorising vocabulary lists haven’t taken you as far as you hoped, this talk is for you.

Multilingual journaling has helped many language learners achieve better results and it might be the missing piece in your own journey. This talk uncovers the hidden power of journaling in your target language(s) and shows practical tips for building a sustainable journaling habit (even for people who “don’t have time”). Come discover how this simple habit can turn passive knowledge into confident and natural expression.

In this talk, you will learn:

• How to use simple daily prompts to build a consistent journaling habit
• Techniques for writing in multiple languages without feeling overwhelmed
• Ways to turn passive vocabulary and grammar into natural, personal expression
• Methods for reviewing past entries to track progress and stay motivated

Wiktoria Ozierów

Certified hyperpolyglot and Director of Youth Engagement at the International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA). Fluent in Polish, English, Italian (C2), Portuguese, Spanish (C1), French (B2). Blog author, language tutor, experienced speaker (e.g. Trinity College Dublin) and active participant in many international conferences. Graduated in International Relations, currently pursuing Master’s degree in International Management at the University of Economics in Krakow. Also studied Economics and Political Science (in Italian) at Roma Tre University in Rome. Her mission is to help and inspire others to learn languages by sharing her own experience and effective language learning methods.

linguasandmore.blogspot.comInstagram

From Zero to Speech: How Learners Speak from Day One When Translation Stops in Beginner Classes

Language: Spanish

What happens when learners start speaking a language they don’t yet understand—and translation is no longer the default tool?

In this workshop, we will explore how speech can emerge from day one when teaching moves beyond reliance on translation, especially in non-alphabetic languages such as Chinese, Japanese, or Thai. Translation is not banned; rather, it is deliberately de-centered so that meaning can be built through context, movement, repetition, and interaction.

The session draws on the speaker’s experience teaching Chinese as a non-alphabetic language, as well as her own learning journeys in Japanese and Thai, where speaking often had to begin before literacy or full comprehension was possible. These dual perspectives—as both teacher and learner—offer insight into what truly helps speech emerge at the earliest stages.

Challenging the assumption that comprehension must come before speaking, this session shows how learners can communicate meaningfully long before they “know” the language—and why reducing reliance on translation can accelerate this process.

The session includes concrete examples, classroom design principles, and a short live demonstration in an unfamiliar language. Teachers, learners, and polyglots alike are invited to rethink the role of translation—and to rediscover speech as the true starting point of language learning.

Reading Between the Lines in Asia How Chinese Speakers Communicate Beyond Words, and Why Polyglots Still Miss the Meaning

Language: English

Many polyglots speak excellent Chinese, yet still feel something is off when living or socializing in Asia. Conversations sound polite and friendly, but real connection remains just out of reach. They do everything “right,” yet never fully belong. Invitations fade, opportunities stall, and the gap is hard to explain.

This topic is deeply personal to me. My husband is from Latin America and has lived in Taiwan for years. His Chinese is fluent—often praised by locals—yet he still misreads situations. Not because of vocabulary or grammar, but because meaning is often delivered indirectly. I see the same frustration in my students. Over the past 20 years, I’ve taught Chinese to learners from more than 75 countries. Many speak very good Chinese, yet still struggle to integrate socially.

I’ve also experienced the reverse. While living and working in Latin America, I often felt overwhelmed by direct communication. Using a very “Chinese logic” of politeness and implication, I found myself unprepared for conversations where nothing was softened or left unsaid.

In this workshop, I use Chinese speakers as a case study to explore how communication in Asia works beyond words—through context, timing, silence, and implication. This session is not about learning Chinese. Even if you’ve never studied the language, understanding these cultural patterns will help you communicate more effectively—in any language—with Chinese speakers.

Yu Hao Yun (Yolanda Yu）游皓雲

Yolanda You is a language coach and cross-cultural communication specialist with over 20 years of experience. She runs her own language center and has worked with multilingual learners from more than 75 countries. Having lived and worked across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, she focuses on pragmatics, social meaning, and why fluency alone does not lead to real integration. Drawing on long-term observation of how people from different cultures communicate and learn, she helps multilingual speakers understand meaning beyond words and connect more deeply across cultures.

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