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July 4, 2016 | Review Period

Polyglot Conference Thessaloniki 2016

Greece, here I come!

In late October I will be going to the 2016 Polyglot Conference in Greece, where I will give a presentation entitled “Language Utopia! One Polyglot’s Product Fantasies.”

It will be X-rated.

From the Polyglot Conference Home Page!

From the Polyglot Conference Home Page!

Just kidding. It’s totally G-rated.

Here’s the description: “In a world flooded with language materials, polyglots tend towards omnivorousness — and long-time product reviewer Ellen Jovin is no exception. In this presentation Ellen will describe instructional shortcomings as well as strengths in learning materials she has tested over the years, drawing on a broad selection of publishers and including scientifically unproven analytical techniques such as the Fun-to-Fluency Ratio. If you have ever really loved or hated a language product, this presentation promises opportunities for catharsis while also exploring, quite seriously, how specific product improvements could actually increase language-learning in an interconnected world.”

The tagline on the conference home page tells visitors that this event is “for everyone who loves language,” and that is the gosh-darned truth. You do not need to be a polyglot, so if you are interested in attending but have anxiety about your language skills, I am telling you: forget that stuff and just go! This is a way of life, not a language test.

Okay, that way-of-life thing might be slightly overstated, but I confess it’s sort of how I think of it for myself. In any case, polyglot events are not about showing off; they are about engaging with the linguistic and human world around us, about learning cool new things, and about meeting people who share your interests. There is a lot of laughing and a lot of happiness there.

The conference agenda will keep being updated here as the event approaches. It will be my first ever visit to Greece! It’s about freaking time! 

Comments (6)

dried peanuts • Posted on Tue, July 05, 2016 - 9:53 am EST

Product porn: Advanced Glossika. Memrise where I can control number of words per session. number of repetitions, number of words in review. Less clunky Lingq. Bliubliu with more stuff on it. FluentU more languages please, esp. Cantonese.

Dimitris Polychronopoulos • Posted on Wed, July 06, 2016 - 4:35 pm EST

Looking forward to it Ellen.  See you in Thessaloniki!

Ellen Jovin • Posted on Wed, July 06, 2016 - 5:19 pm EST

dried peanuts, I am a fan of product porn. I enjoyed reading your fantasy.

Ellen Jovin • Posted on Wed, July 06, 2016 - 5:19 pm EST

Yay, see ya soon, Dimitris!

James • Posted on Sat, February 18, 2017 - 3:17 pm EST

When I read “X-rated” I wondered if you actually meant “chi-rated”, since the conference was in Greece.

Ellen Jovin • Posted on Fri, February 24, 2017 - 8:01 pm EST

Haha, James, very cute. :)

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