Press
Read about Ellen and "Words & Worlds of New York" in the news!
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“The Polyglot Conference Comes to Greece!”
The National Herald
October 15, 2016Ellen wrote this article for The National Herald, which publishes stories of interest to Greek-Americans. In it she reports on the culture and origins of the fourth annual Polyglot Conference, to be held in Thessaloniki in late October 2016. “At the Polyglot Conference,” Ellen writes, “it would be unsurprising to find a 17-year-old Swedish anime enthusiast talking about, or even in, Basque or Greek or Arabic or Korean or Swahili or Gaelic with a 50-year-old Russian programmer. The community truly transcends national, religious, ethnic, gender, professional and demographic divisions.”
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“Back to School: Travelers Need Lessons Too!”
USA Today
September 4, 2016To have a better travel experience, prepare! Ellen offers language advice for this USA Today article by journalist Christopher Elliott. “Travel literacy means at least basic language literacy,” she says. Learning even just a few words in the local language can make a big difference. Ellen recommends a grammar book and audio lessons, observing, “You will be able to read signs, get directions, show appreciation, socialize, and feel more connected to all that you see.”
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“Flash Cards for the 21st Century”
WINK News
August 17, 2015Ellen discusses her electronic flashcard habits — her favorite apps and the pedagogical benefits of these online tools — in this piece airing on WINK news in Florida as well as other local news stations around the country.
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“Polyglot Conference 2015”
Actual Fluency
July 31, 2015Danish podcaster Kris Broholm interviews the three organizers of Polyglot Conference NYC 2015: Richard Simcott, Alex Rawlings, and Ellen. They discuss the details of the upcoming conference, which will be the first such event ever held in North America!
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“Be Your Guest? How About I Just Pay and Leave?”
The New York Times
March 27, 2015Go into a drugstore these days and the cashier may well address you as a “guest” rather than a “customer,” even if all you are buying is a bottle of shampoo. In this New York Times business article by Hilary Stout, Ellen weighs in on the meaning of this perplexing linguistic upgrade.
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“The City of 800 Languages”
Trainless Magazine
March 2015In this interview with Trainless Magazine, Ellen talks about how she learns different writing systems, what languages she uses most around New York City, and how language acquisition brings her closer to other cultures.
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“Learning a Foreign Language on Your Own”
Big Apple Greeter Blog
January 30, 2015This article covers a presentation Ellen Jovin gave at Big Apple Greeters, an innovative non-profit organization that welcomes visitors from around the world to New York City. Ellen herself is a Big Apple Greeter who show tourists around the city in Spanish, French, German, and Italian. The article covers some of her language-learning tips and tricks for adults who are studying on their own.
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“Interview with Ellen Jovin of ‘Words & Worlds of New York’”
Language Mastery
August 7, 2014Language expert John Fotheringham and Ellen talk language-learning — products, accents, grammar, motivations, and more!
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“10 Phrases That Need to Be Banned From the Office”
Entrepreneur
April 8, 2014Ellen contributed to this roundup by reporter Daniel Bukszpan of business terms that would not be mourned if they died.
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“Follow Your Passion; You Might Write Your Way Into New Career”
Las Vegas Review-Journal
March 24, 2014Syndicated columnist Mildred Culp interviews Ellen on the origin of Syntaxis, the communication skills training firm she and her husband, Brandt Johnson, created back in 2001. Read here about how Syntaxis got started!
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“Language Learning for Pure Enjoyment”
Actual Fluency
March 21, 2014Danish linguaphile Kris Broholm interviews Ellen Jovin for his language podcast Actual Fluency. They talk grammar, methodology, and the importance of taking pleasure in the learning process!
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“Big Words Are Fading, But Many People Still Love Them”
The Wall Street Journal
March 24, 2014In this story on the beauty of big words, reporter Elizabeth Bernstein includes Ellen's comments on how, in business, effective communication is the goal. Words that confuse rather than illuminate are a problem, but there is nothing wrong with a big, beautiful vocabulary!
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“Interview with Language Lover Ellen Jovin”
Backpacking Diplomacy
February 26, 2014Andy Andersen's website Backpacking Diplomacy is dedicated to the idea of traveling diplomatically through the world. Here Andersen interviews Ellen on the nature of language and communication, the impact of multilingualism on one's life, and ways new learners can go about studying a foreign language.
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“Can You Really Learn a Language Well Without Taking Classes?”
Language Is Culture
January 29, 2014Autodidact David Mansaray interviews Ellen about the differences between classroom-based language-learning and the marvelous yet challenging world of self-study.
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“A Foreign Language Journey, Ellen’s Story”
Weekend Travel Show
January 24, 2014For the Weekend Travel Show on AM 600 WBOB in Florida, Doug Parker interviews Ellen about how studying even a little language can have a large effect on travel pleasure. Available on iTunes.
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“Why Verbal Tee-Ups Like ‘To Be Honest’ Often Signal Insincerity”
The Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2014Focusing on English this time, Ellen is featured in an article by Wall Street Journal reporter Elizabeth Bernstein about “performatives,” verbal missteps such as “don’t take this the wrong way” that can indicate a lack of candor and diplomacy.
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“Podcast: Language-Learning Tools for the Intrepid Traveler”
JenningsWire
December 26, 2013Who has time to take a class and learn a new language? Ellen offers tips to help travelers and busy people teach themselves.
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“Night on Earth: Language Hopscotch”
BFM Radio
November 9, 2013In October 2013, scores of New Yorkers converged on Brooklyn for a language-learning extravaganza called “Language Hopscotch,” where local immigrants from around the world taught a mindbending array of mini-courses on their native tongues. In this piece about the event for Malaysian radio station BFM, Ellen discusses her own four-year odyssey through the languages of New York and her long-term ambitions for this project. You will find Ellen 24:20 into the podcast on the BFM website.
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“Brilliant Real-Women Tricks for Finding Time to Work Out”
Redbook
October 24, 2013Language-learning makes its way into a Redbook piece on exercise! Ellen offers a multitasking tip to combine language lessons and aerobic fitness.
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“100+ Travel Apps and Resources for 2014”
MoveHub
October 15, 2013For helping people learn languages, “Words & Worlds of New York” makes a list of top travel resources for 2014!
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“HOB Series: Meet Ellen Jovin”
Blogger Effect
October 3, 2013Ellen and “Words & Worlds of New York” are profiled in the Heart of Blogging series on the website Blogger Effect.
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“Fresh Out of Nursing School? How to Differentiate Yourself”
WorkInNursingJobs.com
Fall 2013Foreign-language skills have real value to nurses and patients alike, notes Ellen in this article on how new nurses can distinguish themselves in a job search. This is especially true in diverse urban environments where many languages can be heard in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
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“Cultivating a Global Family Tree”
Houston Family Magazine
September 27, 2013Ellen is quoted in a Houston Family Magazine article entitled “Cultivating a Global Family Tree,” which discusses the cultural enrichment growing out of student exchange programs such as AFS.
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“The Value of a Second (or Third) (or Fourth) Language”
SHRM: HR Careers
September 13, 2013Ellen is featured in an article in HR Careers, a newsletter published by the Society for Human Resource Management. In it she discusses the workplace value of foreign-language skills, as well as the professional importance of grammar skills in English.
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“What It Takes to Be a Successful International Attorney”
LawCrossing
September 11, 2013This piece talks to attorneys and those who work with law firms about what it takes to be a successful international attorney. Ellen comments on the value of foreign-language skills to client relationships.
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“Top 25 Language Learning Blogs 2013”
bab.la
June 12, 2013“Words & Worlds of New York” comes in eleventh in an annual global competition—sponsored by language portal bab.la—that honors the world’s best language-learning blogs.
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“Dreaming in English”
The New York Times
February 4, 2011This language project is mentioned in a New York Times book review essay entitled “Dreaming in English” by Michael Erard.
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“The Meaning of ‘Like’”
The Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2011In this article, columnist Ralph Gardner, Jr., discusses some of the stories he has written whose popularity, as measured in Facebook “likes,” surprised or mystified him. One was his October 13, 2010, column on Ellen’s language project, “Words & Worlds of New York.” He writes, “Ms. Jovin was an impressive, serious person, but listening to language tapes certainly doesn’t have the inherent excitement, the dramatic arc of, say, climbing to the top of the George Washington Bridge or getting to be pool reporter for the Queen of England’s visit to Lower Manhattan in July—columns that received only a fraction of the ‘likes’ Ms. Jovin’s story garnered.”
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“13 Tongues, Three Years”
The Wall Street Journal
October 13, 2010This article by popular Wall Street Journal columnist Ralph Gardner, Jr., focuses on Ellen’s long-term language project, discussing her serial language studies and her use of New York City locales as makeshift language labs.