Summary

The Polyglot Conference 2019 in Fukuoka, Japan, provided an inspiring environment for language enthusiasts of all levels to share experiences, learn from each other, and celebrate the joy of language learning.

Abstract

The 7th Polyglot Conference, held in Fukuoka, Japan, marked the event's first venture into Asia, bringing together 450 attendees from diverse backgrounds and language abilities. Over three days, participants engaged in a multitude of activities, including speeches from renowned polyglots and newcomers alike, cultural exchanges, and language practice sessions. The conference emphasized that one need not be multilingual to attend; curiosity and a passion for language learning were the primary qualifications. The event fostered a supportive community atmosphere, encouraging attendees to overcome language barriers, share learning strategies, and gain motivation to continue their language learning journeys. The 2019 conference also highlighted the importance of preserving indigenous languages, aligning with the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Opinions

The conference was inclusive, welcoming individuals who spoke only English or their native language, alongside seasoned polyglots.
Attendees were driven by a shared curiosity about languages and cultures, seeking inspiration and personal growth rather than just language practice.
The event was described as a gathering of commoners with a hobby for languages, rather than an assembly of rare or peculiar individuals.
The organizer, Richard Simcott, exemplified the balance between professional life and language learning as a pastime.
The conference promoted a judgment-free environment, emphasizing support, respect, and humility among participants.
A common goal among attendees was to advocate for the benefits of language learning and to encourage more people to engage with foreign languages.
Speeches at the conference were found to be inspiring and thought-provoking, providing new insights and learning strategies for attendees.
The supportive atmosphere helped introverted participants to step out of their comfort zones and practice languages they were self-conscious about.
The diversity of participants ensured a rich pool of advice and techniques for overcoming common language learning challenges.
The overall experience was described as a dream for language learners, with the enthusiasm of the community serving as a powerful motivator.
The announcement of the 2020 conference in Cholula, Mexico, was met with excitement, prompting attendees to start learning Spanish.

The Best Way To Get Inspired To Learn Languages

My (incredible) experience at the Polyglot Conference 2019

Oh. My. God.

This weekend was the 7th edition of the Polyglot Conference and the first one set in Asia. 3 incredible days in Fukuoka, Japan, surrounded by 450 awesome people who loved languages or were interested in learning some.

This was my second participation in total, the first one being in 2014 in Novi Sad when only 150 people were present. Back then it was already incredible but this experience was on a whole new level.

I could certainly ramble for hours on end on every single detail of the conference, but I’ll try to keep it to the point as much as possible.

But first, let’s make one thing clear.

You don’t need to speak many languages

While the name of the conference includes the word “Polyglot”, I’ve met some who could only speak English! There were also many people who could only speak their native language and a bit of English.

Their goal was not really to practice languages but more to get inspired.

And my god was it a good idea!

The main language in use was obviously English but the overall atmosphere of seeing people from all corners of the world, from Peru to Canada, to Ukraine or Spain, to New Zealand or Malaysia, and of course Japan, cultures and experiences lived by each were of the highest variety you could hope to ever find!

More than anything, the common factor between all participants is without fault curiosity.

Yes, of course, that curiosity was mainly turned towards other foreign languages, but it was also about discovering and exchanging with different cultures as well as learn more about the world itself.

Let me make this even clearer: if you can read this article, you’re already qualified to participate.

A community of commoners

Polyglots may be considered as a rare breed or even as weirdos but the reality is much more simple. We are all just a bunch of people with a common hobby.

Because, yes! It is a hobby for a large part of polyglots!

The main organizer, Richard Simcott, who speaks more than 15 languages and has studied about 40, works in what could be considered a “standard” consultancy company and studies languages in his free time.

People from all backgrounds were present at the conference, some of whom had to start saving a year in advance to be able to participate.

All this merged into a general mingling of ideas sometimes controversial, sometimes widely agreed upon, but always in an open environment in which no hard judgment was ever made on anybody.

Bullying or “superiority” feelings are definitely not part of such an environment and were instead replaced with support, respect and an overall humble spirit.

After all, learning a language is also about accepting failures and learning from them.

A common goal

If we didn’t have common languages or backgrounds, there was at least always one common wish: to promote language-learning.

Learning languages makes you discover so much that you automatically end up wishing more people could realize how eye-opening foreign languages are.

This year being the International Year of Indigenous Languages, many people were speakers or learners of such languages and while it was rare to have a common endangered language with someone, the passion expressed by each was inspiring.

As a learner of Ainu myself, I hoped to find other learners but didn’t until in the last 30 minutes, one of the speakers mentioned another participant who was interested in creating an English method for Ainu. I rushed to her and without having ever spoken, we instantly had something in common to exchange about.

Eye-opening speeches

2 of the 3 days included at least 15 speeches per day, divided into 3 rooms. The speakers were sometimes worldwide-known polyglots and sometimes more “obscure” people, doing their first speech.

Whether I was passionate or not about the topics I listened to, the passion transmitted by the speakers would often inspire me to dig deeper into it or give me new ideas.

One of those was the speech made by Emmanuel Ternon about the importance of learning traditional characters to better our learning experience and productivity of East Asian languages. Being stuck at a high-intermediate level in Korean, this made me realize digging into Hanja could help me break out of this plateau.

Breaking out of one’s shell

While learning a language is fun, it can be particularly complicated to start exchanging with others when we are introverts.

As one such person who hasn’t exchanged using anything else than Japanese, English, and French for a long time, I was worried about speaking Korean and even more in Chinese, which I haven’t spoken out loud for years.

However, the supportive atmosphere allowed me to try it out once again and I now have more motivation to practice it than ever before.

A British girl I met on the first day told me she understood Korean but had never said a word in it and was too self-conscious to try it out. Yet, on the last evening, she was also able to break free of her worries and we exchanged in Korean without any problem!

The atmosphere of the conference allowed all of us to be ourselves and more at the same time.

I was not just a French living in Japan anymore, I was a speaker, a member of a community, a learner and a teacher at the same time. And so were all the other participants!

An infinite pool of advice

While the general concepts of language-learning such as consistency or practice are usually agreed upon, the ways to put those in practice can vary greatly and the diversity of learners allowed for an even greater variety of techniques.

If anyone was stuck at a level or struggling with improving a certain skill, they could almost instantly end up talking with someone who had overcome the said problem.

Even if we didn’t realize we needed advice on a certain topic, a discussion could open our eyes to it and, at the same time, the doors to a faster, more efficient, learning curve.

It could be the best experience in your life

I couldn’t say it enough nor will I ever be able to express it with sufficient precision, but the Polyglot Conference is the definition of a learner’s dream.

The speeches are incredible but what really brings it to a whole other level is the people present.

Every day flies by in an instant and connections with wonderful people located around the world are created.

Finally, if you ever wonder for a second about your motivation to learn, it will be wiped away by the sheer enthusiasm found everywhere around you.

The Polyglot Conference moves around the world every year and it may have been in Japan this year but it was just announced this Sunday that for 2020, it will be in Cholula, Mexico, from October 16th to 18th! I guess it’s really time to dive into Spanish!

A big Thanks to the community for an unforgettable experience!