Hundreds of polyglots descend on Prague for five-day linguistic lovefest

Over 750 language enthusiasts from more than 80 countries will gather in Prague this week for the Polyglot Gathering, the world's biggest international event for polyglots and language lovers. The event, organized by international language education association Lernu.net, will be held from May 15 to 19 at the University of Economics in central Prague.

The ninth edition of the Polyglot Gathering will feature lectures, workshops, and social activities for participants to share their fondness for languages and learn from each other. Peter Baláž, coordinator of Lernu.net, highlights the event's goal: "to create and provide free educational tools for language learning."

The event will draw renowned polyglots such as Richard Simcott, who knows over 30 languages, and Tim Keeley, author of "A Life in 30 Languages." The gathering will also feature a language challenge where participants have 50 days to learn a specific language and test their skills in an oral exam for a chance to win prizes. Attendees can also look forward to multilingual concerts, a game zone, a language cafe, and a "Culinary Festival" showcasing different cuisines worldwide.

While the majority of lectures are in English, there will also be presentations in languages such as Italian, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, and Czech. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange tips and strategies for learning multiple languages, as well as discuss techniques for maintaining and improving language proficiency, including accent refinement and expanding vocabulary.

The event's organizers are excited to bring the gathering to Prague for the first time with the help of people studying and speaking Esperanto – the world's most widely spoken constructed international language. Baláž elaborated: "We also brought this meeting to Prague thanks to the cooperation with Esperantists, who founded the event in Berlin and organized it for the first three years there."

Director of the Prague Convention Bureau Roman Muška is confident that Prague's charm and the Czech language will attract participants to experience the city's cultural offerings. He adds: "Events held in Prague have approximately 15 percent more delegates compared to other destinations we have held the event in the past."

Ticket prices vary depending on how many days you would like to attend the event and whether you select catering options. A two-day ticket without food costs EUR 80 (CZK 1,981) – tickets are purchasable on the official website.