7 WAYS TO FIRE UP YOUR LANGUAGE LEARNING AT WOMEN IN LANGUAGE

In two weeks, the fourth-ever Women in Language event is happening. It’s an online conference hosted by Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages, Kerstin Cable of FluentLanguage.co.uk, and, of course, yours truly. At the event this year, we have more than 30 incredible speakers, three panel discussions, two speak easy language exchange sessions, live chat, a supportive Facebook group for the event, and the chance to win more than $3,000 in prizes through our raffle.

Our themes for this year are:

• Dream Teams
• Reasons to be Cheerful
• Language Learning Lab
• Remote Education

Attending an event like Women in Language is an irreplaceable experience–you can listen to inspiring talks, get to know other learners around the world who share your passions, and have the opportunity to get your language learning questions answered by experts.

If you don’t have your ticket yet, you can get it here.

But in addition to these events being fun social events and a chance to learn, they’re also a great chance to fire up your language learning and give your motivation a boost. Here are seven ways you can do just that at this year’s Women in Language:

1. Attend a talk that you’d normally skip

At events, there are always a few talks that may, on paper, seem like they’re not the best fit for you. Normally, I’d fully recommend skipping talks that don’t seem like they’d interest you and use that time to catch up on other tasks or chat with other attendees. But just because a talk doesn’t sound like something you’d go to doesn’t mean that you should skip it.

For example, if someone’s giving a talk on raising bilingual children but you’re years off from having kids, there are still things you could takeaway:

• Ideas for activities you can do when learning with someone else
• Easy, entry-level resources that you may not have heard of
• Time management tips

As another example, someone may be giving a talk on a language you don’t intend to learn. Why should you attend?

• You learn more about our world’s linguistic diversity
• You may learn techniques that are used to approach that particular language that can be applied to yours
• You may discover a love for a new language (even if you choose not to study it later)
• You learn about resources that may also be available in your language
• You support speakers who you wouldn’t see at other events (yet) — we focus on championing lesser head voices

This Women in Language event, I challenge you to attend at least one talk you’d normally skip. You never know what you may learn!

2. Get to know some of the members of our amazing language community

Language learning can be lonely. You spend a lot of time with your head buried in resources doing this whole thing on your own. Language events a great opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals who get you and share your love of languages. And who knows, you may find a study buddy or exchange partner at an event. At the very least, you’ll certainly make new friends.

3. Ask questions

At events, it’s easy to sit in the background and just observe. There’s already a lot to take in. But if you don’t ask questions, you’re missing out on a valuable chance to have any doubts or concerns you may have answered.

You may have questions that can’t be answered by a certain speaker, but even if you ask them, there’s a good chance that someone else participating in the chat will be able to help you out. Take advantage of the fact you’ll be hanging out with learners and experts at different stages in the game than you.

And it’s not just during the talks you can ask questions! Your ticket also gets you access to the event Facebook group for six weeks, so you can ask questions of the community there at any time during that period.

4. Attend a Speak Easy

Speak Easies are 1-hour, no-pressure language exchange sessions where you’ll be put into groups with other learners working on the same languages as you so that you get the chance to practice the language your learning. And with hundreds of attendees, there’s a very, very high chance someone else is studying your language.

5. Participate in the Women in Language Facebook group

Leading up to, during, and following the event, attendees are invited to participate in the Women in Language Facebook group. It’s a supportive community where you can share takeaways from the talks you attend, get to know the other attendees, share your successes and struggles in your language, and more.

If you’re struggling with motivation, the community is a great place to get the support you need to pick things back up.

6. Get excited about the raffle!

When you purchase a ticket to the Women in Language event, you are immediately entered into the raffle. There are no extra steps required.

This year we have more than $3,000 worth of prizes that will be fairly split up amongst three raffle winners. These prizes include language learning tools and resources from Drops, Fluent in 3 Months, Language Conqueror, Lindsay Does Languages, Fluentlanguage.co.uk, and more.

Getting new language swag is a great way to boost your motivation and by buying a ticket, you’re automatically entered to win.

7. Support a good cause

Every year, we support a charity. 10% of all profits go to charity and this year, we’re donating to Madre, an incredible organization that does a lot of truly needed things around the world. In past years, we donated to Girl Up!, Wikitongues, and Kiva. We’re also helping fund scholarship tickets to attendees who may not be able to afford a ticket to the Women in Language event.

After buying your ticket, you have the option to help fund another learner’s ticket by making a donation (of any amount).

So there you have it. Just seven of the ways you can fire up your language learning at the Women in Language event–there are plenty more!

If you haven’t yet got your ticket, you can sign up here.

And if you have questions about the event, feel free to share them in the comments below. I look forward to seeing you there!