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“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” William Morris [Louisa Thomsen Brits, The book of Hygge, 2016, p. 84.] Hygge (pronounced ‘hue-gah’) is a Danish way of living, meaning togetherness, closeness, cosiness, authenticity, simplicity. Hygge are little moments, like feeling happy when having dinner… Read more Read More...

We’re living in the era of English being a global language; one may argue a lingua franca so to say. But what does this mean for learners, speakers and teachers of the English language? I find this subject fascinating and would like to share a few thoughts with you. New Society of Non-Native Speakers When… Read more Read More...

Do you dream about travelling? I used to feel the same, but I’m no longer dreaming, I’ve started to act on it. Keep reading to find out how I organise my life in order to pursue all my travelling desires. Make it a priority Travelling is one of the biggest priorities of my life. Apart… Read more Read More...

A beautifully photographed album of the world’s luxury and local long- and short-distance train journeys. Since reading Closely Watched Trains (Ostře sledované vlaky) by Bohumil Hrabal, I have become inspired by the romantic and sentimental vibes associated with trains and train stations, to such an extent that I now even live by a train station…. Read more Read More...

Dear Readers, We feel lucky to be living in Bristol, a diverse and multilingual city, but in December… it’s that time of year again, it gets dark at 4pm… Isn’t that a perfect excuse to join us for an evening of multicultural celebrations and festive treats? Let’s come together to learn about various festivals from… Read more Read More...

Do I have time to learn a foreign language every day? Of course, not! But, I think you may change your mind after reading this article, so let me explain. Impossible possible? First of all, I’m not talking about spending hours practising every day (although, that would be just perfect!), but about finding ways to… Read more Read More...

I am lucky enough to speak five languages and be learning a sixth.  Part of the reason why I have learnt them is because I have lived in several different countries, but you could say the other part is because I am motivated to learn them.  I enjoy the challenge and the voyage of discovery… Read more Read More...

“The big ‘secret’ to improving second language skills is practice.” Eve Lindemuth Bodeux (p. 9) I became in love with this book from the very first page. The author, Eve Lindemuth Bodeux is an experienced second language user and the content is predominantly based on her own experience. This, I think, is what makes the… Read more Read More...

Spanish is spoken as a first language by more than 427 million people throughout the world and around 21 million people are learning it.  It is the second most common native language in the world.   It is the third most studied language in Europe, with 19% of school pupils learning it as a second or… Read more Read More...

1. What is Babel Magazine, who writes it and who is your audience? Babel magazine was set up by Lesley Jeffries and Dan McIntyre, two linguists at the University of Huddersfield. Lesley and Dan found it strange that the newsagent’s shelves had magazines for subjects such as history and geography, but nothing that covers linguistics…. Read more Read More...