Volkert Behr, who joined Melissa Dalton on the Sam Steen Show on Wednesday morning, has been at the head of the club since 2003 - so who better to talk us through what this tongue-twisting association gets up?
Founded in 1999, ‘Club Polyglotte Luxembourg’ brings together individuals with a shared passion for languages, learning, and cultural appreciation. Today it features more than 300 members from several countries around the world, said Volkert. The club meets regularly on Tuesdays, offering an opportunity to socialise and practice a hosts of different languages with fellow polyglots.
A usual meeting would feature between 4 and 7 language tables - often focused around “the usual suspects,” said Volkert, being the likes of Luxembourgish, German, French, English, Spanish, and Italian. Portuguese is also proving popular. The tables are set up depending on both demand and the club’s ability to provide a native or high-proficiency speaker of a given language.
The club also hosts online meetings and smaller in-person ones with a more specific and limited language focus. But it’s not all meetings and chatting - Volkert explained that the club also arranges trips abroad, providing an opportunity for combining language learning and practising with for instance a few days of hiking in a scenic environment.
Volkert himself speaks an impressive six languages, and is currently working on improving his Italian. He is far from the most linguistically versatile member of the club, however: that honour goes to another member, who speaks a mind-boggling 25 languages fluently.
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