Language Show Live is an annual language conference, considered one of the biggest and most important events in the linguistic circles, bringing together language learners, teachers and professionals. As I am currently in my final year of undergraduate studies and the pursuit of employment is fast approaching, I decided to visit this year’s show, which took place between the 16th and 18th of October. I was only able to attend on the Saturday, so I prepared myself for a busy day, with a long list of seminars to go to and stalls to visit (I even managed to squeeze in a 30 minute Welsh taster class!).

At first I was a little overwhelmed by the enormity of the event, there was so much going on I didn’t know where to start! However, I quickly found my way round and the areas I was interested in. The event was divided into different sections, such as Careers Zone, TEFL Fair, Technology Zone and Primary Languages Base among others. Each section had numerous stalls with representatives of the corresponding institutions, ranging from British Council and the European Commission, to TEFL courses abroad and language resources retailers. It felt like everyone and everything language related were all under the same roof.

I attended multiple seminars, which were divided into three categories based on the topic: Teaching, Translating/Interpreting and TEFL. It was very interesting to find out more about some possible careers such as Public Service Interpreting or translating for the European Union. Hearing from professionals and their personal experiences of the job was a lot more insightful and informative than a simple career profile online. It was also a great opportunity to ask more specific questions. Whatever doubt you had, there sure was someone to answer it!

I would definitely recommend the event and I’m hoping to visit again next year. I believe it’s particularly beneficial for final year language students who are exploring different career options, but also for language professionals, for whom the event is a great networking opportunity.

Next year the Language Show Live will take place from 14th to 16th October 2016.

Written by Alicja Zajdel