“Why Do We Feel Less Confident in a Foreign Language?” – a meeting with a linguist as part of the “Open Up! Dare Yourself!” programme – vol. 2 | Gdańsk University of Technology

Connection with a sign language interpreter change contrast
Search

Page content

News

Date added: 2026-04-13

“Why Do We Feel Less Confident in a Foreign Language?” – a meeting with a linguist as part of the “Open Up! Dare Yourself!” programme – vol. 2

people standing in the line
Inter Hub invites you to another session in the second edition of the “Open Up! Dare Yourself!” programme, dedicated to communication in an international academic environment. During the meeting, we will explore why even highly proficient language users may feel uncertain in communicative situations. Together, we will analyse the psycholinguistic and social mechanisms that shape the way we speak and learn practical strategies for building greater communicative confidence.

“Why Do We Feel Less Confident in a Foreign Language?”

Psycholinguistic and Sociolinguistic Mechanisms of Communication in Academic Contexts

📅 Date: 28 May 2026
🕒 Time: 11:00–13:00
📍 Location: CK STOS
⏱ Duration: 120 minutes
🗣 Language: Polish
🌐 Interpretation: simultaneous interpretation into English (live)

🔗 Registration:
👉 https://forms.pg.edu.pl/01KMJ6ES78WNYBDC6382JQ4AZH

📖 Event description

Contemporary academic communication largely operates in an international space where English serves as a lingua franca. However, for many users it is not only a communication tool, but also a space for negotiating linguistic norms and constructing one’s linguistic identity.

Research shows that even individuals with a high level of language proficiency often experience communication anxiety—especially in situations that require spontaneous speech, public presentations, or collaboration in international teams. In academic contexts, additional factors include strong normative expectations regarding language use and the tendency to associate speaking style with intellectual competence.

The aim of the session is to reflect on the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic mechanisms influencing communication in a foreign language, including:

  • foreign language anxiety,
  • the impact of social and cultural context,
  • strategies for increasing communicative ease in international environments.

The session will take the form of an expert lecture combined with the analysis of communication scenarios and a moderated discussion.

👤 Speaker

Arkadiusz Janczyło

Linguist, academic teacher, trainer in English language and communication. He collaborates with academic and diplomatic communities as a language and culture consultant. He specialises in the study of language experience, combining linguistic, didactic, and psycholinguistic perspectives.

The intercultural competence enhancement program OPEN UP! DARE TO! is part of the project "Internationalization of Gdańsk University of Technology: development of WELCOME SERVICES/promoting WELCOME CULTURE” No. BNP/WTP/2023/1/00169/U/00001, which is funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange as part of the Welcome to Poland program. 

1 view