DR. KATÓ LOMB (1909–2003) was one of the great polyglots of the 20th century. A translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world, Lomb worked in 16 languages for state and business concerns in her native Hungary. She achieved further fame by writing books on languages, interpreting, and polyglots.

First published in 1970, Polyglot: How I Learn Languages is a singular collection of Lomb's anecdotes and reflections on language learning. In its breadth of knowledge, the book recalls similar texts by such renowned polyglot linguists as Bloomfield, Pei, Pimsleur, and Stevick.

TESL-EJ Publications is proud to present the first English edition of Polyglot. The book was translated by Adam Szegi and Kornelia DeKorne, and edited by Scott Alkire. 215 pages.

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“[Many] Eastern European language learning autobiographies aim at instructing foreign language learners…[Lomb’s memoir] has lively and detailed descriptions of the author’s learning strategies.” -- Aneta Pavlenko, Applied Linguistics 22 (2)

“It is remarkable, and reassuring, that Dr. Lomb’s conclusions agree so well with current language acquisition theory: comprehensible input is central, grammar is peripheral, and negative affect can disturb performance. She also demonstrates, quite spectacularly, that high levels of second language proficiency can be attained by adults; much of her language acquisition was done in her 30s and 40s...” -- Stephen Krashen and Natalie Kiss, ­System 24 (2)