About
Linguistics In Action
Linguistics in Action is a podcast exploring how language shapes the world through academia and beyond. Founded, hosted, and developed by Joana Fehr, M.A., the podcast introduces listeners to linguists and language professionals whose work demonstrates how linguistic knowledge can be applied to real-world challenges.
The idea for Linguistics in Action was developed during Joana’s time at Georgetown University, where she became interested not only in linguistics as an academic discipline, but in the many ways linguistic knowledge, research, analytical thinking, and expertise in language can contribute to society. The podcast looks beyond traditional ideas of what a linguist does and explores the diverse pathways that linguistic knowledge can open.
Each episode features a professional working with language in a different context, from research and education to law, policing, policy, technology, language strategy, and activism. Through these conversations, Linguistics in Action makes the field accessible and shows what careers in linguistics look like.
For students and aspiring linguists, the podcast offers a window into career possibilities they may not yet know exist. For the broader public, it highlights the value of linguistic knowledge in understanding and addressing challenges across society. After all, language is central to how we communicate, investigate, educate, govern, develop technology, create policy, and understand one another.
Linguistics in Action showcases what linguists do, where linguistics can take you, and how understanding language can contribute to solving real-world problems.
Your Host
I’m Joana Fehr, M.A., a linguist, researcher, language professional, and the founder and host of Linguistics in Action. I earned my M.A. in Linguistics from Georgetown University in 2026, specializing in Language and Communication, following a B.A. in Modern Languages from the University of Birmingham, where I studied Spanish, French, and Italian.
My interest in linguistics has always been about more than languages themselves. Living, studying, and working in seven countries across different cultural environments has shown me firsthand just how much language shapes the way we communicate, understand one another, engage with society, and experience the world around us.
My academic and research work explores this relationship with a particular focus on multilingualism, language policy, law, politics, and communication. During my M.A. at Georgetown, I examined how states frame multilingualism and linguistic minorities through language policy, exploring the connections between language, power, citizenship, and belonging. I now continue this work as a researcher at Leiden University, where I am part of an EU-funded project investigating the relationship between AI, language practices, and language ideologies, particularly among multilingual users and university students.
This journey led me to Linguistics in Action. For me, the podcast is about more than showcasing careers. It is about making linguistics visible and giving linguists a voice, opening up possibilities for students and aspiring linguists, while introducing the broader public to the value, knowledge, and perspectives that linguists bring to society.
I hope to share that discovery with you!
