Bulletins from the club.
How to Solve Rosetta-Stone (Translation) Problems: A Worked Method (2026)
A step-by-step method for IOL Rosetta-Stone translation problems: build the correspondence table, test hypotheses, and check your answers. With an original mini-example for 2026.
IOL Problem Types Explained: Rosetta, Phonology, Morphology and More (2026)
A coach's tour of the main IOL problem types — Rosetta-style translation, phonology, morphology, number/writing systems and syntax — with cues to recognise each fast.
What Is the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL)? A 2026 Complete Guide for Students
The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is an annual contest for secondary-school students that asks you to crack the puzzle-logic of unfamiliar languages with no prior knowledge required. Founded in 2003, the 23rd IOL runs in Bucharest from 26 July to 2 August 2026. This independent guide explains the format, the five problem types, how national olympiads like NACLO and UKLO feed into it, who should enter, and how China-based students train through the IOL Club cohort.
IOL 2026 Bucharest Confirmed: 26 July – 2 August (23rd International Linguistics Olympiad)
The International Linguistics Olympiad 2026 will run 20-24 July 2026 in Bucharest, Romania. Team selection in most countries closes mid-April; check the Competition page for your country.
Weekly walkthroughs resume Tuesday 7pm Beijing time
After a two-week pause for the May holiday, the weekly small-group walkthroughs are back. Tuesday 7-8pm Beijing time on Tencent Meeting. WhatsApp the mentor to get the link.
iolc.org.cn Chinese archive · spring 2026 update
The Chinese-language sister archive at iolc.org.cn now hosts annotated walkthroughs for IOL 2003-2025, plus selected NACLO and UKLO past papers.
Spring alumni update · five paths from IOL training
Five short interviews with IOL Club alumni: two now in computational linguistics graduate programmes, one in cryptography, one in interpreting, one in classics.
Editorial standards update · how we vet posts
IOL Club is an independent guide, not the official IOL. This bulletin documents our editorial review process so readers can judge each post on its merits.