1. What’s your story? How did you get into all these languages?

I am the complete outlier in my Swiss family; none of my siblings shares this passion. I have no idea where I got it from, but I was an extremely voracious reader as a child, devouring all the books in the modest country-side school library I had access to and then later in the bigger town after we moved. It must have awakened a yearning to expand my horizon, and languages seemed the perfect bridge to other, unknown worlds.

2. Which language(s) do you wish you could spend more time practising?

I'm acutely aware of how quickly language competency fades without practice, as I often encounter students who’ve lost years of study simply from lack of use. I speak some of my languages daily, others a few times per week, and every Sunday I use seven in various contexts. Interestingly, my least-used one is my mother tongue, Swiss-German (but always with our cat) since the majority of my contact with my family in Switzerland is via WhatsApp.

3. What are some languages you’d like to learn in the future?

I am considering Catalan, as my daughter-in-law is from Barcelona and her entire family lives there.

4. So let’s be honest, what’s the sexiest language?
I really don’t think in those terms, but Italian with its musicality, rhythm and cadence, has always held a very special place in my heart from the moment I started learning it.

5. What’s the greatest pleasure you get from speaking so many languages?
My family says it is quite unbelievable how much time I spend weekly in various polyglot and single-language groups, but is there a greater pleasure than to connect with friends, catch up on life and world events, and at the same time exercise these wonderful vehicles for conversation and connection? I also organize yearly international college student trips for linguistic and cultural purposes, and being able to connect to locals is one of the most rewarding benefits of being multi-lingual.

6. Some people say the world is really just going to have a few languages left in a 100 years, do you think this is really true?
While it’s hard to predict what the linguistic landscape will look like in 100 years, we’re doing our part to spread the joy of language learning — which, in turn, helps support preservation.

7. What is your message to young (and not so young) people out there who are interested in studying multiple languages?
Every day, I stand in a university classroom, sharing my passion and enthusiasm and will never tire of conveying the message that language acquisition brings a lifetime of profound enrichment, new perspectives, and opportunities.