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

Albanian is my mother tongue. I grew up in Tetovo, where Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian were the official languages during the period of former Yugoslavia. I completed both my primary and secondary education there. During primary school, French was my first foreign language, followed by Russian as my second.

Because my father lived in Switzerland for many years, I spent almost every summer there until 1994. This early exposure allowed me to learn German in a natural multilingual environment. Later, during my university studies, I began learning English, which eventually became one of my strongest academic and professional languages.

I completed my Master’s studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in English while simultaneously attending intensive French courses. This combination significantly strengthened my command of French in both academic and everyday contexts.

Currently, I am a PhD student in Vienna, where I also completed C1-level German certification and obtained certification as an Informatics teacher from the Austrian Ministry of Education. During my student years in Vienna, I worked as a tourist guide, which further improved my communication skills and gave me practical exposure to Spanish and Italian.

My knowledge of Russian also improved over time through regular interaction with Russian-speaking tourists in Vienna. However, I would still describe my Russian proficiency as conversational and limited to everyday communication. In addition, I have basic speaking knowledge of Turkish and Portuguese (including Brazilian Portuguese).

I can read Arabic quite well, although my spoken Arabic is still at an early stage, as I am currently in the process of learning the language more actively.

I also studied Latin at school. Although my knowledge is limited today, I still remember classical phrases such as “Homo hominis lupus est” and “Mens sana in corpore sano.”

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

I would like to practice more Turkish, Russian and Arabic, which I am trying to do with Duolingo App.

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

I would like to learn new Languages like Scandinavian Languages (Finish, Swedish, Norvegian, Danish, Dutch).

4. So let’s be honest, which language has the most charm for you?

Definitely the French Language.

5. What’s the greatest pleasure you get from speaking so many languages?

My abbility to speak to different people from different nations and feel the connection that a language can transmit. Through languages one can understand better the cultural differences between nations, which bring colour to this life.

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?

I don’t believe in that. Only if we destroy our Planet through Wars and weapons of mass-destruction. I don’t like wars, wars show the evil side of the people, which is the opposite of the personality that we Hyperpoliglots have.

7. What is your message to young (and not so young) people out there who are interested in studying multiple languages?

I would encourage everyone, young and not so young, to learn new languages. Every language opens the door to a different culture, a different way of thinking, and new opportunities in life and business. You do not need to speak perfectly to benefit from it. Even basic knowledge can help you connect with people, travel more confidently, and better understand the world. Most importantly, learning languages keeps your mind active and curious throughout life.