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

My passion for languages started almost by accident during the Covid-19 lockdown. I was 13, bored at home, when I stumbled upon a little-watched YouTube video teaching Russian. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it. Soon I was learning simple basics “hello,” “hi,” “my name is” and the Cyrillic alphabet. Day by day, I improved. What began as repeating the same phrases after a YouTube teacher slowly grew into forming my own sentences, describing my daily life in Russian. Some months later, in April 2024, I began studying French. Until then, I had thought of myself as someone who simply spoke Italian natively, learned English at school, and picked up Russian in his free time. But that July, while speaking French in the small Belgian city of Arlon, I realized something deeper: my love was not for a single language, but for languages in general. That realization pushed me further. I explored Portuguese, which later made Spanish easier, and Ukrainian, which in turn helped me approach Polish. My passion for languages continues to evolve because it adapts to what is happening in my life. If tomorrow I met someone from Turkey and we got along well, I could easily imagine myself starting Turkish the very next day. Alongside modern languages, I also decided to embark on a journey with ancient ones. I study Latin and Ancient Greek, not only out of interest but also because I hope to study Classics at university. Reading Cicero’s De Officiis in Latin will, I believe, be far richer than any translation.

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

I would definitely say German and Polish are my baby languages. By that I mean I don’t speak them very well yet, but I’ve started building the basics and I really enjoy the challenge. Practicing a little bit every day would definitely help me grow more confident.

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

I would definitely want to learn two African languages: Wolof and Swahili. Since most of the languages I’ve studied so far are European-centered, I’d like to explore something different, both culturally and linguistically.Learning Wolof and Swahili would not only give me access to entirely new structures and sounds, but also to rich traditions and perspectives that are very different from the ones I’m used to.

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

Tough question! Every language has its own charm for me, otherwise I probably would have picked it already. But if I had to choose my top three, they would be Latin, French, and Russian. Latin is at the top because it helps me connect with my favorite authors (and maybe even with people who share the same passion). Plus, I think it’s incredibly cool to be able to speak a so-called “dead” language and bring it to life. French comes next because I absolutely love the sound of it, especially the nasal vowels. To me, it has a very romantic quality when spoken, almost like music. Finally, Russian holds a special place in my heart. It was the first language I started learning seriously after English, so I feel really close to it. On top of that, I’ve read so many beautiful books in Russian, which makes the language even more meaningful for me.

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

The thing that excites me most about speaking many languages is the chance to bond with people from cultures I might never have interacted with otherwise. Each language opens a door to new perspectives, stories, and ways of seeing the world. When I learn a language, I don’t just pick up a new alphabet, vocabulary, or grammar rules; I also discover a new culture and new insights. That’s where the greatest pleasure truly comes from: the feeling that with every language I learn, I also gain a deeper connection to humanity itself.

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 think this is, unfortunately, a possible scenario. Of course, we are not talking about languages like Spanish or Chinese, but rather the minority ones: those passed down from father to son, the ones that often carry even more cultural knowledge than the big names such as English, Spanish, or Russian. The loss would not only be a linguistic problem but above all a cultural one, since learning a language is also a way to access different perspectives and insights. For example, I have heard that Greko, the closest spoken language to Ancient Greek and still present in Calabria, southern Italy, is close to disappearing, as its youngest speaker is already over 60 years old. This is truly a pity, considering how much knowledge and culture is embedded in Greko.

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

No matter if you are a child, a teenager, an adult, or an older person: if the thought of learning a language ever crosses your mind, just do it. It is one of the best experiences you can go through, because you will not only grow as a person but also discover new things about others and about yourself. So, pick your language and start speaking it!