The International Association
of Hyperpolyglots
HYPIA
est. 2016
Interview with
Isailo Dondic
Name: Isailo Dondić
Nationality or Ethnicity: Serbian
Where do you live?: Vienna
Languages: Serbian(native), German, English(C1-C2), Russian, Spanish(C1), Portuguese, Italian(B2), Romanian, Esperanto(B1), French, Polish(A2)
Member since:
2024-02-22
1. What’s your story? How did you get into all these languages?
Let's go back to the time before the internet took over our lives! Imagine when I was young and didn't have access to foreign TV or magazines. Yep, that was my childhood! But I still got to experience other languages. I watched foreign movies with subtitles, which gave me a taste of different languages. There were also old TV courses for kids teaching English, German, and Italian. I was interested, even though it didn't make me fluent in many languages right away. It did make me want to learn more languages, though.
Fast forward to my school days, I took German classes. At first, I was excited, but eventually, I lost some interest. So, many years later, I could only speak Serbian, English, and a bit of German.
Then, I moved to Vienna, a city with many languages. Being surrounded by different cultures made me want to learn even more languages. My passion for languages was revived, which actually had never really gone away. Now, I'm diving into the joy of learning new languages and exploring different cultures.
2. Which language(s) do you wish you could spend more time practising?
I could practice my Romanian more since I worked in an office with two Romanian colleagues, but back then, I wasn't that much interested in that language.
3. What are some languages you’d like to learn in the future?
I would like to learn Mandarin Chinese, as it becomes more important every day. Also, since I live in Vienna, I would like to learn Turkish and Arabic. Additionally, I would like to improve some languages I already speak at some level, such as Esperanto and Polish. Of course, I am aware that completing all of this would be very challenging.
4. So let’s be honest, what’s the sexiest language?
Throughout my life, I've been on a quest to find a language sexier than Serbian, but so far, I haven't discovered it.
5. What’s the greatest pleasure you get from speaking so many languages?
Every travel experience, every contact with other cultures, will be enriched if you know the language of that culture. The more you know, the better. No matter how deeply you want to be involved in that culture, knowing the language will help you.
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?
If the human race survives in 100 years, then it probably won't be true.
7. What is your message to young (and not so young) people out there who are interested in studying multiple languages?
If you like or need a particular language or languages, listen, read, speak, and/or write in that language as much as you can. Try to implement it in your everyday life. Listen to podcasts or read articles on topics you are interested in; that will keep you connected and maybe even addicted to those languages. If you are busy, dedicate at least 10-15 minutes to this when you are on a bus or walking in a park. It's better to spend 15 minutes every day than 5 hours once a week.