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

I was born and raised in Ukraine, where I grew up speaking both Russian and Ukrainian. I started learning English early on, and it was always my favorite subject in school. At the age of 16, I moved to Israel all by myself and learned Hebrew from scratch while attending high school. Whenever I was bored in class, I would pass the time by learning other languages. The first was French, which I had always considered a beautiful and romantic language. I used Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, and practiced by communicating with an online French friend whom I later even visited in person. The second was Arabic. Around 20% of the population in Israel speaks Arabic, so it felt like a significant and practical language to learn. I also really liked the letters :) Later on, I started learning German. At one point, I was considering studying Medicine, so I passed the C1 exam to be eligible for university in Germany, though I ultimately decided to stay in Israel to study Computer Science and Math instead. Last September, I went to China for a semester-long student exchange at Tsinghua University. I had always wanted to learn an Asian language, so I tried Japanese before, but didn't stick with it because it didn't feel as practical. This time I used the opportunity to immerse myself and learn Chinese quite well.

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

I'm currently focused on perfecting my Chinese, so I'm trying to practice it as much as possible. However, I haven’t been able to practice German and French as much as I'd like, so my speaking skills have gotten a bit rusty, so I wish I had the opportunity to practice these two more.

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

I recently spent some time in Thailand and found the Thai language quite unique and interesting, so I’d like to give it a try in the future. I’d also love to learn Korean and Japanese to broaden my understanding of Asian languages.

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

It’s Russian, my native language. Even though I don’t use it too much these days, I feel it’s the richest language I know, the one in which I can most precisely describe all of my thoughts and feelings.

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

I deeply enjoy the feeling of visiting a place and being able to read the street signs, talk with the locals, and experience the local culture through its native language. This way I can truly immerse myself in the experience and connect with the place on a much deeper level. I hope to build a career where I can use multiple languages and promote cross-cultural cooperation. Additionally, I just really enjoy how satisfying it is to track your progress. The time I spend learning languages never feels wasted, because, in the end, it feels incredibly rewarding.

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 know if it’s going to be down to just a few, but I do think that the total number of languages is very likely to decrease. As communication becomes increasingly digitalized, larger or more convenient languages will probably become even more useful and popular, while smaller ones might not be passed down as actively as they used to be. 

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

If you want to study multiple languages, I don’t see a reason not to do so. I think it’s a fantastic hobby that can greatly enrich your day to day life, as well as provide many new connections and opportunities.