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

When I was about 10ish, I realised Dutch was quite similar to German. So, I compared some touristic leaflets and discovered some words that I tried to learn (it was this time before true internet^^). My parents gifted me with a proper book for learning Dutch with dialogues on a disc, some short grammar, some vocabulary. That was very much fun for me and very much rewarding. This self-learning book had one helpful advice: Overdo what you do, speak and repeat in a way that appears extreme or ridiculous to you. Just act out and enjoy.

After, for a short-term exchange to Poland, I felt like repeating my success with Dutch and bought myself a similar self-learning course for Polish. That was so much harder (obviously, as a German). But I managed to learn about 400 words and have some basics. That was cool also back in Germany, when you could make people from Polish origin working or living there, every now and then. And exciting to impress people with something they did not expect.

I enjoyed Poland so I decided that Russia, as it is in the east as Poland is (simple thinking) would be interesting. Also, because by coincidence (but also interest) I had a chance to learn Russian at school. Previously, I had chosen English with some extra courses in Grammar school, and French.

So Russian it was for one year in a high-school exchange and host-family stay. Coming back to Germany, it was not too hard to use some Russian every now and then and I learned more about people with different ethnic backgrounds in Germany. Something that had not been very present to me from a village, even if in a quite metropolitan area.

After my A-level, I wanted to do some volunteering so I chose the European Voluntary Service. I decided not to go to Russia once again, not to be “in between two countries” by heart and soul for all my life. Rather, to be in between many countries 😉 So I went to Turkey and learned Turkish quite eagerly with ok success. Happily, I did some walking adventures across Turkey up to Ukraine, an internship in Flanders, some walking adventures over there.

I decided to study on the German-Polish border and live in a Polish dormitory while going to my German university. A lot of fun over there in a multi-linguistic environment. Exchange semester to a Polish university, and one to Azerbaijan.

Masters in the Netherlands, another one in Poland, some working experiences in Brussels.

And finally, I was able to speak active Azerbaijani – but not my neighbourhood and partly family language Kölsch. So, I started up with friends, quite unusual for my age. Now, I will be language teacher for Kölsch which makes my soul sing aloud 😉

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

Pretty much all of them. Ukrainian is something I want to learn due to the political situation, as a sign of solidarity (and some better understanding among Russians and Ukrainians should this future re-appear on the horizon …)

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

Persian so I can also visit the Azeri-speaking parts of Iran and enjoy. Uygur would be great but seems utopian due to their oppressions. I have a strong passion for Gagauzian but a visit and using other Turkic languages will do as well.

4. So let’s be honest, what’s the sexiest language?

I find female Radio-speaker’s Flemish quite appealing.

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

Being part of so many ethnical ingroups. At least when you pick the most a-typical part with a weird dialect in this in-group. Example in Polish: So, you are Polish. No, I’m not. Ah, so you were born in Germany. But your parents are Polish. No. Well, but their parents were. No 😉But usually, I go with the flow and you do not always have to tell the truth right away.

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?

DeepL / KI seems to give some hope in this regard. Even tiny languages can have their own translations. But yes, I am afraid that increased mobilities will bring a lot of shrinking in time and space and languages and life-realities … But it is also a matter of prestige, of Groupness, identity.

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

Just trust in the fact that everything you ever learn adds upon your knowledge. It is like watering a seed. You don’t see it growing but it does. Nothing is ever truly senseless when you learn terms or structures.

And just enjoy everything you master to express. Even if it is not what you want to say content-wise, enjoy that people understand the message you just formulated and surf on the wave of your success 😉