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

I’m natively bilingual because I come from an international family, so that was already a big part of the starting point. From an early age, I was used to moving between languages naturally, which made learning new ones feel much more accessible. My father also speaks seven languages, which was always something I looked up to growing up. It made multilingualism feel both inspiring and achievable from a very early stage.

Another important influence was travelling as a family. Whenever we went somewhere new, we would always try to learn a few basic words and expressions of the local language. Those small efforts created moments I still remember very clearly, whether it was saying a few words in French, German, Greek, or Portuguese. Even as a child, I really appreciated those moments of connection, when a simple phrase could change the way you interact with someone. Because of that early exposure, when I had the opportunity to study German at school, I immediately took it. I ended up studying it for six years, which gave me my first structured approach to learning a foreign language beyond my native ones.

The real turning point came at university. I continued practising German for another year, but I also began learning French and Portuguese as part of my International Relations degree. And as my interest in international politics and European affairs deepened, languages became much more than just a personal interest, they became an essential tool for understanding the world.

At the same time, I made Romanian friends at university with whom I practised some of the basics of the language. That sparked my curiosity, so I signed up for a very affordable introductory course in Madrid. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to take it further and fully immerse myself in the language. I ended up going to Romania, where I worked for three months while travelling across the country and learning the language. It was an incredible experience and one of the most rewarding parts of my languages journey.

In essence, what started as something natural and enjoyable gradually became something much more intentional: a way to access different perspectives, to connect more meaningfully with people, and to engage more deeply with the regions I study and care about.

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

German is definitely one. I reached a strong level at one point, but lost a bit given little regular use, so it’s a language I’d really like to maintain and continue improving. Romanian is another, especially because of my experience living there, and I’d like to keep developing it so I don’t lose that connection.

Catalan is also a priority at the moment. Without consistent practice, it’s very easy for my brain to default to Spanish or even French, so keeping Catalan active requires a more deliberate effort, especially in speaking.

And finally, Croatian. After finishing my time working at the Embassy of Croatia in Spain, I haven’t had many opportunities to practice it, so I’d definitely like to pick it up again and build on what I started…

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

That’s a difficult question, one that you can’t really ask a language lover, because there are always so many. In terms of priorities, I’d definitely like to improve my Croatian and properly learn Russian, especially given their relevance to my academic and professional interests. Beyond that, I’m also very curious about a number of other languages. Even if just at a basic level, I’d love to explore languages like Basque, Greek, Turkish, Georgian, and Arabic. Ukrainian is another one I find interesting as well. So realistically, there are quite a few on the list. It’s more a question of time than interest.

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

That’s a very difficult question. I don’t think I can give a definitive answer. If I had to choose, Portuguese would probably be up there. I also really like Romanian, but I think part of that comes from the personal connection I have with it and how much people appreciate it when someone makes the effort to speak their language. At the same time, I really like the sound of Greek… it has a certain appeal to it. But since I don’t actually understand it, I’m not sure whether that charm comes from the language itself or just from an external perception.

It’s also interesting because many people who don’t speak Spanish as a first language often tell me how much they love it and how beautiful they think it is. For me, having grown up with it, it feels completely natural and not particularly special, but seeing how others perceive it makes me appreciate it in a different way. So in the end, I think charm is a mix of both how a language sounds and the personal experiences you associate with it, which makes it hard to single out just one.

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

The greatest pleasure is undoubtably the ability to connect with people on a much deeper level. Speaking someone’s language creates an immediate sense of closeness and trust that you often don’t get otherwise. There’s a kind of complicity that emerges. People feel more comfortable with you, and that often leads them to open up in ways they wouldn’t with someone who doesn’t speak their language. They might share aspects of their culture unrelated to the language itself, from traditions to personal perspectives, simply because they feel that connection. For me, that’s one of the most rewarding parts: not just communicating, but really appreciating people for who they are, and understanding them in a more authentic way.

At the same time, languages have also been incredibly valuable in my studies. They allow me to follow the politics of different countries more closely and to have meaningful political conversations with people from those contexts. Being able to speak with people who may not be able or feel fully comfortable expressing themselves in English means you don’t lose as much nuance or insight, which is essential when trying to understand complex political realities. In that sense, languages have really opened up an entire world for me, both personally and academically.

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?

To some extent, I think linguistic consolidation is happening, especially with global languages like English becoming dominant. But I don’t think linguistic diversity will disappear entirely. Languages are deeply tied to identity, culture, and memory, and those are very resilient. While some languages may decline or even disappear, others are being actively preserved and revitalised.

It is hard to tell for certain, but what I think we may see is a world where multilingualism becomes even more common, where people use global languages like English for communication, but continue to maintain their local or national languages as an essential part of who they are. In my opinion, it largely depends on parents wanting to speak to their children in “their” language. That is what will keep them alive.

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

Start as soon as you can, but more importantly, stay consistent and make it meaningful. Try to connect languages to your interests, whether that’s politics, culture, business, or travel; so that learning them feels natural and engaging rather than forced. Also, you cannot learn a language “fully” without learning and connecting with the culture or cultures associated with it. They go together, and learning one will further motivate you to learn the other.

Also, and importantly, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Just talk. Talk from the start, as soon as you can. Push yourself into conversations, even if you later cannot continue them. People will help you, and you are forcing yourself to turn it from passive into active language knowledge. Don’t worry about speaking perfectly. Fluency doesn’t come from being perfect, it comes from using the language as much as possible and feeling comfortable with it. You will correct mistakes later, as you go along.

Ultimately, the real reward isn’t just being able to speak multiple languages. It’s being able to think differently, understand others more deeply, and see the world from multiple perspectives.

PS: If you have children, please do try to teach them your language or languages. It is a pity when parents, trying to do the best for their children, only teach them a “dominant” local language, and not their mother tongues, the language they themselves grew up with. That is how smaller languages are lost, and how people start disconnecting from their heritage, which they have the right to know and feel proud of.