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

I was born in the Netherlands and lived there till the age of 18, so that's how I learned Dutch. My mother is Spanish, so she has always spoken to me in Spanish. Likewise, my father is Greek, so he's always spoken to me in Greek. I went to a British school from Foundation to Sixth Form. As a result, I grew up speaking Dutch, Spanish, Greek and English, which made it easier to learn German and French later on in secondary school.

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

Russian because it's a lovely language that I would love to speak fluently! 

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

I'd love to learn Arabic and Italian!

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

I think specific accents are more attractive than languages themselves and, since there are infinite accents in every language (especially when it comes to languages like French or Spanish that are spoken in so many different countries), it’s impossible for me to pinpoint one.

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

As Mandela said: ‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart’. Speaking to someone in their native language helps you connect with that person on a different level.

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?

Even though I think it's likely we'll all have at least one language in common in 100 years (maybe English), I doubt that we'll stop using the rest, because languages represent different cultures and identities.

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

Languages can be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop anybody from trying though! People sometimes say I'm "gifted" with languages and,

while I can understand what they mean, it all comes down to dedication and commitment, which anybody can have!