At the age of 20, Montreal linguistics student Georges Awaad can already speak 19 different languages, most of which he taught himself through internet videos, music and conversation with friends. “I’m a very auditory person, so I try to expose myself as much as possible to the language, by listening to music, videos, films if I find them, and by listening to conversations and having them with friends,” he says.
He also speaks Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Russian, Hebrew, Romanian, Swedish, Georgian, Armenian, Cantonese, Korean, Esperanto, and Dutch. Despite his achievement, Awaad doesn’t believe he has any exceptional skills when it comes to learning languages. His secret, he says, is that he finds it fun.
Awaad says that “learning a new language can open your mind and heart to so many other people around the world and new cultures. You can understand the world so much better and on a much deeper level."
