How do you become fluent in 11 languages?

[DRaisinHerald]

Twenty-year-old Alex Rawlings has won a national competition to find the UK's most multi-lingual student.

The Oxford University undergraduate can currently speak 11 languages - English, Greek, German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Hebrew, Catalan and Italian.

Entrants in the competition run by the publishers Collins had to be aged between 16 and 22 and conversant in multiple languages.

Alex drew on all his skills to tell BBC News about his passion for learning languages and how he came to speak so many.

BBC News - How do you become fluent in 11 languages?

 

[BelligerentPacifist]

Is that even an achievement worth being put on TV? I know someone who speaks 10 languages, and I only got to know because I asked.

BTW, this guy's accents are spot on.

 

[Deno]

Maybe being a genius helps? Dude... I have seen 7 but 11... just wow...

 

[A1Kaid]

He probably used Rosetta stone and took language courses in school.

 

[yahya07]

11 languages and only 20 years, impressive indeed.

 

[Mosamania]

I know a guy who grew up in in Europe all his life I don't know how many languages the guys knows but they are a lot. We were watching Lord of the Rings marathon together and when they speak Elvish he is like "Dude I understand what they are saying" And he is right xD.

 

[Al Bhatti]

Is that even an achievement worth being put on TV? I know someone who speaks 10 languages, and I only got to know because I asked.

BTW, this guy's accents are spot on.

Still a lot better than what we have on our news channels.

Aham khabrain bar in red showing "Meera to get married" , "Meera says her parents are agreeing to the marriage"

Now is this really a news let alone be "aham khabar".

 

[longyi]

Alex Rawlings' fluency in 11 languages is no doubt a great achievement and he is, by all means, considered a genius. Not to undermined his talents, I just want to point out many of the languages are in the Germanic and Latin families.