🌍 How the World's Greatest Polyglots Learned Their Languages
Learning multiple languages is an incredible feat, but how exactly do polyglots do it? Some of them started young, while others picked up languages later in life. Some rely on immersion, while others prefer structured learning.
In this post, we explore the stories of famous polyglots—how they started, what challenges they faced, and the techniques that helped them master languages.
🇮🇹 Luca Lampariello – The Accidental Polyglot
As a child in Italy, Luca Lampariello hated learning languages in school. He struggled with English and never imagined he would one day speak over 13 languages fluently.
Everything changed when he was 14 years old. His school introduced an exchange program where students could communicate with English speakers. Determined not to embarrass himself, Luca decided to take his studies more seriously.
Instead of relying on boring grammar drills, he developed his bidirectional translation method:
- He would translate texts from English to Italian and then back into English.
- This forced him to think in the language rather than just memorize words.
Over the years, he expanded his method to other languages like French, German, Spanish, and Russian. He avoided traditional classrooms and focused on listening, speaking, and reading real-world content.
🎥 Today, Luca runs a popular YouTube channel where he teaches others how to learn languages efficiently.
🇬🇧 Richard Simcott – The Man Who Speaks 50+ Languages
Richard Simcott grew up in a household where multiple languages were spoken. His first exposure to foreign languages came from his Welsh grandmother, who encouraged him to learn new words every day.
By the time he was a teenager, he was already fascinated by French and German. But instead of just studying them in school, he found a secret trick:
💡 He would talk to himself in different languages!
As he grew older, he didn’t stop at just European languages. He took on Macedonian, Arabic, Mandarin, and even Korean. His ability to switch seamlessly between languages made him famous in the polyglot community.
📍 Today, Richard works as a language consultant and continues to learn new languages while helping others on their own language-learning journeys.
🇬🇧 Alex Rawlings – The UK’s Most Multilingual Student
At just 14 years old, Alex Rawlings fell in love with Greek. His mother, recognizing his passion, encouraged him to explore other languages.
By the time he was in university, he had mastered 11 languages, which earned him the title of Britain’s Most Multilingual Student.
🔥 How did he do it?
- He never studied languages in isolation—he watched movies, read books, and had real conversations.
- He used flashcards and spaced repetition to remember vocabulary.
- He traveled to different countries and fully immersed himself in the language.
📘 Today, Alex teaches language-learning strategies and has written books on how to speak languages fluently.
🇨🇦 Steve Kaufmann – The Man Who Learned 20 Languages at 60+
Steve Kaufmann’s story proves that it’s never too late to learn languages.
As a young diplomat, Steve was assigned to Hong Kong. He struggled with learning Chinese in the traditional way and almost gave up—until he discovered content-based learning.
Instead of memorizing vocabulary lists, he started reading and listening to real-world materials, like books, newspapers, and podcasts.
This approach changed everything. He went on to learn French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and 16 other languages!
🔹 Key Strategy: He created the LingQ app, which helps learners acquire languages through real content rather than textbooks.
🇮🇪 Benny Lewis – The "Fluent in 3 Months" Challenge
Benny Lewis, an Irish polyglot, struggled with learning Spanish for six months while living in Spain. He thought he simply wasn’t good at languages.
Then, one day, he realized something:
👉 He was afraid to make mistakes!
Benny decided to challenge himself:
🔹 Speak from day one, even if it’s imperfect.
🔹 Practice with native speakers instead of just studying grammar.
🔹 Use online resources like iTalki to get real conversational practice.
Within a few months, his Spanish had improved dramatically. He applied the same strategy to Portuguese, German, Mandarin, and more, eventually creating his famous Fluent in 3 Months challenge.
🇭🇺 Kató Lomb – The Self-Taught Language Legend
Kató Lomb was a Hungarian interpreter who taught herself 16 languages—without modern technology or formal courses.
Her secret? Reading books and newspapers in foreign languages.
She believed that the best way to absorb a language was to see it in real context. She would underline unknown words, guess their meaning, and later check their definitions.
📘 She even wrote a book: "Polyglot: How I Learn Languages", which remains a classic for language learners.
🇺🇸 Tim Doner – The Teenage Polyglot
Tim Doner’s journey started when he became obsessed with learning Hebrew at the age of 13. Unlike other kids, he didn’t stop at just one language—he went on to learn Arabic, Persian, Russian, and over 20 languages.
His method? Immersing himself in native media and speaking with people from different cultures.
When he posted a video showcasing his skills, he became an internet sensation and a recognized name in the polyglot community.
🔥 What Can We Learn from These Polyglots?
Each polyglot has a different approach, but they all share one thing in common:
👉 They make languages part of their daily lives.
🚀 Takeaways for Language Learners:
✅ Speak from day one – don’t wait for perfection.
✅ Surround yourself with the language – listen, read, and watch in your target language.
✅ Make mistakes – that’s how you learn.
✅ Find your unique learning style – translation, immersion, or structured study.