Solutions
Apr 28
History’s Famous Polyglots
I think we can all agree that learning a new language is difficult! A talented few people have been able to master not only one other language but many languages. These people are called polyglots. In our last Akorbi blog we talked about some of history’s most impressive polyglots. We explored the lives of individuals like Elizabeth I and J.R.R Tolkien. Now we’re back for part two of our Akorbi blog on history’s polyglots. Read on to discover more fascinating historical figures!
Sir Richard Francis Burton
Talk about a Renaissance man! Sir Richard Burton was, amongst other things, a poet, a spy, a linguist, an explorer, and a geographer! The list is much longer than we have time to explore, but suffice it to say he was a man of many talents. It is said that he spoke as many as 29 languages which he learned as he explored various places around the world. What an incredible and exciting life he must have lived! And what a spectacular ear for languages!
Kato Lomb
Kato Lomb was a Hungarian translator and interpreter who spoke a total of 16 languages. Though she studied chemistry and physics, she soon discovered that she had an incredible aptitude for languages. She ended up using her distinctive talents to translate English, German, Russian, and French. She was even able to translate these languages without any preparation. Can you imagine being that fluent in another language?
Lomb’s talent for language was primarily self-taught. She even wrote several books about language acquisition that explore what it is like being a polyglot. She stands as a giant amongst modern polyglots and is definitely a source of inspiration for those trying to acquire another language!
Friedrich Engels
He is best known as a German philosopher and businessman who co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx. However, Friedrich Engels was also a gifted linguist. Fluent in over 12 languages, he towers far above the feats most people could hope to achieve linguistically. He spoke English, French, Spanish, Polish, Gaelic, Portuguese, Italian, and several others. To be able to achieve even a slight proficiency in all of these languages is impressive, but Engels was able to master these difficult languages.
Use Akorbi For Your Interpretation and Translation Needs
If you aren’t a polyglot and find yourself in need of translation or interpretation services, make sure to contact us at Akorbi. We have an incredible staff of translators and interpreters who are all native speakers of the languages they interpret. At Akorbi we believe this is important because there is so much more to communication than just translating the text.
Cultural practices and nuances affect the way that language is interpreted. So, with native speakers translating and interpreting you can be sure that they will be familiar with all of these cultural nuances. Make sure that you use Akorbi for all of your translation and interpretation needs!
