History’s Famous Polyglots

Learning a new language is difficult, and yet a talented few people have been able to master not only one other language but many languages. These people are called polyglots. Read on to discover more about a couple of history’s most impressive polyglots.

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!

Use Propio 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 Propio. We have an incredible staff of translators and interpreters who are all native speakers of the languages they interpret. At Propiowe believe this is important because there is so much more to communication than just translating text.

Cultural practices and nuances affect the way that language is interpreted. So, with native speakers translating and interpreting you can be sure they will be familiar with all of these cultural nuances.