Two Malaysians have taken the internet by storm with their impressive language skills.
A viral video featuring Malaysian YouTuber Dhivenya and her friend Thomas speaking nine different languages has left viewers in awe.
The duo converses fluently in Mandarin, English, Malay, Tamil, Cantonese, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian, showcasing their remarkable linguistic talents.
Journey of learning multiple languages
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Thomas shared insights into his journey of becoming a polyglot.
The 24-year-old explained that he and Dhivenya each speak six languages, bringing the total to nine different languages in their viral video.
“I only spoke one language until I was about 15 years old. Then, I acquired three other common languages in Malaysia: Malay, English, and Cantonese. About three years ago, I picked up Dutch and French. I speak Dutch quite decently and now focus on improving my French to a fluent level,” Thomas revealed.
He credits self-learning through books and conversations with native speakers for his progress.
The Most Challenging Language
Thomas admitted that Mandarin Chinese posed the greatest challenge.
“Mandarin Chinese is the most difficult language in the world due to its complex script and tones. It’s my native language, but I struggled with it during high school because the SPM Chinese level is very high.”
“However, I appreciate the language very much because of its long history and the beautiful evolution of its character script,” he said.
The motivation behind learning languages
Thomas emphasized the importance of strong motivation and enjoying the journey in language learning. He noted that many give up due to fear of speaking in public and highlighted the value of practicing with friends regularly.
The YouTuber, Dhivenya recounted how she first met Thomas after her initial “polyglot” video went viral last year.
Dhivenya speaks six languages, is fluent in three, and is perfecting the other three.
She is currently working on his Spanish and Italian and would love to pick up Hindi, Mandarin, Arabic, and German.
