Understanding our people

Growing up with a German father and French mother, Emili Budell-Rhodes, RELX Community Manager, who is now based in London, was exposed to multiple languages from birth. “It gave me the confidence to explore languages and to just have a go without feeling self-conscious. I grew up in what used to be West Germany and we had a lot of American military families in our village. I played with American kids on the local playground without really speaking English… but just had a go and somehow managed to make myself understood, although I think I did make up my fair share of words! I tended to hate language learning at school. I always felt that the way of teaching was very dry and abstract, and I got bored quickly because I couldn’t relate what I was learning to real life. It got better when I was older when we started looking at literature. When I began learning languages at school, aged 10 or so, I learned French and German grammar first, then started learning Latin, then Spanish and finally English.”

Joe Williams-Beard, working in Oklahoma as a Business Analyst for LexisNexis Risk Solutions has a more direct military connection. Where Emili attributes some of her talent to the army kids she’d play with, Joe developed his by joining the United States Air Force. In fact, Joe didn’t even choose the language that would become so important to him. He was assigned it. “I received a very high score on my vocational aptitude exam when applying to join the armed forces, which allowed me to take the qualifying examination for a linguist career. When I passed that, I was assigned a language based on my performance. In my case, that language was Russian, and so I began a career as a Russian Crypto Linguist.” He adds, “I’m fascinated with the different ways that humans communicate with one another. The planet is so small in many ways, yet our language diversity is incredible.”

Our next polyglot, Rohini Shivaram, a Journal Manager for Elsevier in Chennai, continues the trend of military influence in language learning. “Malayalam, Hindi and English were spoken at home and I am fluent in Bengali and Tamil too. I also know a bit of basic Japanese and French, which have gone a little rusty, I must confess. I had a very nomadic life while growing up, as my dad was in the army. We moved base every two years and our travels within India exposed me to a whole lot of languages, some of which I can still understand, but have forgotten to speak! After getting married, I got to travel much more with my husband, as he was in the merchant navy. Whenever I could, I made it a point to use whatever basic Japanese and French I knew. I got to visit many countries and meet people from various cultures. These are among the most rewarding experiences I have had. Languages open doors, help you make new friends, make travel exciting, and you become a global citizen. Practice is the key…make use of every opportunity to use your language skills. Have no hesitation in speaking in a new language…unleash it on people, don’t worry about them laughing! The more you talk, read and write in it, the better you get at it”.

Stephen Guthartz, International Sales Manager with Reed Exhibitions, grew up in an American household that only spoke English, “I’m from an English-speaking family, and as is typical for the US, I was only exposed to a second language when I got to Junior High School. I started Spanish because it seemed the most useful of the languages my school offered at the time. I found languages to be my easiest subject, but at home it was English only. I spent a summer in Southern Brazil before 12th grade and decided I wanted to learn Portuguese. I began to study the language at university and spent time at universities in both Lisbon and Rio de Janiero. While I was in Rio, all my classes were in Portuguese and just for fun, I started learning Italian and French as well. After I graduated, I moved to Brazil and lived there for 5 years as an expat working for the family business. Since then, my career has generally involved Latin America.

Suzanna Gasparetto, Content Development Lawyer at LexisNexis Canada, had a different experience, learning to speak multiple languages depending on the situation. “Growing up in Toronto, I spoke English with my friends, French at school and Romanian at home with my parents. In school, I took German and Spanish as optional languages. Learning languages, especially the grammar of a new language, and translating texts, became a hobby. Although I learned to speak Romanian at home, I taught myself to read and write in Romanian from my parent’s old books that I would find lying around in storage. According to my mother, speaking Romanian at home would make it difficult to argue with her since it was not necessarily my first language - but I proved her wrong!”

For Reed Exhibitions’ Luigi Quadrelli, growing up in Italy in the late 1970s meant that learning a second language only became compulsory at age 11. However, his inclination for languages had already become clear several years earlier. He explains “My mother decided I should start to learn English aged seven, and I immediately liked it, so by the time I started secondary school I was light years ahead of my classmates. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to sound boastful, but I think that the ability to learn languages is a talent, like music. I remember I used to listen to English songs and try to understand the lyrics. When I didn’t understand something, I’d immediately check the dictionary. I still do this today and I can tell you it helps a lot. When I was older, I started learning Spanish and Portuguese for work - I used to take care of the Latin American market and I immediately realised I didn’t stand a chance to finalise any business using English.”

Not all our linguists took to the task immediately. Marius Doornenbal, Distinguished Engineer, Elsevier, started learning foreign languages aged 12 and “thought it was a chore”. He goes on to say: “Being very much a maths person, I thought languages or perhaps even anything to do with human interaction was highly overrated – as a subject of study anyway. Also, in contrast with maths, learning languages involves acquired knowledge of things in a way for which there are no other options than just memorising them. And you might forget them. With maths, logic or physical skills, one can learn by exposure and practice and then never forget the things learnt – not so with language. Also, there is no end to learning languages – there is always more. Both frustrating and alluring. However, after a few years, language learning got interesting because it opened new worlds, new literature, new experiences. I got totally sucked into 19th century Russian literature, to the point that I decided to study exactly that, going to university. If one has a deep command of a language, the ability to notice nuances and shades of meaning that are not even possible in your own language is mind-blowing.”

Michael Koundi from LexisNexis Risk Solutions in Cardiff tells us: “Growing up, I spoke Bamoun at home and learned French at school. I also speak the Cameroonian language Ewondo, as well as Wolof, a language spoken in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania, and the native language of the Wolof people. At school at age 12, we also had to elect a foreign language and I decided to learn Spanish. Initially, I thought that would be easier than German or Latin, since I already spoke French. Yet I was proven completely wrong. They sound similar but with an immense cultural difference. For me, learning languages was part of my survival. My parents both worked for international organisations and we were constantly moving. To build long-lasting friendships, it was important to learn the language.”

Many of the people we spoke with learned a language to allow them to communicate with their friends or family, but some were driven by other factors. From a very young age, Roberta Spinosa-Millman, Content Strategist, Elsevier, was particularly interested in diverse cultures, as opposed to languages alone. “I lived in three countries as a child and was always fascinated by new people I met from different places. My parents were very sociable and enjoyed making friends from around the world, and I have been blessed to have grown up in one of the most multicultural cities in the world, Toronto, Canada. At home, I was exposed to Italian, English and German; at school, French. I am also fluent in a modern variant of the central Italian dialect belonging to the Oscan-Umbrian Paeligni tribe from the Valle Peligna, birthplace of the Roman poet, Ovid. For me, it wasn’t a decision per se. In Canada, English and French are the official languages, and learning French is mandatory. I was exposed to languages at an early age, so for me they have naturally been tools to further increase communication and human interaction. As a result, I also really love and appreciate accents and regional dialects."

So far, we’ve met people who speak languages as diverse as French, Bamoun, Romanian, Russian, Abruzzese and Portuguese. Dian Sierra at LexisNexis Legal & Professional, has a different kind of linguistic talent altogether. In fact, she doesn’t “speak” a second language at all. She signs it.

“I wanted to learn sign language from the age of 10 - I just thought it looked cool! I’d seen American Sign Language on PBS shows like Sesame Street and I thought it was a beautiful way to express oneself. At that time, the only class offered in my town was at the community college, but the teacher refused to let a 10-year-old take her class. I eventually ended up teaching that class myself, and always made it available to any student who wanted to learn. I am one of only two students from my class that became a professional interpreter after graduating from high school. I became a nationally certified interpreter specialising in medical and mental health situations as well as educational-related interpreting and I have worked with Deaf folks, ranging from kindergarten all the way up to doctoral programs at the University of Arizona. At times, it felt like I was taking six different majors at the University from all the interpreting I did in between my own classes. I was also a performance interpreter, signing for music and poetry festivals. ”

Suzanna, at LexisNexis Canada carries out most of her work in English, however, she adds “I get asked to translate texts from English to French or from French to English on occasion. I enjoy these projects because they mean I’m incorporating my hobby into my work!”

Rohini sees the benefit in helping to connect with employees who come from different parts of India, and also mentions that “when visitors from abroad drop in, and I greet them in their language they are pleasantly surprised.”

These benefits are also recognised by Emili, who says “as well as being able to communicate in a different language to make yourself understood, knowing another language can help you be more empathetic and inclusive – you put yourself into someone else’s shoes. In a work context that can be leveraged into things like being mindful of unconscious bias, respecting different communication styles in group settings, or simply being a bit more caring when you are on a conference call where not everyone is a native English speaker and might feel more self-conscious about speaking up (even if their language skills are good).”

Michael likes how languages can open doors around the world “Global mobility is something I am keen on and having the ability to speak multiple languages is definitely an added value”

While some of our people have noticed the social advantages of their extra languages, around culture and inclusion, Marius relies on his skills daily in his role at Elsevier. “In the 1990s, when I was starting out, it was a weird thing to begin a career as a linguist who can program, or a programmer who knows about linguistics. In 2020, with this profile, you’re a Data Scientist, with a clear Natural Language Processing focus. And that’s what I do – so yeah, I do this daily – it’s my actual day job. In doing Data Science, I will occasionally throw in the question ‘what is actually happening here, linguistically’? It makes me feel good, that’s one reason why, but jokes aside – it is true that in a group of technicians who focus on the algorithm and mechanics alone, it is possible to lose sight of the unique challenges and subtleties that come with a highly ambiguous and intricate communication medium such as language.”

Stephen Guthartz also needs his language skills for his role - ”I’ve been with RX for the past 11 years and was hired specifically because of my language and sales abilities. I spend all day either speaking, or responding to messages, in Portuguese or Spanish. I have one Brazilian colleague working with me and we tend to speak Portuguese between ourselves but English in the group and my department also has several Spanish speakers.”

Now we’ve seen some of the benefits - the good news is that our linguists all agree that anyone can do this, with the right motivation.

Joe Williams-Beard believes anyone can learn a language to a certain degree.  “Many factors are involved including age, whether the language is a first or additional language, level of instruction and academic aptitude.”

Stephen agrees “Anyone can learn enough of a language to get by, although to really speak it you must live it. Language is more than book learning, it’s culture. For an American, any little bits of a language can help you bridge gaps between cultures because it shows you made an effort and the general consensus is Americans only speak English. Often, the fact that I speak at a high level is enough to get me through gate keepers right to the decision makers, if only for them to speak to a non-native that mastered their language."

Roberta adds “It is never too late to learn, and it should be fun and organic, rather than a “learning” experience. I would start by visiting a country and attempting as much as possible not to rely on your native language. Watch local television, read restaurant menus, listen to the rhythm of conversations, take it all in.”

Suzanna would recommend learning a new language because you never know what doors they can open. “Anyone can learn a new language with the right motivation. Just don’t get discouraged about the technical aspects of a language. Take any opportunity to just speak it first with your colleagues, by seeking out people who speak that language. Have fun!”

Dian agrees “I would recommend it, and I would start with a course that forces you to only speak in the language that you are learning. An immersion class helps you learn how to understand what you see/hear better than you can express yourself. Then stick with it! Do the homework and find someone to practice with. Just do it…and trust your instructor.”

Michael says “Practice is everything. Speaking with locals was the key to my success”

Luigi adds “Motivation comes out from yourself in the end, this is the best piece of advice I can give.”

Emili thinks that confidence is a large part of language learning, saying “Don’t be afraid to just have a go and to make mistakes. The hardest thing about learning a language is being afraid of not being perfect at it. People will always appreciate you making an effort. It’s a sign of appreciation and respect for their culture.”

Roberta tells us “While in school, my best friend and I took a backpacking trip across Europe, she thought that with me as her translator we’d be just fine. On our night train from Munich to Vienna she woke me up anxiously saying that I needed to speak German to this man in military uniform towering over me (he then spoke), I turned to her and said, “Lora, that’s no German I know!”. It turned out that we had both fallen asleep and we were now in Hungary and none of my languages were going to help us!”

If you’ve been inspired by this story and decide to learn a new language yourself, just bear in mind these final words of wisdom from Suzanna: “Don’t assume your children don’t understand what you’re saying if you speak another language at home! They’ll find a way!”