Avid Reading

Yesterday, I recorded a video entitled “The Golden Age of Language Learning,” which I put on Avid Language Learning.

The term — “The Golden Age of Language Learning” — is not a term I coined but a term I heard from someone who greatly influenced me a long, long time ago.

And that is Steve Kaufmann, the Canadian diplomat and owner of LingQ.

I never used LingQ that much, but Steve Kaufmann’s YouTube channel greatly influenced me.

I remember being inspired by his videos where he spoke about the potential to learn a foreign language as an adult. I was in awe at his speaking ability in English and I found it even more impressive when he spoke French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

I even left a comment on his secondary channel and he recorded a video where he addressed me by name. Steve Kaufmann has been a huge motivation throughout my life and I dare say, “We stand on the shoulders of giants.”

I just perused his Wikipedia page, but I do not want to read it in-depth because I know Steve Kaufmann. I know the languages he speaks and I picked up his tips and tricks through his YouTube Channel, The Linguist.

I even remember a certain Muay Thai boxer who wanted to fight Steve because of his appropriation of the title Linguist.

Steve may have later rebranded the book as “The Way of the Linguist,” so as to avoid a future match in the ring — although you will be happy to hear, one of Steve’s sons is an ice hockey player who is also fluent in Japanese.

Steve Kaufmann is the author of “The Linguist” and another book that looks equally appetizing, “La Voie du Linguist,” written in French.

Steve caught the language bug at an early age learning French in Canada. He loved learning foreign languages and eventually went on to learn Mandarin Chinese in Hong Kong.

Steve is somewhat like Mark Rowswell another Canadian who learned Mandarin Chinese and went on to be a famous foreigner in Mainland China.

Steve spent time in France, where he perfected his French and I have even heard Steve say the one foreign language in which he feels truly comfortable is French.

Steve’s YouTube videos appeared in my Feed over a decade ago, but his impact continues to this day.

He is a heavyweight in the field and he even led me to purchase Stephen Krashen’s book on language learning.

Steve later became a lumber salesman who traveled the world using his language-learning ability, speaking Swedish.

In fact, Steve Kaufmann was born in Sweden.

I thank Steve Kaufmann for motivating me so many years ago.

To see his face is to see that of a hero.

Indeed, we all stand on the shoulders of giants.