Prosper Babalola - On Being Multilingual
Interviewed by Ifeoluwa A
The ability to speak more than two or three languages is an enviable feat. One that few people have been able to achieve. In this interview, I chatted with Prosper Babalola, a hyperpolyglot who speaks 20+ languages.
Ife: Please tell me a little about yourself.
Prosper: My name is Prosper. I am currently studying Veterinary Medicine at one of the Federal universities. My hobbies are reading, travelling, and learning languages.
I: Growing up, did you speak your native language a lot?
P: Not really. My parents are academics so, we mostly spoke English. Though they ensured my siblings and I understood Yoruba, we did not speak much.
I: What is your earliest memory of speaking any language other than English?
P: I did French and a little Latin in primary school. When I was about 6 or 7, I started reading books in other languages. The stories were translated into English so, I used to read them word for word. I was not sure how to pronounce the words, but I could spell and identify them together with their meaning. The available ones then were Hausa, Igbo, and French, and I would save my snacks money to buy them from time to time.
I: Interesting. So, how did you pick up an interest in foreign languages?
P: I have always been fascinated by languages, how a group of people communicate in a way that’s different from another group, and their language is part of who they are as people. Also, people become warmer towards you when you speak their language to them, even if it’s just a few phrases.
I started watching movies in foreign languages and liked to read the subtitles. I started with Spanish and German. I used to write down some of the phrases I learned so, I could read them later. I practiced with my siblings too. They were not interested in learning, but they always indulged me.
I: Things we do for love. How many languages do you speak?
P: I can speak 21 languages fluently — German, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Twi, Zulu, Russian, Chinese, Indonesian, Dutch, French, Latin, Hangul, Italian, English, Yoruba, Hausa, Egun, Egede and Igbo. I am still learning many others where I have only covered the basics — greetings, simple phrases, etc.
I: That’s impressive. Well done. What keeps you going?
P: Interest, majorly. And the hope that I can someday make an impact with the languages I am learning. I am enthusiastic about helping women, children, and marginalized members of society.
My parents are completely supportive and immensely proud of my progress so, that’s a factor as well. My dad is always happy to practice with me and buy books. I sometimes feel I got my interest in languages from him because he picks up phrases easily. I guess he didn’t pursue it.
For every language I have learnt, I make a friend online so I can practice, and they can correct me, where necessary. The prospect of meeting someone new when I can comfortably converse in a language inspires me.
I: So far, what has been the easiest language to learn, and which one was the hardest?
P: The hardest was Chinese. I think that’s because of the intonations, variations, and many combinations of the alphabets to form words. It was just a lot. The easiest one was Hausa. It took me a few months, and I enjoy speaking the language.
Language is part of the culture. Learning a language is learning about the people who speak it and the things that make them different from others. I try to learn a few facts about the people whenever I learn a new language.
I: True that. What’s the most intriguing cultural fact you’ve learnt?
P: It’s honour killing, a custom where male family members kill women or girls to protect their family honour. Or when it is believed that her actions have brought shame to the family name. The reasons range from dressing in a particular way or refusing an arranged marriage to being victims of sexual crimes The Middle East, India, the Philippines, and North Africa practice it.
I: That’s sad. Seeing that you’ve always been interested in languages, how come you’re not studying something related, like International Relations, maybe?
P: I was quite intelligent in Junior Secondary School, and in typical Nigerian fashion, I was pushed to the science class in SS 1. I did not have a choice so, I made peace with it and decided to study medicine, but when the time came to fill out university application forms, almost everyone around me was choosing medicine. I am not one to follow the crowd so, I just chose something else — veterinary medicine. It has been okay so far, but if I had more information, I would have chosen a course related to languages or at least, tried to make a case for myself with my parents and teachers.
I: Fair enough. So, what do you plan to do with this superpower?
P: I have not thought far into the future. I only recently started looking for translating and transcribing gigs, courtesy of ASUU. Later, I hope to work with international brands and organizations as an influencer or something of the sort. I am also interested in filmmaking, and I look forward to getting into that soon.
I am keen on educating people about diverse cultures, but I have been fully focused on school and waiting until I finish my major exams, but that has been a drag. I have been at home for a few months now with nothing to do so, I’ve decided not to wait anymore.
I: What other things do you like to do?
P: I write a lot. Poems, short stories, and articles. I’ve tried my hands on some movie scripts. I also write about the things I learn from diverse cultures from time to time and share them on social media, especially WhatsApp. I recently completed a 50-day streak of posting what I had learnt from diverse cultures.
I: Unrelated, but what is something you have always wanted to do?
P: I wanted to be a soldier. I used to nurse the idea of serving my country in the army as a military vet or something related to that, but 20.10.20 happened, and the dream died. I lost every ounce of respect I had for the Nigerian Army.
I: What are your plans for the future? Does anything worry you about it?
P: I want to practice as a vet for some time. I think I have invested too much time and energy in getting the degree not to use it at all. However, I want to make something out of the many languages I have learnt. I want to travel the world when I can afford to and start a YouTube channel someday. I would also like to publish some of the things I have written and see my movie scripts come to life.
I am not particularly worried about the future, to be honest. I’m convinced it is very bright.