A post shared by Yuji Beleza (@yuji_beleza)
“Arabic is tough for me, especially the pronunciation,” he says. “And Southeast Asian languages like Vietnamese and Thai are especially challenging. The tonal structure is something I’m still struggling with.”
Despite what his videos suggest, he doesn’t consider himself a natural.
“I actually didn’t like learning languages in school,” he says. “It wasn’t until my trip to Ireland that I found real motivation.”
Beleza says he inherited his friendly nature from his mother and discipline from his father.
“I’m also good at remembering dates, phrases and details, and I study and practice constantly,” he says.
“It’s my full-time job now, so I am studying and speaking as much as I can every day to train my ear and keep my memory sharp.”
What’s next for Yuji
As he roams the streets of Vienna — and sometimes Paris, Astana or Tirana — armed with his iPhone and clip-on Rode mic, a clearer vision for his future is coming into focus.
Together with his current cameraman and manager, Beleza is developing a language-learning platform called Zero to Fluent, designed to make language acquisition more fun and approachable.
Long-term, he dreams of traveling the world, spotlighting languages and cultures through both short-form videos and deeper storytelling projects.
“I want people to see that language isn’t just grammar and vocabulary — it’s about recognition, empathy and joy,” he says.
“Language can divide us, but it also brings us together. And if I can make just one person feel a little more visible, a little more valued — that’s everything.”
The post The polyglot next door: How one man found global fame by speaking dozens of languages appeared first on CNN.
