American polyglot Camila Farr has never been to Kyrgyzstan, yet she speaks Kyrgyz fluently and deeply respects Kyrgyz culture. She speaks more than 17 languages, including Uzbek, Hazaragi, Vietnamese, Tajik, German, Spanish, and others.
Camila is a member of HYPIA (the International Association of Hyperpolyglots). She has been featured in various media outlets as a young linguistic talent. On her Instagram account @kidpolyglot, where she has over 33,000 followers—mostly from Central Asia—she posts videos in Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and other languages, promoting cultural dialogue.
24.kg news agency journalist spoke with Camila about the secrets of learning languages, what she loves about Kyrgyzstan, and how she began mastering the languages of Central Asia.
«Languages are the greatest bridge to understanding people»
«I live in Atlanta and started learning languages at the age of nine,» she says.
According to her, her passion for languages stems from her interest in people.
She studied most languages on her own using online resources like YouTube, Duolingo, books, and help from friends. This is how she learned German, Farsi, Japanese, Vietnamese, and others.
Interest in Central Asia and a dream
«Kazakh was among the first languages I started learning. Later, thanks to my Kyrgyz friends, I began speaking Kyrgyz,» Camila recalls.
She was especially drawn to the warmth and hospitality of Kyrgyz and Kazakh people: «I really love the atmosphere in both countries. People are kind, sincere, and warm.»
She has not visited Kyrgyzstan yet but hopes to come soon. «Bishkek, Osh bazaar, Talas, Issyk-Kul — I dream of seeing it all. And attending a Kyrgyz wedding is my special dream!» she said with a smile.
Methods for learning Kyrgyz
According to her, at first she often confused Kazakh and Kyrgyz, but constant practice helped her overcome this.
Camila follows simple but effective, in her opinion, methods:
- study a minimum of grammar;
- practice a lot;
- memorize words using 20 repetitions;
- avoid learning bad words, only useful and positive expressions.
When learning Kyrgyz, Camila relied on the YouTube channel «Kyrgyz Tilin Uironunuz» and read children’s books.
Love for Kyrgyz culture and future plans
At home, she has Kyrgyz dresses, souvenirs from Kyrgyzstan, and even a komuz.
Her main dream is to learn one new language each year and know 100 languages by the time she turns 100.
«I want the interest in the Kyrgyz language to grow»
When asked why she agreed to the interview, she said: «There are very few foreigners who speak Kyrgyz. I want to inspire others by my example. Let people’s interest in the Kyrgyz language grow.»
Camila ended our conversation with heartfelt words: «I love the Kyrgyz people and the Kyrgyz language with all my heart. May your country develop and prosper!! Thank you very much.»
