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• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  Ever since I was a little kid, I was immersed in English, and I am a native speaker with the "Neutral American Accent". Although my true levels of fluency have also been inspired by many teachers... even up until the present day. From my early days in private school (with world-class teachers), to countless hours reading book after book from cover to cover (learning from some of the greatest authors), to thriving in debates of all kinds (in high school), learning human psychology and relations (from Dale Carnegie), sales strategies, marketing copywriting, start-up strategies, and more (from the very best through TED talks, etc).

• 2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of The Rings. He loves the language so much that his greatest goal in life is "to finish his book". Many of us native English speakers can relate to this desire to take the best of what we have learned and pass it on to others and future generations. In addition, he uses language to mentor his nephew Frodo, make friends with very different people like Dwarves, save the whole group's lives by stalling for time with Trolls, obtain the Ring of Power after a game of riddles with Golum, negotiate with a dragon, tell stories to the village kids back home, and much more.

• 3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  "What do you do for a living?" It's one of the most common questions asked when getting to know someone new and shows how much we are interested in earning, providing for our families, adding value to those around us, and taking pride in what we do. Regardless of what the answer is, we almost always find something good in it. Then it can get a conversation started about what makes you passionate about what you do, what your goals are, and how you could support each other in those goals. Of course, leisure is also important, as well as other interests, but it's what we do for a living that really builds the society we live in, which is based on adding value to those around us

• 4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Speaking English is such an amazing blessing because it allows me to connect with people from all around the world, especially these days, now that English education in primary and secondary school is getting so much better. More people than ever before from all around the world, from Singapore to Sweden to El Salvador, can speak or at least communicate the basics in English. It serves as a neutral and semi-universal common language that helps people connect, collaborate, make new friends, and change the world.

• 5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  The most challenging thing about becoming fluent in English is consistent practice and learning (the right way) with expert guidance. You see, most people never even get started with the kind of practice and learning routines needed to achieve their goals. And most who start never stay consistent for long enough. Even those who do, but lack expert guidance, often end up being very inefficient and practicing the wrong way over and over, which makes errors more permanent.

• 6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  The most valuable situation I can share that you can learn from is how I learned the most Spanish compared to any other study method or learning experience. I started to study in school and workbooks when I was around 10 in preparation to visit El Salvador and Central America. Classroom and textbook learning taught me a bit, but it was very limited. When I was there, I was able to practice and hear a lot of Spanish, but most people wanted to practice their English with me so, I didn't learn as much as you might think (even though it was an "immersion experience". The way I learned the most by far was when I was working with Spanish speakers. I just tried to learn one or two new words a day and practice all I could. Within not too many months, I was chatting with them at a conversationally fluent level. It was real world, almost every day, and practical... that's what works.

• 7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Every time I travel, everywhere I go, learning at least a little bit of the basics and practicing them with everyone has been extremely helpful. Especially when I was in Italy, though, I found it really opened up the door to making new connections. From shop owners, to tour guides, to fellow travelers at the youth hostels, learning and practicing speaking foreign languages really paved the way for a new world to open up in front of me. And the main lesson it really taught me - never be scared to try a new language.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof in language?

  As a full-time, seasoned vet professional English tutor and Career coach (plus start-up entrepreneur), I have experienced so many different challenges and always found a way to adapt and overcome to help my client reach their goals. I am a firm believer that there is always a solution, so we should never get frustrated, but instead just stay calm and keep trying new things until we prevail. From confidence to fluency, vocabulary to grammar, pronunciation to entonation, job interview practice to negotiation (and much more), I've built up a very strong skillset and virtual toolbox of ways to support each and every learner and client in achieving their goals.