Pavlodar schoolgirl masters 10 languages

Asel Abdurakhimova is currently a 11th-grade student at Lyceum No. 8 for gifted children in Pavlodar. School officials describe her as a genuine phenomenon, noting that she has learned most of the languages she speaks on her own, without the assistance of teachers or specialized schools.

Her journey began at a very young age. By the time she was seven, Asel already knew the capitals of all the countries in the world and dreamed of traveling. It was this desire to overcome communication barriers that ignited her passion for learning languages.

“At the age of nine, she began learning French on her own, and at eleven she enrolled in her first language courses in Pavlodar. English has been part of her life since 2018 and has become an integral part of her daily routine. She also studied Chinese through courses and is now continuing to improve it on her own, preparing to take the HSK Level 3 (B1) international exam,” the Department of Education of Pavlodar region reported.

Languages such as Uzbek, Kazakh, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese (N4) she mastered entirely on her own, guided solely by her curiosity about world cultures and her desire to understand people from different countries.

“I have always wanted to travel and communicate with people from around the world. For me, languages are a key to cultures, people, and opportunities. My next goal is to learn Arabic so that I can speak all six official UN languages. This dream motivates me to keep developing and opening new horizons,” said Asel Abdurakhimova.

At present, Asel speaks Tajik (her native language) fluently, Uzbek (C1), Kazakh (C1), Russian (C1), English (C2), French (C1), Chinese (B1), Spanish (A2), Italian (A2), and Japanese (N4).

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakh school students have delivered an outstanding performance at the KhIMIO International Mathematics and Informatics Olympiad held in Dushanbe, winning all eight available medals.