#1 Emma Raducanu đž
The British tennis star made history last year as she won the US Open at just 18 years old, making her the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam and the first British woman to win a major tournament since Virginia Wade 44 years ago. In a post-match interview, Emma made an iconic speech which saw her speak only in Mandarin. Born to a Chinese mother and Romanian father, you may not know that sheâs actually trilingual. Following her US Open win last year, Emma went on to claim her first WTA title at the Transylvania Open in Romania, wowing fans yet again with her language skills by effortlessly switching to Romanian during her interviews. A trilingual tennis star! The Green Owl approves.
#2 Natalie Portman đĽ
Natalie Portman is one of Hollywoodâs most iconic Oscar-winning actors, most famous for her roles in world-renowned films like Star Wars, Thor and Black Swan. The star is also an ambassador for WE, an international charity and educational partner, spearheading their Power of a Girl campaign which sees her take regular trips to Kenya to support local girls’ schools. Not only does Natalie speak more than one language, she actually speaks five – including English, Hebrew, French, Spanish and German. Impressively, Portman used her linguistic talents to make her directorâs debut, directing and starring in the film âA Tale of Love and Darknessâ, which is entirely in Hebrew.
#3 Amal Clooney đŠââď¸
Amal Clooney is a British-Lebanese barrister who specialises in international law and human rights. With an incredibly impressive CV, Amal is also trilingual as sheâs fluent in English, Arabic and French. This love for languages has been passed on to her children, four-year-old twins Alexander and Ella who are fluent in Italian. Speaking to E News her partner George Clooney recently said âThey speak fluent Italian, but Amal and I do not.â We expect Amal will soon be adding Italian to her list of linguistic talents after a few lessons from her children.
#4 Paula Radcliffe đââď¸
World record holder. Six-time world champion. BBCâs Sports Personality of the Year. These are just some of the ways you can describe marathon maverick Paula Radcliffe MBE. Another is multilingual.
After she developed a passion for languages during a childhood trip to France she later undertook her degree in French, German & Economics. Her multilingualism then became a huge advantage during her time at international sporting events. Proving that language learning really is a marathon and not a sprint, she was able to communicate with foreign athletes and understand the officials who spoke the native language. Off the track she also commentates in French and interviews in French and German, and has even translated for IAAF magazine, the international governing body for sport. When tweeting about the importance of language in her career, she notes that it is âVery important in life generallyâ. Weâd have to agree!
#5 Dame Helen Mirren đ
Best known for being one of Britainâs most esteemed actors, Helen Mirren has achieved countless awards, including an Oscar for her role in The Queen. Just three years after she won the prestigious award, she was appointed Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth herself.
Fluent in French, Helen later played the role of a French restaurateur in the film The Hundred-Foot Journey where she filmed scenes in both French and English. In an interview with the Guardian, she said that being able to speak French on camera was one of the main reasons for choosing the film. She said, âI speak pretty good French, and was very excited about finally being able to do a film in Frenchâ. Despite this, the final cut was broadly English. She added that she fought âvery hard and argued very passionatelyâ for French to be used:, âI shot most scenes in French and in English, hoping they would use the French. But they didnât.â Weâd adore a film in French, Helen!
