New Delhi

A 19-year Chennai youth Mahmoud Akram who can read, write, and type 400 languages ​​and speak 46 of them fluently dreams of translating Tamil classics like Thirukkural and Tholkaappiyam, into as many languages ​​as possible.

Tiruvalluvar is a 2,200-year-old classic in which Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami tells us of friends and foes, family, God, business, law, spies, love, hate and all that's human. The antiquity of Tolkappiyam is disputed - researchers says it was written between 5,320 BCE and the 8th century CE. The surviving manuscripts of the Tolkappiyam consist of three books, each with nine chapters, with a cumulative total of 1,612 sutras.

“Currently, only people who speak 50 languages ​​can understand Thirukkural. I want the world audience to know the rich heritage of Tamils ​​up close.” Mahmoud, who has many world records to his credit and won awards on his linguistic skills and knowledge says.

Mahmoud Akram with his father Shilbi Mojiprian (Photo: Mahmoud Akram)

Mahmoud Akram’s interest in languages began in his childhood, and was because of his father Shilby Mozipriam, who speaks 16 languages. “I struggled quite a bit because I didn’t know the language of a particular state or country when my job required me to move to places like Israel and Spain,” said Shelby, who also holds a doctorate in cognitive psychology, among other degrees.

“I didn't want my son to miss the opportunities because of not knowing a language. When my wife was pregnant with Akram, we talked about languages ​​hoping that It would help pique the baby’s interest. It seems to have worked in Akram's case," Shilby added. 

“At the age of four years, my parents started teaching me the Tamil and English alphabets. I mastered the English alphabet in 6 days. They were amazed,” says Mahmoud with pride in his eyes.

Akram learned 299 Tamil alphabets in three weeks, a task that normally takes months. Under his father's tutelage, he gained exposure to ancient Tamil scripts like Vateluttu, Grantha, and Tamizhi, and learned quickly.

“By the time I was six, I wanted to surpass my father’s knowledge and explore more languages ​​on my own,” he said.

Akram Global Language Institute (Photo: Mahmoud Akram)

In the next two years, Akram mastered 50 languages. “At the time, I had to rely on a few textbooks and Omniglot to learn different languages,” says Akram. Omniglot is an online encyclopedia for writing and reading languages.

When he was 8 years old, he set the first world record as the youngest multilingual typist. “I uploaded a video on YouTube typing and reading different languages. A world record agency in Punjab invited me to make a record, which I completed," he recalled.

Two years later, Akram set his second-world record by writing the Indian national anthem in 20 languages ​​within an hour.

His interest in linguistics continued and when he turned 12 he could read, write, and type 400 languages. He competed against 70 language experts in Germany to achieve his third world record.

“We had to translate a sentence into as many languages ​​as we could in three minutes. I won the German Young Talent Award for translating the most. Even the experts couldn't keep up with my pace," stated Mahmoud kram proudly.

Mahmood Akram speaking at a function

As Akram’s passion for language grew, it challenged his conventional education. He studied in Chennai till Class V but soon realized that he needed to give a different direction to his interests and desires. “I wanted to attend a school that focused solely on languages, but I couldn’t find one in India. I ended up studying online at a school in Israel and learned Arabic, Spanish, French, and Hebrew, among other mainstream languages.” Akram said.

He participated in talent shows and completed his schooling from a European country. “I started high school on a scholarship at the Danube International School in Vienna, Austria,” Akram said. This experience allowed me to interact with native speakers and improve my linguistic skills. In my classroom alone, there were 39 students from different countries. Talking to my classmates helped me become fluent in many languages."

Today, Akram has earned multiple degrees. For example, he holds a BA in Linguistics, and English Literature from the Open University of Milton Keynes, UK, and a Bachelor of Science in Animation from Alagappa University, Chennai. “Since I’ve been learning languages, I don’t need any preparation for both my linguistics and literature degrees, which makes it easier for me to get the degrees. I often go to Alagappa University for my exams, they require me to attend classes now and then."

Interestingly, Mahmoud Akram says learning languages ​​is my talent, but animation is his interest.

Mahmood Akram with his father Shilbi Mojiprian (Photo: Mahmoud Akram)

Akram admits, “Until I was 14, I could only say random phrases like ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ in most languages. But today I can speak 15 languages ​​fluently. Reading and writing is one thing, but to speak a language you have to understand the dialect and the pronunciation.”

He also uses social media and entertainment to keep in touch with the languages. Akram adds, “I sometimes switch my social media language to Russian, watch YouTube shorts in Danish and Facebook videos in Arabic. Tamil is my favourite language among the languages ​​I have mastered; it'ss my mother tongue and has a special place in my heart. Japanese was surprisingly easy for me because its grammar and pronunciation are similar to Tamil. On the other hand, Czech, Finnish, and Vietnamese were the most difficult languages ​​for me to master.”

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For Akram, language learning is more than communication; It helps in making connections. “If I speak to you in your native tongue, you will answer heartily. But if I use English, you will speak with your brain That’s the motivation behind learning all these languages.”

Akram hopes his work will inspire others to promote linguistic diversity. "I am a language professor at a renowned university and want to be a role model for others. Knowing a language is a powerful way to make people feel at home.”