{{Short description|Canadian YouTuber and polyglot (born 1945)}} {{Similar names|Stephen Kaufman (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}} {{infobox social media personality | name = Steve Kaufmann | image = Steve Kaufmann.png | caption = Kaufmann in 2020 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|10|08}} | birth_place = Sweden | children = {{cslist|Eric|Mark}} | website = | youtube_handle = @Thelinguist | youtube_display_name =Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve
| youtube_years_active = 2007{{ndash}}present | youtube_genre = | youtube_subscribers = 1.47 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 182 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = March 2026 }} '''Steve Kaufmann''' (born October 8, 1945){{efn|name=dob}} is a Canadian internet personality and polyglot known for his language-learning content on YouTube, and his online language-learning platform LingQ, which he co-founded.
== Background == Kaufmann was born in Sweden in 1945 to Jewish parents from Prostějov in Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. His parents spoke Czech and German. He grew up in Montreal, Canada, after he and his family moved there in 1951 when he was five.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPTMGxY2ohM|title=Learning German - How I Went About It|date=January 22, 2012 |publisher=Youtube|accessdate=27 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="interview">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZF0djgU704|title=How to learn any language|date=August 20, 2020 |publisher=YouTube|accessdate=25 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Kaufmann">{{cite book|last=Kaufmann|first=Steve|year=2003|title=The Linguist: A Personal Guide to Language Learning|url=http://media.thelinguist.com/media/pdf/thelinguist_English.pdf|location=West Vancouver|publisher=Linguist Institute|isbn=0-9733394-0-3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813015055/http://media.thelinguist.com/media/pdf/thelinguist_English.pdf|archive-date=13 August 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
In June 1962, Kaufmann quit his construction job and worked aboard a German tramp steamer in exchange for passage to Europe. After a week in London, he visited Belgium, then spent a year in Grenoble, France.<ref name="Kaufmann" /> He studied politics at the ''Institut d'études politiques'' (Institute of Political Studies, commonly known as Sciences Po) and studied French in Paris.<ref name="Kaufmann"/><ref name="Jeffs">{{Cite web|last=Jeffs|first=Angela|title=Linguistics and lumber strike chord|website=The Japan Times|date=5 July 2008|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2008/07/05/general/linguistics-and-lumber-strike-chord/|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Steve Kaufmann LangFest">{{Cite web|title=Steve Kaufmann|website=Langfest|location=Montreal|url=https://montreal.langfest.org/en/speakers/steve-kaufmann/|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="WBUR">{{Cite web|title=These Polyglots Have Tips For How To Learn As Many Languages As You Want|website=WBUR|date=July 17, 2018 |type=radio station|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/07/17/polyglots-language-learning-advice|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
He hitchhiked through Europe, picking up basic language skills in Spain, Italy and Germany.<ref name="Kaufmann"/> He went on to join the Canadian diplomatic service, where he began learning Mandarin Chinese in Hong Kong full-time in 1969.{{Dubious|date=June 2023}}<ref name="Kaufmann"/> When he was re-posted to the Embassy of Canada, Tokyo, in the early 1970s, he learned Japanese.<ref name="Betros">{{Cite web|last=Betros|first=Chris|title=You're never too old to learn a language|website=Japan Today|date=1 July 2008|url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/executive-impact/youre-never-too-old-to-learn-a-new-language|access-date=24 August 2008}}</ref>
After his role as a trade commissioner, he used his language abilities in commercial trade,<ref name="LingQ">{{Cite web|title=The Story of LingQ|website=The University of Texas at Austin:Texas Language Center|url=https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/tlc/events/the-story-of-lingq|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> living in Japan for nine years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZF0djgU704&feature=youtu.be&t=1510&ab_channel=LucaLampariello|title=How to Learn Any Language - Interview with Legendary Polyglot Steve Kaufmann|website=YouTube|date=August 20, 2020 }}</ref> He eventually learned more languages, mostly later in life.<ref name="Betros" />
Along with his son Mark, Steve co-founded LingQ, a language learning platform in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Inside |first=eLearning |date=2022-09-14 |title=LingQ language learning app celebrates 20th anniversary |url=https://news.elearninginside.com/lingq-language-learning-app-celebrates-20th-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=eLearningInside News}}</ref>
== Current work == {{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|align=right|quote="The best way to learn a language is to massively ingest it, by listening and reading. Listening and reading are so powerful. If you can read the books, you know the language. To get to know a language takes a lot of time and a lot of interacting with it — and a lot of that time has to be on your own. I think it’s better to work on comprehension and vocabulary without pressure to reproduce the language (by speaking)."|source=—Kaufmann on language learning<ref name="Schwartz">{{Cite news|last=Schwartz|first=Susan|title=People who speak many languages or want to gather in Montreal for polyglot symposium|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=23 July 2016|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/people-who-speak-many-languages-or-want-to-gather-in-montreal-for-polyglot-symposium|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>}} Kaufmann appears at conferences to speak on his language learning techniques and abilities. He also has social media channels where he discusses language learning,<ref name="Brown">{{Cite web|last=Brown|first=Eileen|title=Why don't more people over 60 have YouTube channels|website=ZDNeT|date=7 September 2018|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-dont-more-people-over-60-have-youtube-channels/|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Where">{{Cite web|title=Where are all the "older" Youtubers|website=NRS Healthcare|date=9 November 2018|url=https://www.nrshealthcare.co.uk/articles/news/older-youtubers|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> primarily to assist learners.<ref name="Schwartz"/><ref name="Turner">{{Cite web|last=Turner|first=Jared|title=Steven Kaufmann "The Linguist" Interview|website=You Can Learn Chinese|date=29 July 2019|url=https://youcanlearnchinese.mandarincompanion.com/episodes/15-steven-kaufmann-the-linguist-interview|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
He was a founding organizer of the North American Polyglot Symposium.<ref name="Schwartz" /> He travels to learn languages, and has given interviews in native languages on television and on YouTube, including in Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese), Russian and Ukrainian.<ref name="Ukrainian">{{Cite web|title=Стів Кауфман гість програми Ехо України (Steve Kaufman is a guest of the Echo of Ukraine program)|type=TV interview|language=Ukrainian|date=27 May 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRfW3kk6TVI|website=YouTube|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> He has been a regular contributor to the ''Huffington Post''.<ref name="Mistake">{{Cite web|last=Kaufmann|first=Steve|title=The Biggest Mistake Language Learners Make|date=16 November 2016|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/steve-kaufmann/language-learner-mistakes_b_12904866.html|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
== Language learning == Kaufmann has spent over 50 years studying languages.<ref name="Tashkandi">{{Cite web|last=Tashkandi|first=Hala|title=Learning a language during quarantine: Where and how to start|website=Arab News|date=18 May 2020|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1676136/saudi-arabia|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> He advocates total immersion in the learning process.<ref name="Little">{{Cite news|last=Little|first=Oliver|title=20 Languages, Not enough! The Polyglot adding Catalan to his resume|website=Catalan News|location=Barcelona|date=2 October 2018|url=https://www.catalannews.com/life-style/item/20-languages-not-enough-the-polyglot-adding-catalan-to-his-resume|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="poliglot">{{Cite web|title=El poliglot Steve Kaufmann, que parla 20 llengües: "Vull aprendre català per curiositat" (The polyglot Steve Kaufmann, who speaks 20 languages: "I want to learn Catalan out of curiosity")|website=El Punt AVI|language=Catalan|date=12 October 2019|url=https://www.elpuntavui.cat/societat/article/5-societat/1679792-el-poliglot-steve-kaufmann-que-parla-20-llenguees-vull-aprendre-catala-per-curiositat.html|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> He places great emphasis on absorbing the language by reading texts and by not worrying about unfamiliar words, believing that they are gradually acquired through repeated reading. Though he supports using techniques such as flashcards for memorizing difficult words, he spends most of his learning time listening to native speakers and reading. He is particularly fond of reading books on the history of the country or region of the language he is learning, written in that language.<ref name="interview"/> He prefers not to have a fixed study schedule and enjoys listening to content in his target languages while performing other tasks.<ref name="SmartLanguageLearner">{{Cite web|title=Interview with Polyglot Steve Kaufmann by Noel van vliet|website=Smart Language Learner|date=17 August 2019 |url=https://www.smartlanguagelearner.com/steve-kaufmann-interview/|access-date=22 February 2022}}</ref> He believes that age does not impede learning a new language and that older people can learn languages as well as younger people.<ref name="too old">{{Cite web|last=Kaufmann|first=Steven|title=Are you too old to learn a language?|website=The Huffington Post|date=2 March 2016|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/steve-kaufmann/too-old-for-new-language_b_9360820.html|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> He believes mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, and that people can be considered fluent despite making mistakes.<ref name="interview"/>
Kaufmann started learning Russian, his ninth language, when he was 60.<ref name="Betros"/> As of {{CURRENTYEAR}}, he has an understanding of 20 languages, though his ability to speak and write in them to a highly proficient level varies considerably. He has said that he rarely writes in the languages, and that speaking languages he has not used for a while can be initially challenging.<ref name="interview"/>
As of May 2023, Kaufmann speaks these languages to varying degrees: {{Columns-list|colwidth=15em| * English * French * Mandarin Chinese * Cantonese * Japanese * Korean * Russian * Swedish * German * Italian * Spanish * Portuguese * Ukrainian * Czech * Slovak * Romanian * Polish }}
He has also learned some Greek and Turkish and is currently learning Arabic and Persian.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAePyl33gOQ&ab_channel=SteveKaufmann-lingosteve|title=How Many Languages Do I Speak?|website=YouTube|date=April 12, 2018 }}</ref> In {{CURRENTYEAR}}, he stated that after studying Turkish he will focus on Arabic and Persian, and spends time listening to Arabic TV series and Al Jazeera news, and reading books on Arabic and Persian history.<ref name="interview"/>
Prominent language-acquisition scholar Stephen Krashen has studied Kaufmann's approach to learning, and those of other polyglots such as Kató Lomb. Krashen claims the success of Kaufmann and other polyglots as independent support for his own ideas on second language learning, and sees Kaufmann's approach as a model for other language learners. He has praised Kaufmann as "<em>really</em> good, no question", and described him as "my language therapist, helping me."<ref>{{cite AV media | url = https://youtube.com/watch?v=xZBg8NLYgAA | title = Session 7B: Dr Stephen Krashen - The secrets of hyper-polyglots | time = 25m38s | date = June 10, 2019 | website=YouTube }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | url = https://youtube.com/watch?v=YnesW3kL5cY | title = Stephen Krashen on Language Learning in the Polyglot Community | time = 21m51s | date = October 26, 2017 | website=YouTube }}</ref>
== Personal life == Steve Kaufmann is the father of political scientist Eric Kaufmann and ice hockey player Mark Kaufmann.
== See also ==
== Notes == {{notelist|notes= {{efn|name=dob|In one of his YouTube videos, Kaufmann states that October 8 is his birthday.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=AI & Language Learning|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupKb2CSrlE&t=30s|publisher=YouTube|date=October 12, 2022|time-caption=Starts at|time=00:30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012030244/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupKb2CSrlE|archive-date=October 12, 2022|url-status=live|quote=First of all, I should say that October the eighth was my birthday…}}</ref> In ''The Linguist: A Personal Guide to Language Learning'', he states that he was born in 1945.<ref name="Kaufmann"/>{{rp|9, 111}}}} }}
== References == {{reflist}} {{Commons}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufmann, Steve}} Category:1945 births Category:Canadian expatriates in France Category:Canadian expatriates in Japan Category:Canadian Jews Category:Canadian people of Czech-Jewish descent Category:Living people Category:Sciences Po alumni Category:Swedish emigrants to Canada Category:Canadian YouTubers Category:Jewish linguists Category:Multilingualism