Olly Richards

I started learning languages when I was 19 years old and working in a café in London.

I really wanted to learn French and Italian so I could start to chat with all the cool people I was working with. But I really had no idea how to do it.

My desire to learn kept me going, and over the next few years, I started experimenting with more and more languages.

I never spent all that much time studying languages (I'm a musician, so I preferred to be playing music!).

But I did figure out ways to start speaking a foreign language quickly, in a way that doesn't require much studying in the traditional sense.

I spent time in France, Brazil and Argentina, and later on, in Japan, learning the languages as I went.

One of the curious side effects of travelling a lot was realising that you don't need to travel to learn a foreign language. In fact, when I learn new languages these days, I do most of the hard work at home. I learnt Spanish, Portuguese and Cantonese, for example, without setting a foot in the respective countries.

With experience, it gets so much easier. And that's why I'm so excited to have you here and to have the opportunity to put my experience to work and help you learn another language - without the stress!