When Words Betray Your Ear:Dangerous-Sounding Finnish Words and the Slavic Trap of Hearing
Finnish

When Words Betray Your Ear:Dangerous-Sounding Finnish Words and the Slavic Trap of Hearing

Author’s Column by Tymur LevitinLevitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur LevitinGlobal Learning. Personal Approach. Before we understand a foreign language, we hear it.And long before we analyse a word, we react to it. This reaction is not intellectual.It is instinctive, emotional, cultural. For speakers of Slavic languages — Ukrainian, Russian, Belarusian — […]

Timur Timur
• 31.01.2026 • 5 min read

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Ukrainian

January 2026
From Chick to Reina, from Mädel to Laska: Words We Use for Women — and What They Reveal
Author’s Column | Tymur Levitin on Language, Meaning and Respect Jan 11, 2026

From Chick to Reina, from Mädel to Laska: Words We Use for Women — and What They Reveal

Author’s Column by Tymur Levitin — Levitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur LevitinLanguage. Identity. Meaning. Respect. Why Words Matter More Than You Think Words like chick, девка, mädel, or nena may seem innocent or familiar — until you look closer. What do we really mean when we call someone милая, süße, ma […]

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August 2025
She-Wolf and the Girl with Tears
Author’s Column | Tymur Levitin on Language, Meaning and Respect Aug 2, 2025

She-Wolf and the Girl with Tears

Author’s Column by Tymur LevitinSeries: “Language. Identity. Choice. Meaning.” 🌐 Choose your language: 🔗 Read in Ukrainian / Читати українською🔗 Read in Russian / Читать по-русски 📍 Introduction This is not just a story about words.It’s a story told by a grown man.A teacher. A translator. A son. And it started with a simple question from a […]

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July 2025
Why Swedish Sounds Like a Secret Code — And Why That’s a Good Thing
Author’s Column | Tymur Levitin on Language, Meaning and Respect Jul 19, 2025

Why Swedish Sounds Like a Secret Code — And Why That’s a Good Thing

Choose your language: 🔗 Click here Learn Swedish with a private tutor — and start hearing what others don’t. When people hear Swedish for the first time, many describe it as soft, melodic, and… a bit mysterious.To some, it sounds like a secret code — rhythmic, unusual, full of vowels and sing-song intonations that feel both […]

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