26.12.2025 13:05
Cemalettin Yavuz, a 58-year-old middle school graduate living in the town of Göreme in Nevşehir, introduces his hometown Cappadocia to tourists from different regions of the world in 9 languages that he learned on his own.
Yavuz, who wanted to improve his English learned at the middle school in the village of Üçkuyu where he lived with his family, moved first to the district of Avanos and then to the town of Göreme, which attracts more tourists, at the age of just 14.
Using various resources and books, Yavuz initially improved his English on his own, and later learned German, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, and Flemish.
HE PRACTICES CONSTANTLY WITH TOURISTS
Yavuz, who constantly practices with tourists, began introducing his hometown to visitors from different parts of the world with the foreign languages he learned. Cemalettin Yavuz told an AA reporter that he works in a restaurant but voluntarily introduces the region to tourists in his free time.
HE ATTRIBUTES LEARNING 9 LANGUAGES TO HIS TALENT
Yavuz, who stated that he has had an interest in foreign languages since a young age, said, "I saw that many tourists were coming, so I worked hard for the benefit of our hometown and learned 9 languages. Everyone is created with different talents. God created me this way. I always tell people this." Yavuz expressed that he tries to teach the foreign languages he knows to those who want to learn them, again using his own means.
"I LEARNED COMPLETELY ON MY OWN"
Yavuz, who explained that he uses a personal learning method, continued his speech as follows:
"When teaching languages like Spanish and Italian, I say, 'God has given us 5, 5, and 1.' This means you will write the word you hear 5 times, read it 5 times, and write its Turkish equivalent once. Then we learn it. I learned completely on my own, and of course, it is a gift from God. Of course, I used resources and books. You can't do it without using them. Since the first command of our religion is 'read,' I learned by reading and studying. I continued to practice and speak what I learned. Not only in the Cappadocia region but throughout Turkey, I do my best to help promote our historical and touristic places as much as I can. I also try to teach these to others as much as I can. I speak English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, a little Korean, Japanese, and Flemish."
Yavuz mentioned that people are surprised that he knows 9 languages as a middle school graduate.
"I FEEL A JUSTIFIED PRIDE"
Yavuz emphasized that some people do not believe he is a middle school graduate, and he noted:
"Some say, 'How can it be, you must be a university graduate.' It's not like that; I learned completely naturally and applied it that way. This makes me feel proud because I am Turkish. We must not forget that we are Turkish. Turks can achieve everything; let's not forget this. Of course, I feel that justified pride. The tourists I introduce and talk to always give positive feedback."
Yavuz especially advises young people to learn foreign languages with the thought that "one language is one person."
HIS NEW GOAL IS THE MALAY LANGUAGE
Yavuz, who still has a dream of learning a new language, pointed out, "There are Indonesian and Malaysian languages, the Malay language. These are languages that sound very sweet to me. They are very beautiful countries, and I would like to communicate with them as well." Yavuz added that he is also working to promote the region online.