Describe a person you know who speaks a foreign language very well

The person I know who speaks a foreign language really well is my cousin Farida, who speaks English almost like a native. She is twenty-six and works as a translator for an international company in Tashkent.

She learned English in several stages. At school, she was an average student, but when she was fifteen, she became obsessed with American TV series and started watching them with subtitles. Then she began to turn the subtitles off. She also joined an online speaking club and spent a year in England as an exchange student, where she lived with a host family and had to use English every day. By the time she came back, she had a very natural accent and even used expressions that sounded like she'd lived there all her life.

I feel quite impressed, and, to be honest, a little jealous. She speaks quickly and confidently, and she never seems to search for words. When we have family guests from abroad, she translates for everyone, and the visitors often assume she grew up overseas.

But she has also inspired me. She told me that the secret isn't talent, it's habit: she listened to English every day, kept a notebook of new phrases and wasn't afraid of making mistakes. I've tried to copy some of her methods, such as watching films in English and recording myself speaking. It's slow work, but I can already notice a difference. Her example proves that anyone can reach a high level with the right approach.