Being bilingual is like having two keys – you simply choose the one that fits the situation. On International Mother Language Day, we asked bilingual MET Group colleagues about how their everyday work and life have been enriched with two different mother languages.
“I was born and raised in Switzerland, as the daughter of a South African mother and a Swiss father. From day one, our dinner table sounded like an international summit. My mum spoke English to me, my dad spoke Swiss German,” recalls Jessica Illi, Executive Assistant at MET International. For her, English was the language of comfort, stories, and a touch of South African warmth. German on the other hand, was school, structure, and quintessential Swiss punctuality.
LNG Trader Lawrence Shehata also grew up in a multicultural environment where multiple languages were spoken at home. He learnt Dutch from his mother – who found it important that all the siblings learnt their mother tongue – and occasionally uses it during work, given that the Netherlands has two LNG import terminals and TTF is the global gas benchmark.
Quantitative Researcher Alexander Miskov was born in the UK to Serbian parents, so as a baby he experienced the outside world in English and only heard Serbian at home. He loves it when people tell him that ‘there’s not really a word for this in English,’ because it highlights the multitude of perspectives, jokes, metaphors, and ideas that are shaped by language. “For this reason, the biggest benefit of being bilingual is the ability to unlock a completely different lens through which to experience the world and better understand the people around us,” he says.
Being bilingual unlocks new ways of thinking
Jessica also emphasizes that language isn’t just words – it’s culture, humour, tone, and even emotion. You become aware of the different ways something can be understood. Growing up between cultures made her more open-minded and helped her realise that there is no single ‘right’ perspective. “That really helps in an international company like MET Group – you listen more, adapt faster, and connect more easily.”
Being bilingual exposes you to different cultures and ways of thinking. It has taught Lawrence Shehata adaptability and enabled him to see situations from multiple perspectives. “Switching between languages also helps to build trust and develop relationships more quickly,” he adds.
However, navigating between mother tongues can sometimes be a challenge. By the age of two, Alexander Miskov still had not said his first word, so his parents took him to a specialist who had the theory that he was choosing not to speak because he wanted to be a part of the English-speaking world around him, without betraying the “secret” language of their family unit. “To make things easier for me, my parents stuck to speaking English at home, so that became my first language. Once I became comfortable with English, they started teaching me Serbian.”
Describe MET Group in 3 words – in both your mother tongues
Alexander Miskov: Multinacionalna – Multinational, Ambiciozna – Ambitious, Preduzetnička – Entrepreneurial
Jessica Illi: Herusvordernd – Positively challenging, Unterstützend – Supportive, Lösigs orientiert – Solution-oriented
Lawrence Shehata: Ondernemend – Entrepreneurial, Geïntegreerd – Integrated, Ambitieus – Ambitious