Erik Åkesson
Banker · From Sweden · In Finland since 2015
Erik Åkesson is a Swedish banker who moved to Finland around 2015 after a career spanning London, Copenhagen, and Stockholm — most recently as global head of foreign exchange trading at Danske Bank. With a Finnish wife and four kids each born in a different country, learning Finnish was always the intention but a high-pressure career left no space for it. A 15-month paternity leave changed everything: with a quieter mind and a baby asleep in a pram outside the restaurant window, he paid for over 100 lunches with retired Finns who would speak only Finnish with him, worked through three Suomen mestari books with a private teacher, and forced Finnish into every haircut, taxi ride, and errand he could.
Episode featuring Erik
004: Why Duolingo Failed, Paying for 100 Lunches, and More - Erik
In this episode, we explore Erik's unique approach to learning Finnish through real-world interactions and practical experiences. Erik shares why traditional language learning apps like Duolingo weren't effective for him and how he discovered more effective methods. He discusses his strategy of paying for lunches to practice Finnish with native speakers, the importance of immersion, and how he overcame common challenges faced by adult language learners. This episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone looking to learn Finnish through authentic experiences.Read More
