It seems that our old friend, Benny the Irish polyglot, is aiming to go from complete beginner's level to C1 level in Mandarin Chinese - in just three months!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YSRjW5Gzb4&feat...

I can't say exactly what I think about Benny and his antics, because I would most probably be censored if I did. However, I will say that I do not believe that it is possible to do what he claims. If he does pass the C1 exam in Chinese after just three months, then he must have started out with significant prior knowledge and not as a real beginner, in my opinion. (He has some past form at this...)

In the above video Benny also claims to have level C2 (i.e. virtual full native level) in Spanish and French.

Again, I have to tread slightly carefully because of censorship issues, but I am (hopefully?) allowed to say that I suspect that he is being somewhat generous to himself - at least as regards his French.