Jump to content

The language barrier


Tamesaint
 Share

Recommended Posts

Much is being made in the press of MP's inability to communicate with the players because he cannot speak English. But is this the case? Presumably he is taking lessons and whilst he may have difficulty in answering questions at a press conference, he could well know enough English to get his message across. There is a world of difference in being able to answer Adam Blackmore's questions coherently and in telling a player to get the ball into the box more often.

 

Last night he seemed to be giving instructions to Ricky - proving if nothing else that he can talk Scouse. He was also getting on fine talking to Morgan - which is not surprising as he played in France for PSG. Ramirez and the Portuguese speakers will also have no problems in understanding him.

 

A few years ago, Ranieri took over at Chelsea and was apparently reliant upon an interpreter who was present during every interview. After a few months in the job suddenly the interpreter disappeared and Ranieri was fluent in English. He had clearly known more than he was letting on. I wonder if the same could be true for MP?

Edited by Tamesaint
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing is for sure, while he is using an interpreter he will have to learn to say less after each question. It was hilarious watching his mukker taking ages to absorb it all - then the pregnant pause while he did a quick recap. At one point he told TS to stop talking because he was overloaded :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cortese's best mate, Matt Le Tiss aint fussed

 

from Talk Sport's Website earlier today:-

 

Adkins’ replacement Mauricio Pochettino got his reign off to a decent start with a goalless draw against Everton but there are fears his limited grasp of the English language will hinder his work.

 

However, Le Tissier has played down those concerns, adding: "I’m sure he will be learning the language pretty quickly and hopefully it won't be too long before he no longer needs a translator.

 

"I was sitting near the touchline and he was certainly communicating with the players on the pitch."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha! - I remember the Ranieri translator; wasn't he the tea boy or something that was knocking out cliched phrases because he didn't know what Ranieri was saying?

 

Pochettino must have known that football is a world game - and that if he was ever going to be a top manager a la Mourinho, he'd have to be multi-lingual, and English is a pretty common language in world football.

 

I should expect Pochettino has the old Rosetta Stone on the flight to Barcelona, or something to that extent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He said in the interview last night that his English is OK he just doesn't have the vocabulary that he needs.

 

to be fair, the majority of jobs have a very fixed vocabulary. Standard set phrases and variable adjectives. Several hundred words and clear instructions.

 

Can't believe that football is so different. It's not the vocabulary that's a problem, but knowing what to say ...and how to say it with conviction.

Edited by david in sweden
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...