International Super intelligent world leaders who don't speak other languages

[PBAC]

I always find this an odd one. We have a lot of language learning requirements in education in which we have to learn at least one foreign language. Yes on the world stage we tend to see world leaders only ever speaking their own language. Sure, official state matters have to be done in the language of their own country, but when we have known linguists in power they have no trouble speaking English or another language.

I have not seen Rishi Sunak speaking Indian. Not seen Varadkar speaking Irish without a script.
Putin is apparently a linguist but there seems to be next to no footage of this. Kim apparently speaks German and English yet nothing can be found confirming this. Xi does not speak English.

Shinzo Abe could apparently speak English yet never did, while his predecessors had no problem giving a fluent speech in English to the US senate. Mark Rutte/Wilders use English without hesitation.\

On his state visit to the Netherlands Macron tried speaking Dutch and failed miserably. Trudeu can speak French and there is evident footage of him doing so. Biden/Trump ... forget about it.

It seems the actual linguists have no problem presenting themselves in public but some of the others probably speak a bit of other languages and just claim they can.

 

[lsa]

"Super intelligent "

I gotta ask... By what metric are Biden, Trump Sunak and the rest "super intelligent"?

 

[PBAC]

"Super intelligent "

I gotta ask... By what metric are Biden, Trump Sunak and the rest "super intelligent"?

they are/were the leaders of their own country.
Are you the leader of your country?

 

[lsa]

they are/were the leaders of their own country.
Are you the leader of your country?

Maybe I am.

So if you are a prime minister you are super intelligent?
Do you even follow politics?

 

[Rob Battisti]

Europeans are more likely to be bilingual due to the proximity to other counties to their homeland.

 

[lsa]

Europeans are more likely to be bilingual due to the proximity to other counties to their homeland.

Also in a lot of countries English is a mandatory subject in school.
We started to learn it at age 9 or 10.

 

[PBAC]

Maybe I am.

So if you are a prime minister you are super intelligent?
Do you even follow politics?

it was a general reference for people who are supposed to be above the norm. The norm is people are expected to be familiar with at least one other language ... yet it doesn't seem like this applies to the top job in the country.

 

[PBAC]

Also in a lot of countries English is a mandatory subject in school.
We started to learn it at age 9 or 10.

same in Japan. Usually they don't speak it very well but given their cultural attituded to schooling one would think the long term PM of the country would be seen speaking it more.

 

[Rob Battisti]

Also in a lot of countries English is a mandatory subject in school.
We started to learn it at age 9 or 10.

I wish I learned Spanish

 

[lsa]

it was a general reference for people who are supposed to be above the norm. The norm is people are expected to be familiar with at least one other language ... yet it doesn't seem like this applies to the top job in the country.

so maybe they are not really super intelligent..
I mean they only speak one language..
And based on several Trump and Biden clips... not even very well.

 

[lsa]

I wish I learned Spanish

I took a few years.
So know how to order beer, start a fight and flirt.

 

[Fox by the Sea]

In Europe you kinda need to speak 3 languages to begin being truly multilingual.
Two languages here is kinda basic.

 

[PBAC]

In Europe you kinda need to speak 3 languages to begin being truly multilingual.
Two languages here is kinda basic.

what part are you from?
Usually only around Benelux do I hear 3 in the norm. It's usually English and something else on the continent which most everyone takes for granted due to it being everywhere.

Which again, returning to the original topic raises the question as to why most world leaders will not speak outside their own language. I have heard Putin speaking very stilted English implying he can't really use it.

In fact here is the video which also comments that very few leaders speak anything other than English

 

[Fox by the Sea]

what part are you from?
Usually only around Benelux do I hear 3 in the norm. It's usually English and something else on the continent which most everyone takes for granted due to it being everywhere.

Which again, returning to the original topic raises the question as to why most world leaders will not speak outside their own language. I have heard Putin speaking very stilted English implying he can't really use it.

In fact here is the video which also comments that very few leaders speak anything other than English

Eastern euro.

 

[SandisLL]

I always find this an odd one. We have a lot of language learning requirements in education in which we have to learn at least one foreign language. Yes on the world stage we tend to see world leaders only ever speaking their own language. Sure, official state matters have to be done in the language of their own country, but when we have known linguists in power they have no trouble speaking English or another language.

I have not seen Rishi Sunak speaking Indian. Not seen Varadkar speaking Irish without a script.
Putin is apparently a linguist but there seems to be next to no footage of this. Kim apparently speaks German and English yet nothing can be found confirming this. Xi does not speak English.

Shinzo Abe could apparently speak English yet never did, while his predecessors had no problem giving a fluent speech in English to the US senate. Mark Rutte/Wilders use English without hesitation.\

On his state visit to the Netherlands Macron tried speaking Dutch and failed miserably. Trudeu can speak French and there is evident footage of him doing so. Biden/Trump ... forget about it.

It seems the actual linguists have no problem presenting themselves in public but some of the others probably speak a bit of other languages and just claim they can.

There is one nuance. Sometimes you need a bit time to think ....and of you use translator, then you get some very precious time....
It is nuance in some cases used in business, politics, court cases etc......

 

[Renard]

Research shows that people tend to only retain information that interests them on the long run. They can ace a test on something they're not interested in on the short term, but won't recall any of it in a few years. That's why mandatory language classes don't work very well.

I know that in many European countries students get to choose their second language among Italian, French, English, Spanish, etc. This is more likely to be successful because the student can pick the one they actually like or would like to visit, they're more likely to remember and see a use for it in their life.

 

[Unknown Pleasures]

Research shows that people tend to only retain information that interests them on the long run. They can ace a test on something they're not interested in on the short term, but won't recall any of it in a few years. That's why mandatory language classes don't work very well.

I know that in many European countries students get to choose their second language among Italian, French, English, Spanish, etc. This is more likely to be successful because the student can pick the one they actually like or would like to visit, they're more likely to remember and see a use for it in their life.

With translator apps so easily available now, I feel it's not worth the effort to study different languages if you use them sparingly.

 

[Patrick Jane]

I have seen Putin speaking English (with a french accent for some reason) and German before.

Plus i remember that the smartestest world leader of all time, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, only speaks turkish.

In Europe you kinda need to speak 3 languages to begin being truly multilingual.
Two languages here is kinda basic.

Even that doesn't really cut it if you're going to be technical, because many countries have official languages which can barely be described as their own language. Like when a Serb tells you he speaks 4 languages (Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin). Same with Czech and Slovak or German and Luxembourgish. I guess Europeans can really pad their CVs with bullshit like that when they immigrate to other places in the world which don't know anything about european languages, lmao

 

[LeonardoBjj]

"Super intelligent "

I gotta ask... By what metric are Biden, Trump Sunak and the rest "super intelligent"?

- Putin and kim arent dumb. Just wakos!

 

[LeonardoBjj]

Research shows that people tend to only retain information that interests them on the long run. They can ace a test on something they're not interested in on the short term, but won't recall any of it in a few years. That's why mandatory language classes don't work very well.

I know that in many European countries students get to choose their second language among Italian, French, English, Spanish, etc. This is more likely to be successful because the student can pick the one they actually like or would like to visit, they're more likely to remember and see a use for it in their life.

- Several students that get a degree, but dont pratice on their fields are like this. I was once watching a video of a politician that ended his mandate, and he was celebrating because would come back to being a teacher. I loved his explanation, that was his love to pratice and teach law and he didnt use almost nothing as a politician here!