Should footballers like Tevez be ambassadors for breaking down language barriers?
As a lifelong Manchester City fan, with fond childhood memories of Maine Road, and living through the biggest revolution our club has experienced in its history, one of the main topics of conversation in the pubs, at the ground, on the message boards and on the phone-ins is the enigma of Carlos Tevez. The Manchester City talisman, who wants for nothing and is adored by many, is trying harder than Ronnie Biggs to escape the UK, back to South America. Tevez has said that he hasn’t settled in the UK and has no social outlet, but a conversation that repeatedly comes up is the lack of English spoken by the Argentinian.
Tevez moved to England five years ago and during that time his inability (or stubbornness) around learning , English has increasingly come under scrutiny.
Many football fans believe that after this period of time it shows a lack of respect that someone has such a disinterest at speaking the local lingo. However, my question is, why should he have to? A recent piece in The Telegraph “Britons look for ‘home comforts’ when abroad” made me think about Brittish attitudes toward foreign languages and I think it would be fair to say that, compared to the rest of Europe, Britons are severely lacking in multilingual skills. So does this really give the general public room to criticise?
It is not just UK holiday makers that fail to make the effort – this article in The Guardian (http:// www.guardian.co.uk/media/mind-your-language/2011/apr/11/mind-your-language-expat-brits) raises many interesting points,, many of which I’m inclined to agree with. The article talks about the negativity surrounding the word immigration and how Brits living abroad refer to themselves as ‘Expats’, arguably an elitist terms to disassociate themselves from being immigrants; and how frequently these communities of ‘Expats’ rarely go to the trouble of learning the local language in any great detail.
With this in mind, can we really expect Carlos Tevez, a professional working in the UK but unlikely to settle – just like many UK nationals living abroad, to learn English? Should multilingual skills be part of the responsibility of being a highly paid role model for the community; to be an ambassador for breaking down international language barriers? Or should people in glass houses stop throwing stones?
Clever and thought-provoking post, well done. I really like your comment about the judgements we all make around the word “immigrant”. When I say I am a Uruguayan “immigrant” in the UK, my friends seems horrified. Surely I am NOT, I am married to an Englishman and I am a “highly-skilled cross-national worker”, right? Immigrant tends to equate to low-pay, low-skill work. So Tevez probably would be classed as a “highly skilled international talent”…
Back to the point about foreigners (ouch, that is not even a very-much used word that day, right?) speaking English in England… tough one. I see it as my duty to speak English here, and if I moved to Germany, I would make every effort to learn German. When I lived in Wales, I attempted to at least embrace the national language… However, I also fiercely defend my right to speak my native language, which I do proudly and which I find is not only accepted but admired. I think learning to speak the national language is a matter of respect, but also a matter of survival and advancement.
In terms of South American footballers not being able to adapt to the UK, I can fully understand it (there are a few exceptions, I am thinking of Gus Poyet), believe me, it is tough. Tevez comes from a deprived background in Argentina where education and lifelong learning where probably not highly valued (unlike Forlán, for example, who went to English schools in Uruguay) – so the reticence to learn English probably has very deep routes…
Long comment, sorry, but thanks for the post!
Hi Emma, In your blog you try and compare any differences with Tevez and expats or immigrants (call them what you will) But are a couple of fundamental differences in my opinion.
1. Expats usually live in a community whereby they are surrounded by other ‘expats’ or English speaking people and as they speak their own language they may find it difficult to pick up another one.
2. Those expats that don’t learn the language are majority of retired expats. Any one working abroad does and should make the effort to learn the language of a foreign country if they are working there. I spent 3 yrs in Germany, although I wasn’t fluent in Germany, I picked up enough of the language to have a good conversation with anyone, because I was surrounded by Germans speaking their own language.
Tevez is surrounded by English speaking people and has been for 5 years, he claims he knows NO English and has refused to learn, even when given the opportunity of having lessons. I believe it’s ignorance on his behalf and as a professional ‘worker’ in this country should, if only to talk to his bosses, learn the language.
Don’t British expats learn the local lingo when they move?
Go anywhere where Britons have eloped to and you’ll find they do indeed speak the local lingo – because they have to – there is no way of getting by otherwise. Ours is the country/culture that panders to the oh so sensitive sensibilities of anyone who might be offended (or not, since we never actually ask – presuming these things is enough it seems) at our “britishness”, maybe that’s why we’re lazy when we go abroad (on holiday). Who knows?
That said, Brits on holiday is another story completely (some people should be stopped at the airport gates, I digress) – and something that the clever person writing that piece at the Guardian, true to form, failed miserably to acknowledge.
Even somewhere as anglicised as Majorca, you need to know Spanish and in some instances, Mallorquí/Catalan, to get by if you live there. For any Brit (even the so-called educated ones at the Guardian), I find that criticising “expats” for creating sub-communities where they “stick together” in their newfound homes a teeeeny bit churlish… you’d think we don’t have the same thing here (Brixton, Rusholme, Bradford, you could go on of course). It’s a natural bi-product of migration for people of the same nationality to interact – but it isn’t a question of language.
Finding home comforts to help you settle in a new country is all well and good, but the lack of respect Tevez continues to show in not trying to learn English is all too obvious, and not really up for any type of grown-up debate. He earns too much money and has too much free time on his hands to pass off his laziness as anything but that.
…can you tell I’m a United fan?!
Yes I think they should – but that principle also applies to people living in other countries too. I know from my own experiences living in Panama (when my Spanish language skills were developing) that when I could communicate then I could start to enjoy the country, the people and the culture. It shocks me that some people have lived in the UK for decades and still cannot communicate in English (just as much as it shocks me that British expats living in Spain expect everyone to speak English!)Personally I think it smacks of ignorance to live in any country and not make an effort to speak the language of that country – it has nothing to do with keeping your own culture – you can still do that with your close knit circle and learn the local lingo.
After writing this post, I found an interesting article in The Telegraph which deals with this matter. Makes for interesting reading: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/8663188/Immigration-ban-on-husband-who-cannot-speak-English-is-a-breach-of-human-rights-court-told.html
Very bright and provoking post, I really like it! The same problem exists in each country where are living many immigrants or expats. If they are willing to adapt themselves in the new home-countries, they should strive learning the new language – this will help them gain more well paid jobs, new social contacts. Anyway, it’s a matter of choice which everybody should make himself…
This is a touchy subject. I can understand where your coming from, growing up in south Florida if you don’t speak the language you can lose out on some opportunities.
Thanks for sharing this very interesting post Emma. I think that Carlos Tevez must be able to speak a little English after 5 years but is probably not comfortable giving an interview in English. Also with the arrival of a few other Spanish speaking players at Manchester City I don’t think he’s going to start learning now.
Great article – you raise some very good points. I also agree with Gabriela’s comments. HOWEVER, having lived in God knows how many countries, I have always been of the opinion that ”when you’re in Rome – behave like a Roman”. Tevez did not adapt? No social life? I believe it is his own fault.