Celebrity linguists
Owen v Beckham
They might have played for Madrid, but who was better at learning Spanish?
Michael Owen won the Madrid fans over when he greeted them at the press conference by saying '¡Buenos días a todos!'.
One-nil to Owen.
On your marks, get set, go ...
Paula Radcliffe: 'Although I'm known first and foremost as an athlete, my foreign language skills have given another dimension to my career. I regularly use French and German when I travel to compete in Europe.'
Give that woman a gold medal!
David Beckham: 'I haven't conquered Spanish yet. I'm learning and understand what's said during training. I'm progressing little by little,. Spanish is very difficult for me, although I am getting used to it. I am making an effort. It's complicated. But if I can conquer Spanish, it will have been a great achievement.'
John Cleese: 'Learning a language makes our minds stronger and more flexible. Actually using it gives us an entirely new experience of the world.'
Huw Edwards: 'During my career I have interviewed people of many nationalities and know that being able to address them in their own language is a great help. It puts the interviewee at ease and makes the conversation that follows (even if that is conducted in English) much more relaxed. We all need to develop extra language skills because they are essential in our multicultural society. As a Welshman I also feel strongly that we should celebrate and respect the world’s minority languages.'
For more celebrity linguists, go to CILT’s website