Yes, this is about sports, but since it’s a General Question I’m posting it here. Mods can always move this if necessary.
David Beckham, born & raised in Great Britain, plays for a Spanish team. I’m assuming he doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, and that his teammates speak limited English. How can they communicate with each other? How can the coach ball him out for blowing a play when he can’t understand the coach? How can his teammates call plays on the field?
And, most importantly of all, how can the ref tell him why he’s giving him a red card (say he got caught kicking an opposing player in the nuts); and how can Beckham protest to the ref, if they all speak different languages?
Are international soccer players expected to learn at least a few words and phrases of a common language (English perhaps? French?) so they can understand each other? Or do they get their points across through body language and voice level?
They all learn to speak a common language during training. Beckham is learning Spanish and will be expected to become reasonably fluent during his time in Madrid.
International referees are generally bi- or tri-lingual and will communicate in whatever language they need to to get their point across.
But showing a red card is quite universal - and the players complaining is irrelevant to the point anyhow.
I imagine quite a few referees in La Liga know English as it is a requirement for international referees. Generally though for referees body language will be enough and no amount of remonstrating will ever get a referee to change his mind, especially on a decision like a red card.
David Beckham probably has an inetrpretor at the club who he uses to communicate with the manager and the rest of the team, also he will take Spanish lessons (this has led some to ask: how can he learn Spanish when he bearly speaks English? ). Quite a few Real players and coaching staff speak English up to a reasonable standard (also of course there is already an English player there - Steve Mcmanaman ) too.
Someone else may have a better answer, but my understanding is that Beckham’s learning some limited Spanish and will get by with a few choice words and a lot of body language. Many of his fellow Real Madrid players are also not native Spanish speakers–Zidane is French; Figo, Ronaldo, and Robert Carlos all speak Portuguese as a first language, etc. (admittedly, Portuguese is a lot closer to Spanish than English is). He also has a fellow Englishman in Steve McManaman, who (when he’s not warming the bench) can probably help Beckham out.
I once heard that Spanish is kind of the lingua franca among soccer players and referees, though I expect you’ll need to learn the basic phrases in your club’s native language. In any case, though, the vocabulary probably isn’t too hard to learn–a combination of body language and shouting will probably work whenever Beckham wishes to indicate that he’s open during a play.
As for understanding why he’s been carded, I think most players can figure out why they’ve been cautioned even without the referee’s explanation (especially if they’ve just kicked somebody in the nuts )–it will be more important for Beckham to learn how to protest the card by claiming that he was playing the ball, combined with body language such as hands clasped together in a prayer-like pose and a pleading expression on his face. All of these factors kind of transcend language, and they won’t sway the referee’s decision, anyway.
I think the most crucial element in conversational ability will be the coach’s communication with Beckham, but I’m not sure about the answer on this one. But considering that his old coach, Alex Ferguson, once threw a shoe at Beckham in the Man U dressing room after a bad performance, my guess is that the lad needs extraverbal forms of communication even in his native England.
I noticed that the Japan national team is (was?) coached by a French man. In TV interviews he only spoke French (subtitled on TV for Japnese fans). It seems like a bit of “loss time” when he’s yelling at them during practice, or better yet, giving a 30 minute lecture on their strategy, even if they employ a translator. (Imagine him saying at the end of the meeting, “Any questions?”) This kind of language gap seems quite a bit more severe than Spanish/English, don’t you think? Perhaps the coach’s expertise is worth the extra effort? Maybe a soccer/football fan who knows more about the Japanese team and their coach (or a similar situation) can fill us in.
It’s not unlike when Ichiro came from Japan to the American Major Leagues. He’s been in the league 3 years but still uses a translator for most American interviews. All he really has to do is learn a few English baseball terms to communicate with his teammates/umps/managers. Fortunately for Ichiro there are two other Japanese players on the Mariners: Kaz Sasaki and Shigetoshi Hasegawa. Shiggy has been in the league for a little longer than Ichiro and speaks English quite well; he even has a best-selling book on learning English in his native country(“Learn English My Way”.)
As long as they speak soccer/football(or baseball), I think there will be few problems.
Japanese baseball players playing in Japan primarily use a pidgin form of English for basic communication on the field, such as calling for a fly ball and telling someone which base to throw to. This was according to a team interpreter I spoke to.
It’s easier for them to communicate this way since nearly every team will have at least one American player on the field at some time.
However, coaching instructions are always given in Japanese or English (using an interpeter as necessary)
When Celtic signed Bulgarian international Stilian Petrov a few years ago, he had not a word of English and they had to also hire an interpreter for him.
He’s come along quite well though, we knew he was settling in in Scotland the first time he was asked a question on television and responded with “Aye”
Philippe Troussier’s contract expired after the World Cup and he’s now coaching Qatar. The current coach, Zico is Brazillian. Troussier’s interpreter, Florent Dabadie, is a celebrity in his own right. He’s working as a model and “talent” now.
I’m not much of a football fan but I’ve heard people blame Japan’s defeat in the WC on bad communication. Some have blamed Dabadie for taking some liberties with Troussier’s original instructions. But then again, the people from whom I heard this don’t speak French, so who knows?
). Quite a few Real players and coaching staff speak English up to a reasonable standard (also of course there is already an English player there - Steve Mcmanaman ) too.