Wow, that was rude! Cabrera Answers Interview in Spanish

[Texas solo]

I just saw a post round interview with A. Cabrera after his opening round 65 at the Shell Houston Open. He was asked a few questions on his round, in English, which he obviously understood clearly as there was no hesitation in his answers....in Spanish. His coach acted as interpreter for his answers, but sure wasn't needed to interpret the question for him. I just find it rude when he understands English to answer in Spanish.

Maybe he didn't care to be interviewed and this was his way of saying so, but he should remember who writes his paychecks.

[GaijinGolfer]

Or maybe he isnt confident enough in speaking English to feel comfortable answering in English on camera.  IMO, youre making some pretty big assumptions here.

[LuciusWooding]

Maybe you should remember he's from Argentina. He has fans there and in other Spanish speaking areas to whom he is showing loyalty. Those fans are a significant part of why he gets his paychecks, and he gets paid for winning golf tournaments as well. There's also the fact that he might understand english but he isn't as eloquent as he is in his mother tongue, and he expresses himself better through an interpreter.

When you're paying him to play for you, you can make him speak whatever language you want. It's not rude to speak Spanish.

[mdl]

Wow.  Really?  He's rude cause he didn't speak the language you wanted?  That says a LOT more about you than it does about him.

And not only that, even if we accept that it was rude, have you ever tried to learn a different language?  It's MUCH easier to understand well than it is to speak well.  Maybe he just doesn't speak English that well and didn't want to embarrass himself.

[Zeph]

Is this a joke? Cabrebra is always using a translator. I don't see the problem really. It's an international game. We can't expect everyone to learn English to play on the PGA Tour, though Angel probably could have managed to get out a few words if he really wanted to.

[DenisO]

Agree with mdl, says a lot more about the OP than Cabrera. It actually comes off a bit as being racist, "should remember who writes his paychecks"? really?

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by Texas solo

Maybe he didn't care to be interviewed and this was his way of saying so, but he should remember who writes his paychecks.

Presumably they aren't ignorant, narrow minded folk who think that everyone should speak English when it isn't their language.

Just because he can understand English doesn't mean he is confident speaking it.

[Clambake]

Originally Posted by Texas solo

....... but he should remember who writes his paychecks.

Given that most of his fan base is in Spanish speaking countries and some of his major sponsors are Societe Generale, Euromayor Construyendo Realidades, and Velle de Golf, it sounds like he knows EXACTLY who writes his paychecks.

[jamo]

He's rude? What? I could probably understand some golf-related questions in spanish, but I couldn't answer any of them. I assume it's the same for Angel. He can speak any language he wants. Seriously? Is this a real thread?

[mtsalmela80]

Is it just me or does it seem like Angel Cabrera should already be playing on the champions tour, despite being only 42 years old. He just looks...older.

But he whipped the youngins today!

[Shindig]

There is an insane world of difference between being able to understand things in a foreign language and being able to speak comprehensively in said language. The fact that he's taking the questions in English without having them re-interpreted says to me he cares at a more-than-necessary level about the language. Last December, I went to Spain to present a research paper at a conference. The first night there, my co-author and I went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. We quickly realized the waitress spoke no English, but I could understand her Spanish. Other than greetings and table count and so on, I wasn't really able to respond (horray for six years of high school Spanish, LAUSD... although I've been out of high school for more than ten years by this point). At some point, I responded in English and my co-author realized the waitress didn't know what I said. He, speaking no Spanish, translated into Chinese (I don't know which variant), which she understood, but was unable to formulate a response in. So she continued in Spanish and the loop repeated until we'd ordered dinner.

[Zeph]

Germany, Spain, Italy etc. It's no wonder they don't learn English when everything is in their native language. Every TV-show and movie is dubbed. I'm surprised the music isn't dubbed too. Being used to seeing everything in the original language, I would go insane in a world like that. :-P I prefer English over Norwegian when it comes to entertainment. No subtitles if I can avoid them. If I'm watching Snatch or some other british flick with unintelligbile language, I might turn on English subtitles. Obviously I need subs for movies in a langauge I don't speak, but never dubbed, that stuff is hazardous to my health.

[zipazoid]

We Americans really need to get over ourselves. Who gives a damn what language Cabrera uses to communicate?

[Dave H]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

We Americans really need to get over ourselves. Who gives a damn what language Cabrera uses to communicate?

This is America! We speak American here!!

That's a total joke BTW. Just in case.

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

We Americans really need to get over ourselves. Who gives a damn what language Cabrera uses to communicate?

Don't say "we American's". We are not all like this.

I have a lot of Japanese friends with marginal English skills. When they want to express themselves most clearly, they speak in Japanese and have a Japanese person with better English skills translate for them.

[Shindig]

If I'm watching Snatch or some other british flick with unintelligbile language, I might turn on English subtitles.

I'm not sure if your copy has it, but my DVD of Snatch (Region 1) has an option to subtitle just Brad Pitt's character. [quote name="MSchott" url="/t/56733/wow-that-was-rude-cabrera-answers-interview-in-spanish#post_694272"]

I have a lot of Japanese friends with marginal English skills. When they want to express themselves most clearly, they speak in Japanese and have a Japanese person with better English skills translate for them.

[/quote] Exactly. The goal should be clarity of communication.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by MSchott

Don't say "we American's". We are not all like this.

I have a lot of Japanese friends with marginal English skills. When they want to express themselves most clearly, they speak in Japanese and have a Japanese person with better English skills translate for them.

I was going to say 'some Americans' but that would open me up to criticism so I was just being generic.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by Texas solo

I just saw a post round interview with A. Cabrera after his opening round 65 at the Shell Houston Open. He was asked a few questions on his round, in English, which he obviously understood clearly as there was no hesitation in his answers....in Spanish. His coach acted as interpreter for his answers, but sure wasn't needed to interpret the question for him. I just find it rude when he understands English to answer in Spanish.

Maybe he didn't care to be interviewed and this was his way of saying so, but he should remember who writes his paychecks.

Wow, that (your post) was rude!