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BORIS
BECKER
Nivel: Avanzado
30 minutes
I was reminded recently of a man who grew into a wonderfully fluent speaker of English ‘before my very eyes’ in a very short time.
That man is the former tennis player Boris Becker. I should say that 'that boy was Becker', and that before my eyes means, ‘on television’, as I have never met him.
Like most people outside of Germany, I became aware of him in 1985 when he became the youngest winner of the men’s tennis title at Wimbledon at the age of 17 years and 7 months. To be precise, I noticed him when he won his quarter-final.
UNUSUAL TENNIS PLAYER
He was an unusual looking tennis player, with all that red hair. I always thought the eyelashes were blond, and they gave him the appearance of a cheerfully aggressive mouse.
What I noticed most of all was his willingness to be interviewed in English, especially as his English was terrible.
But he had enthusiasm, he had a modest supply of words – and he had no fear. He had obviously decided that if anyone was going to ask him anything in English, he was going to reply in that language.
AN UNSPOILED TENNIS STAR
He was not then a protected multi-millionaire and I don’t think he was ‘hyped-up’ by the euphoria of his then current success. I imagine that he had decided, long before, to do his best in all the things he tackled. That is not a profound philosophy, nor is it unique to tennis: we teach it to five-year-old children.
But I think that when he was away from the tennis courts, and out of the limelight, he gave his English studies the same single-minded concentration that he gave to his tennis.
I say this because he returned in 1986, speaking fluent English, with a little hesitation and a German/American accent. In 1987 the accent was gone and there was only a vague hint of American left.
GOOD PRACTICE ON THE TENNIS CIRCUIT
He had made this extraordinary transformation in two years. Of course he was surrounded by English – speaking people on the tennis circuit every day on the tour, and his job left him plenty of free time, but it is still a tremendous achievement for a young man; he did the work and he has certainly had the reward.
I think his success is owed to professional virtue too – I would be surprised to learn that in those days, before the pressures of a superstar tennis player built up, that he was a difficult man to get for an interview, and I believe that he liked to talk.
In the modern age it is hard to obtain fifteen minutes with a sports superstar unless he or she is paid for the interview. And many of them are just not very interested in talking anyway.
THE PREMIER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
In the English Premier League there are many imported football players who speak so-so English [or no English at all] when they arrive. But it seems that they make no effort to improve – probably because they don’t stay in England very long. So they don’t usually do interviews and they miss out on a great opportunity for the fans to get to know them better.
A few years ago, David Beckham was the target of some criticism in the Spanish newspapers because he still did not appear to speak Spanish, after playing for two years in Spain.
DAVID BECKHAM UTTERS IN SPANISH
He then appeared at a press conference and spoke a few prepared sentences. This seemed to please everyone, although it didn’t really demonstrate a command of Spanish. But he had made the effort and no one was going to give him a hard time about it.
One man who did have a hard time, in more senses than one, was Claudio Ranieri, the Italian former trainer of Chelsea Football Club in London.
CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB
Even before the club was bought by Roman Abramovich it was constantly in the sports news and Mr. Ranieri, one of the most capable and popular football trainers in the world, must have been under great pressure to appear on football programs on television.
It shows his character that he accepted television interviews as soon as he could, although at first he often had difficulty in understanding what was being said, or finding the right word.
In passing, I mention this story, which possibly shows – well, I don’t know what it shows: Mr. Ranieri appeared on a television discussion program hosted by the retired football star Gary Lineker [Barcelona 1986 - 89] and three other former footballers.
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Gary Lineker
Ranieri was asked about something ‘lasting’, and he said, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know this word.’ Lineker, after a short pause, quietly gave him the word in Spanish, knowing that this would be close enough to Ranieri’s Italian - ‘duradero’.
He did it in a simple way; he was not showing off. But the other ex-footballers were astonished at this display of learning and immediately looked as if they were going to mock Lineker for even knowing the word.
They made an effort to keep quiet and nothing was said at that moment, but I wonder if these English football players resisted the temptation afterward to tease him about his language skills.
FOOTBALL KILLS LANGUAGE SKILLS
Among footballers themselves they call this so-called teasing or mocking each other ‘friendly banter’. However, I think mocking remarks, 'taking the mickey' as it is sometimes called, are a way of ensuring that very few young footballers in Britain will be competent in any other language.
This is because their English-speaking team-mates are always ready to make a so-called ‘joke’ of them and embarrass them. I am sure that in other countries there have been plenty of people who have gained a command of English in a very short time.
International sports players seem to have the absolutely ideal conditions to make progress, although I think this is less true of players of team sports, as they don’t need to speak to anyone except other team members and, footballers especially, tend to be transported as ‘a package’ from a very early age.
I don’t know much about German footballers, but I think it is safe to say that Franz Beckenbauer speaks effortless English and four other languages.
Jurgen Klinsmann of Germany is, of course, fluent in English. He was born twenty years after me, but in his interviews he always gave me the feeling that he learned English before I did. He has that talent.
Jurgen Kilnsmann
Looking at some of the names of celebrities who have had to practice (or at least expose) their English in public, Luciano Pavarotti, Paulo di Canio, Frankie Dettori, Antonio Banderas and many more, I think they face a greater challenge than the rest of us because microphones and television cameras were often part of their earliest conversations.
I suppose that in addition to Boris Becker, some distinguished Russian gymnasts or a Korean violinist achieved fluency within two years by the age of twelve – I would not be surprised: but I know of no one who accepted the challenge as publicly and as successfully as the young Boris Becker.
QUESTIONS:
1. When (if ever) did the writer meet Boris Becker?
2. Only one of the following is TRUE:
a) The country mentioned in the first paragraph is Holland.
b) The tennis arena mentioned there is Forest Hills.
c) Becker was a baby in 1985.
d) Boris Becker had red hair in those days.
3. What tennis record did Boris Becker achieve in 1985?
4. The article says that , when speaking English, Becker had:
a) no win b) no beer c) no fear d) no friends
5. What does the writer suggest that Becker had decided to do
‘long before’?
6. Only one of the following is UNTRUE (false):
a) Becker concentrated on learning English.
b) He never came back to Wimbledon tennis after 1985.
c) When he was a young tennis player Becker was always ready for an interview.
d) The years mentioned are in the mid – eighties.
7. What sort of accent did Becker have in 1986?
8. In dealing with interviews, what kind of virtue does the article mention?
9. It is suggested that some people ‘are just not very interested In talking’. Who are they?
10. How would you describe ‘so-so English’ in your own words in English?
11. Only one of the following is TRUE:
a) All the Serbian newspapers attacked David Beckham.
b) David Beckham gave a press conference after nine years playing in Spain.
c) Beckham spoke some Spanish at the press conference.
d) Everyone was displeased by the press conference.
12. Which football club did Roman Abramovitch buy?
13. Only one of the following is TRUE:
a) Ranieri and Beckham played football for Boca Juniors.
b) Lineker knew the Spanish word ‘duradero’.
c) Gary Lineker was a North American astronaut
d) Mr. Lineker didn’t know what day it was.
14. ‘Banter’ in English means -
a) a famous fat boy b) a sandwich c) mocking humor d) a cat
15. What kind of people are said to have ‘absolutely ideal conditions’ for making progress in their English studies?
16. What word is used to describe Franz Beckenbauer’s English?
17. Jurgen Klinsmann is younger than the writer of this article: how much younger?
18. Only one of the following is UNTRUE (false):
a) Jurgen Klinsmann speaks excellent English
b) Jurgen Klinsmann is Irish.
c) The famous tennis star Roger Federer does not appear in this article.
d) The author knows little about German footballers.
19. According to the second last (penultimate) paragraph, where do some
celebrities have to practice their English? Is it -
a) in public, b) in the bath, c) in France d) in doubt
20. Only one of the following is TRUE:
a) Deceit is part of all conversations
b) Celebrities face more challenges than other people.
c) Russian gymnasts play the violin.
d) The article recommends using the piano to learn English.
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Palabras, frases claves:
1. Never
2. d)
3. youngest winner of men’s title, Wimbledon
4. c)
5. his best
6. b)
7. German-American
8. professional
9. sports superstar
10. not very good, mediocre, poor
11. c)
12. Chelsea
13. b)
14. c)
15. international sports performers
16. effortless
17. twenty years
18. b)
19. a) in public
20. b)
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