His Hungarian is impressive to say the least, his accent and humour is admirable. He is relatable, funny and intelligent, and very active on social media. Iain Lindsay, the British Ambassador in Hungary, has won over people’s hearts and become a bit like a celebrity in Hungary. Why?
Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
I first heard Ambassador Lindsay telling a long and complex but beautiful poem by Jozsef Attila, in Hungarian. It brought me to tears. Ever since then, I’ve been following his work on social media. His Hungarian takes my breath away.
In this video on WMN, an online magazine, Kriszta D. Toth takes His Excellency to work and gets him talk about his thoughts about life and people in Hungary, his favourite Hungarian expressions, how he’s getting on with learning Hungarian, and loads more.
The first 6 minutes, he speaks Hungarian. Fluently. Beautifully. Perfectly. After the 6 minute mark, they switch to English. He explains how important it is to him to learn not just the language but also the culture of the country he serves in, and they also point out the fact that it’s not really necessary for him as an English speaker to learn Hungarian, yet he feels he’d miss the point of his mission if he didn’t give it a go and learn it.
A must-watch video with two people I respect a lot. Enjoy it:
Once you’ve had a chance to watch, I’d love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment below and let me know.
As ever, thank you so much for reading and watching, and I hope to catch you next time.
Love,
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Gabriella Ferenczi 