Probable foreign minister Westerwelle to press:"We're in Germany, speak German!"

[The Brain]

The BBC (and other news agencies) should try getting reporters who actually speak the local language.

OTOH you generally do NOT want to hear an Anglo-Saxon butcher the language of Goethe and Hitler. They can't get German right.

Do you mean there's a foreign language they do not butcher?

There are languages that need butchering.

[Martinus]

I imagine if I were giving a press conference and some tool started asking questions in Swedish I might look askance.  But he handled it very poorly.  Typical Teutonic behavior.  Next come the panzers.

If I spoke Swedish, I would not look askance, I would just answer his question. If I was fluent, I would do so in Swedish, otherwise in English and leave it to the translators.

What is so hard about that?

I imagine the press conference was televised to local people. It's not like he was having a private chat with the journalist, but making pronouncements that are heard not just the guy asking a question but other people as well.

[Berkut]

I imagine if I were giving a press conference and some tool started asking questions in Swedish I might look askance.  But he handled it very poorly.  Typical Teutonic behavior.  Next come the panzers.

If I spoke Swedish, I would not look askance, I would just answer his question. If I was fluent, I would do so in Swedish, otherwise in English and leave it to the translators.

What is so hard about that?

I imagine the press conference was televised to local people. It's not like he was having a private chat with the journalist, but making pronouncements that are heard not just the guy asking a question but other people as well.

Nobody watches press conferences, get real.

Even if someone WAS watching, I would still just answer his question. If I really cared about what other people who theoretically were watching thought, I would translate it myself, then answer it, which would make me look awesome. Or more awesome.

[DisturbedPervert]

What is German for giant douchebag?

I understand that Obama always fluently answers all questions posed to him in German by foreign journalists?

He usually uses Muslim

[Neil]

Still, what can you expect from a homosexual?  Intollerance is their lifeblood.

Is "intollerance" some sort of negative disposition towards tariffs and tolls?

Enjoy your ban.

[Sheilbh]

The BBC (and other news agencies) should try getting reporters who actually speak the local language.

I agree.  He's totally right.

On the US State Department I believe they're having a real problem getting people who speak useful languages or are able/willing to learn them - can't remember the article but there was a recent one about this.  So the professionals don't always speak the language, not that this is new.  During the Iranian revolution I think the US embassy had 50 staff who could speak Farsi out of the 600 embassy staff.  None of the CIA posted there could speak it.

[Duque de Bragança]

OTOH you generally do NOT want to hear an Anglo-Saxon butcher the language of Goethe and Hitler. They can't get German right.

Do you mean there's a foreign language they do not butcher?

There are languages that need butchering.

I can see what you are getting at. Not that I approve it

[Zanza]

He should have said: "Allow me to answer in German." followed by the answer.

[Berkut]

What if he was the foreign minister for Uzbekistan - should he still insist that everyone ask him questions in his language?

[jimmy olsen]

He should have answered in the fashion of the Munich tour guide.

http://video.canadiancontent.net/43720662-family-guy-german-tour.html

[Faeelin]

Talking to a German friend, it's rumored he can barely speak English.

[Sheilbh]

What if he was the foreign minister for Uzbekistan - should he still insist that everyone ask him questions in his language?

In Tashkent?  Absolutely.

[Berkut]

What if he was the foreign minister for Uzbekistan - should he still insist that everyone ask him questions in his language?

In Tashkent?  Absolutely.

So even if hardly anyone speaks your language, it is better for the government to be unable to communicate with the world, rather than simply speaking in a common language?

Sure, I guess that makes a lot of sense.

[jimmy olsen]

What if he was the foreign minister for Uzbekistan - should he still insist that everyone ask him questions in his language?

In Tashkent?  Absolutely.

Really? He should at least know Russian and be willing to use that.

[Berkut]

Language super-ego is so funny.