Jay Walker on the world's English mania

Translator: Ingrid Lezar Reviewer: Christo Crafford

Let's talk about manias.

Kom ons praat oor manie.

Let's start with Beatlemania.

Kom ons begin met Beatlemanie.

(Recording of crowd roaring)

(Opname van skreeuende gehoor)

Hysterical teenagers,

Histeriese tieners,

crying, screaming, pandemonium.

huilend, gillend, pandemonium.

(Recording of crowd roaring)

(Opname van skreeuende gehoor)

Sports mania:

Sportmanie:

deafening crowds,

oorverdowende skares.

all for one idea -- get the ball in the net.

Alles vir een idee -- kry die bal in die net.

(Recording) Goal!

(Opname) Doel!

Okay, religious mania:

Goed, geloofsmanie:

there's rapture, there's weeping,

daar's verrukking, trane word gestort,

there's visions.

daar's die sien van gesigte.

Manias can be good.

’n Manie kan goed wees.

Manias can be alarming.

’n Manie kan kommerwekkend wees.

Or manias can be deadly.

Of ’n manie kan dodelik wees.

(Recording of crowd cheering)

(Opname van juigende gehoor)

The world has a new mania.

Die wêreld het ’n nuwe manie.

A mania for learning English.

’n Manie om Engels te leer.

Listen as Chinese students practice their English,

Luister hoe Sjinese studente hulle Engels oefen

by screaming it:

deur dit uit te skree.

Teacher: ... change my life!

Onderwyser: ... change my life!

Students: I want to change my life!

Studente: Ek wil my lewe verander!

T: I don't want to let my parents down!

O: I don't want to let my parents down!

S: I don't want to let my parents down!

S: Ek wil nie my ouers in die steek laat nie!

T: I don't ever want to let my country down!

O: I don't ever want to let my country down!

S: I don't ever want to let my country down!

S: Ek wil nooit my land in die steek laat nie!

T: Most importantly... S: Most importantly...

O: Most importantly ... S: Belangrikste van als ...

T: I don't want to let myself down!

O: I don't want to let myself down!

S: I don't want to let myself down!

S: Ek wil nie myself in die steek laat nie!

How many people are trying to learn English worldwide?

JW: Hoeveel mense wêreldwyd probeer tans Engels leer?

Two billion of them.

Twee miljard van hulle.

Students: A t-shirt. A dress.

Studente: A T-shirt. A dress.

Jay Walker: In Latin America,

JW: In Latyns-Amerika,

in India,

in Indië,

in Southeast Asia,

in Suidoos-Asië

and most of all, in China.

en, meeste van almal, in Sjina.

If you're a Chinese student,

As jy ’n Sjinese leerder is

you start learning English in the third grade, by law.

begin jy Engels in graad drie leer, volgens wet.

That's why this year,

Dis hoekom Sjina

China will become the world's largest English-speaking country.

hierdie jaar die wêreld se grootste Engelssprekende land sal word.

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

Why English?

Hoekom Engels?

In a single word: opportunity.

In een woord: geleenthede.

Opportunity for a better life, a job,

Die geleentheid op ’n beter lewe, ’n beroep,

to be able to pay for school, or put better food on the table.

om vir skool te kan betaal, om beter kos op die tafel te kan sit.

Imagine a student taking a giant test for three full days.

Dink julle in: ’n student wat ’n reuse toets skryf vir drie volle dae.

Her score on this one test literally determines her future.

Haar uitslag op hierdie een toets bepaal letterlik haar toekoms.

She studies 12 hours a day

Sy swot 12 ure ’n dag

for three years to prepare.

vir drie jaar om voor te berei.

Twenty-five percent of her grade is based on English.

Vyf-en-twintig persent van haar finale punt is op Engels gebaseer.

It's called the gaokao, and 80 million high school Chinese students

Dit word gaokao genoem en 80 miljoen Sjinese hoërskool leerders

have already taken this grueling test.

het reeds dié veeleisende toets afgelê.

The intensity to learn English

Die intensiteit om Engels te leer

is almost unimaginable, unless you witness it.

is amper ondenkbaar, tensy jy dit aanskou.

Teacher: Perfect! Students: Perfect!

Onderwyser: Perfect! Studente: Perfek!

T: Perfect! S: Perfect!

O: Perfect! S: Perfek!

T: I want to speak perfect English!

O: I want to speak perfect English!

S: I want to speak perfect English!

S: Ek wil perfekte Engels praat!

T: I want to speak ... S: I want to speak ...

O: I want to speak ... S: Ek wil ...

T: ... perfect English! S: ... perfect English!

O: ... perfect English. S: ... perfekte Engels praat.

T (yelling more loudly): I want to change my life!

O (gil harder): I want to change my life!

S (yelling more loudly): I want to change my life!

S (gil harder): Ek wil my lewe verander!

JW: So is English mania good or bad?

JW: So is Engelsmanie goed of sleg?

Is English a tsunami, washing away other languages?

Is Engels ’n tsunami wat ander tale wegspoel?

Not likely.

Onwaarskynlik.

English is the world's second language.

Engels is die wêreld se tweede taal.

Your native language is your life.

Jou moedertaal is jou lewe.

But with English you can become part of a wider conversation --

Maar met Engels kan jy deel word van ’n wyer gesprek --

a global conversation about global problems,

’n globale gesprek oor globale probleme,

like climate change or poverty,

soos klimaatsverandering of armoede,

or hunger or disease.

of hongersnood of siekte.

The world has other universal languages.

Die wêreld het ander universele tale.

Mathematics is the language of science.

Wiskunde is die taal van wetenskap.

Music is the language of emotions.

Musiek is die taal van emosies.

And now English is becoming the language of problem-solving.

En Engels word nou die taal van probleemoplossing.

Not because America is pushing it,

Nie omdat Amerika dit stoot nie,

but because the world is pulling it.

maar omdat die wêreld dit trek.

So English mania is a turning point.

So Engelsmanie is ’n keerpunt.

Like the harnessing of electricity in our cities,

Soos die inspan van elektrisiteit in ons stede,

or the fall of the Berlin Wall,

of die val van die Berlynse muur,

English represents hope

verteenwoordig Engels hoop

for a better future --

op ’n beter toekoms --

a future where the world has a common language

’n toekoms waar die wêreld ’n gemene taal het

to solve its common problems.

om ons gemene probleme op te los.

Thank you very much.

Baie dankie.

(Applause)

(Applous)