Sức mạnh của ngôn ngữ

như Trevor Noah, biết 8 thứ tiếng, ko bị cướp giữa đêm khuya,

trở thành diễn viên hài, chuyển đến Los Angeles, là host của the Daily Show, thu nhập 16 triệu đô la/năm...

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SPEAK UP

by Dave Trott

Trevor Noah could hear the three black guys following him talking about mugging (bóp cổ (từ sau lưng để cướp)) him.

He knew this because he spoke their language, Xhosa.

As they got closer, he turned round and spoke to them in Xhosa.

He said, “Hey guys, if you’re looking for someone to mug I saw a white guy up the street.”

They stopped, shocked, they hadn’t expected that.

Trevor Noah had a black mum and a white dad, he was mixed race and lighter skinned, that was why the black guys thought he was an easy target.

When he spoke to them in their language all their animosity (thù oán, hận thù) evaporated (bốc hơi).

They said, in Xhosa, “Hey, sorry man, we didn’t know you were one of us.”

He replied, in Xhosa, “No problem guys, do you need help mugging white guys?”

They laughed and said, no they were doing fine, and they parted on friendly terms.

Trevor Noah says he learned how to make friends growing up in South Africa, the secret (bí mật) is language, people identify (xác định danh tính) with their own language above everything.

Trevor’s mother made him learn to speak correct English, from his father he learned German, and from South Africa’s rulers he learned Afrikaans.

But what gave him real fluidity was the language he learned in the street.

Each of the Black groups had their own language: 11 million people spoke Xhosa, 12 million spoke Zulu, 8 million spoke Tswana, 7 million spoke Sotho, and 4 million spoke Tsonga.

In all, he could speak 8 languages, which made him able to connect with anyone.

He grew up in the time of Apartheid, South Africa was divided into four racial groups: White, Black, Coloured, and Indian.

Inter-racial marriage was illegal, which is the title of his autobiography: Born A Crime.

He didn’t fit into any of the racial groups, but he preferred the company of Blacks, so he learned all the different Black languages.

Looking at him, Blacks were initially suspicious (đáng nghi, khả nghi), but once he spoke to them in their language they accepted him immediately, all other differences disappeared.

Trevor Noah later became a comedian, he appeared onstage in London and New York.

Eventually he moved to LA and became host of The Daily Show, earning $16 million a year.

All because he learned that language is the secret of connecting with people.

He says that he learned language, not race, is what makes us identify with each other.

And this is the pattern that guided his life... 

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