Obama Impresses State Dept. Staff With His Indonesian (VIDEO)

Barack Obama put on a bilingual display today while visiting the State Department. Obama, who lived in Indonesia from 1967 to 1971, until the age of ten, broke into Indonesian after being greeted by a State Dept. staffer in the language.

ABC News has more details:

As President Obama worked the rope-line at the State Department Thursday, a State Department staffer named Charles Silver, knowing the President once lived in Indonesia, shouted out, "good afternoon" in the local language.

Obama responded back in what Silver later told ABC News was "very good" Bahasa Indonesian. The two then chatted briefly about the neighborhood Obama once lived in.

Video via MSNBC:

Comments

[KillBillV2]

I think knowing other languages is a great thing, I'm studying different languages as well.

[HASSASSIN]

really? like what?

[KillBillV2]

Such as Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Esperanto, French, and like I said I know some Bahasa Indonesian and Russian.

[soulsangels]

piglatin so I can understand what Sarah Palin is yakin bout.

[whrsdfyr]

Ich lerne Deutsch!!!

[whrsdfyr]

I think you should have clicked Clausura's reply button, then your comment would have made sense.

[KillBillV2]

Who?

[DemVet]

Even saying a few words, such as hello, thank you, in the native language of the person with whom you are speaking denotes respect.
I don't recall the details; but does anyone recall the scorn that bush showed an American reporter who dared to address in French an official from France?

[Veeve]

That was David Gregory. Gregory went to a prep school in France, although his family is from California.

[vjoseph]

So that's why he spoke French on Colbert Report

[hialoha]

Funny, heavy sarcasm and put downs is a language I don't hear him speaking

[Realtor n VA]

Well, isn't that quite a change?? An intelligent and cultured President!!!

[WorldGoneWild]

You took the words right out of my mouth! ROFLOL!

[AliMB]

Okay, I know everyone on here in enamored with the president, but he does not speak working-level Bahasa... he lived in Indonesia for 4 years and he didn't learn the language very well. Bush might speak Spanish as good as Obama does Bahasa. The title of the ABC article that the President “dazzled the state department with his Indonesian” is a farce... they may have been dazzled by the president appearing and shaking hands on the rope line, but I doubt it was because of his language skill. Maybe some of the staffers were impressed, but an FSO knows that Obama's language skill would only be enough to exchange pleasantries and not anything higher.

[MaximMaximus]

Language skill? Where have you learned English I wonder? In a manger?

[AliMB]

please elaborate...

[AliMB]

excuse me, language skills...

[SiberianRat]

How on earth are you qualified to assess his Indonesian skills?

[AliMB]

listen to what the President's teacher in Indonesia has to say about Mr. Obama's Indonesian skills as a child... if it was bad then, it could only be worse know given that he left the country at the age of 10

http://old.thejakartapost.com/weekender/6reporter.asp

[AmericCanuck]

My brother just got back from Italy after only 2 years. All 5 of his children new speak fluent Italian.

Exactly what is your point?

[AliMB]

I doubt they speak fluent Italian after two years (particularly since they are children and their vocabulary would be elementary), but giving you the benefit of the doubt, if those children were to stay away from Italy for almost 40 years, there language skills in said language would regress greatly. In the case of Mr. Obama, apparently he struggled with the language as a child, meaning that his contemporary Bahasa is likely only basic phrases

http://old.thejakartapost.com/weekender/6reporter.asp

[Ajipon]

First of all, let me say that I'm an Indonesian, and that I'm really a big fan of Obama.
But AliMB is right. What little he had spoken was only "Thank you" and "How are you." That's it. It's as if I speak "Gracias" and "Como estas" and then somehow my Spanish skills bedazzles everyone. I will have to wait until he comes here to Indonesia and start talking Indonesian in complete sentences, THEN I would be impressed!
There's another word he mentioned: "Menteng." That's the name of a neighborhood in Jakarta. It's just funny that the word "Menteng" would ever be uttered by the President of the United States.

[AmandaBC]

"It's as if I speak "Gracias" and "Como estas" and then somehow my Spanish skills bedazzles everyone."

The MSM tried to make Americans believe Dubya could actually speak more than 3 words of Spanish. Until former Mexican President Fox revealed the unpleasant truth... ;)

[THE JEDI 69]

He speak's english....Indonesian, and hawaiian(yes they have their one)

[blueskybigstar]

He says he is rusty at Spanish.

[seasun]

I heard speak Spanish on Univision, and it's pretty good. The hosts of the program I heard him on were all impressed at how good his Spanish sounded.

[hialoha]

No foget da Pidgeon kine Hawaiian too. Pono da Bruddah.

[THE JEDI 69]

I can throw down some Nihon lingo.....Obama is the man period.....America is so back till it aint even funny

[Takae]

日本人ですか。 :)

[liberal-elite]

Nice to have a smart, intellectual president who places pride in diversity and multiculturalism.

[SiberianRat]

For sure--his family is a microcosm of the planet!

[AmandaBC]

That's a huge improvement over pathetic knowledge of his own language plus three words of Spanish...

[KillBillV2]

Huh??

[mograph]

I think Amanda was referring to Dubya.

[cjk002]

He was talking about Da Shrub....

[blueskybigstar]

What are you talking about?

[AmandaBC]

GWB...

[yvonne61]

TELL ME MR. PRESIDENT DON'T HAVE IT GOING ON HE VERY SMART. INTELLIGENT . I BELIEVE HE WILL SURPRISE EVERYONE.

[niesioa]

You know it!

[shengirl]

Wow, he can speak two languages! B could barely speak one...

[helenwheels]

I think he speaks several, he did a campaign ad in Spanish that sounded amazing.

[spiffarino]

Sounded amazing to somebody who doesn't speak Spanish, maybe.

[veteran1964]

Bush was great in piglatin....His use of the English language was another language for sure.

[aOsO]

This guy never ceases to amaze me, imagine how much good it would do our country if the President went to a Muslim country and delivered a speech using their language. Obama has the potential to be one of the greats.

[KillBillV2]

I speak a little Bahasa Indonesian myself,...Selamat sore Bapak. Obama!

[KillBillV2]

That's hawt!

[BabsfromKansas]

"If I go to Ja.karta and address the largest M.uslim country on earth, I can say, 'Apa kabar,' -- you know, 'How are you doing?' -- and they can recognize that I understand their common humanity," Obama said
"That is a strength,and it allows me to say things to them that other presidents might not be able to say. And that's part of what's promising, I think, about this presidency."

WOW - It just keeps getting better!!