Posted on 08/26/2008 9:43:27 AM PDT by DemonDeac
"The LPGA will require its member golfers to learn and speak English and will suspend their membership if they don't comply, Golfweek reported on its Web site.
According to the report, the new requirement was communicated to the tour's growing South Korean membership in a mandatory meeting at the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 20."
"Betsy Clark, the LPGA's vice president of professional development, said a team of evaluators will assess players on communication skills including conversation, everyday survival phrases and "golfspeak." Players must be able to conduct interviews and give acceptance speeches without the help of a translator, she said, according to the report."
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
I like it.
A private organization passing internal rules standardizing on a language.
It makes sense to me.
Good on the LPGA. I wonder if the PGA will follow suit. There are a few Card holders that need a translator.
The LPGA tour is sagging. The influx of Korean women
has not helped.
The way things are going I think the LPGA should actually make Korean the official language. Apparently golf must be emphasized a little more strongly in Korea than here.
How about caddies?
Good move - how long until the lawyers show up?
As far as I can tell most S. Koreans embrace anything that’s good about Western society with gusto.
That would require them to be exceptional linguists.
B) There's a number of sports that might have trouble with the same rule -- remember Garo "I keek a touchdown" Ypremian, the Armenian place-kicker; some of the Russian hockey imports after the fall of Comunism; and , some would say, even David Beckham, who doesn't really speak intelligible English??
I wonder how much this has to do with the fact that the Koreans gals were getting most of the prize money!
It’s not the cardholders it’s aimed at, it’s those on the leaderboard. Everybody on the PGA leaderboard can interview in English.
The LPGA is trying to make a connection between the Korean leaders and the American audience.
This has got to be the post of the day!
Cunning.
It doesn’t matter that it is a private organization. The ACLU will be all over this like white on rice.
Five time Tour winner KJ Choi needs a translator.
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