0:00:11.979,0:00:14.071
My story starts in Moscow.

0:00:15.039,0:00:16.515
I was 15 years old.

0:00:17.329,0:00:20.240
My best friend and I, we were part[br]of a group of Westerners,

0:00:20.265,0:00:21.649
visiting the Soviet Union.

0:00:22.040,0:00:23.993
This was in 1987,

0:00:24.018,0:00:27.346
a few years before the fall[br]of the communist regime.

0:00:30.820,0:00:33.971
We were given an official tour guide[br]who was assigned to us.

0:00:34.001,0:00:36.368
And the tour would start in the morning,

0:00:36.393,0:00:39.027
and we were checked in[br]to our hotel rooms for the night.

0:00:39.653,0:00:44.218
My friend said to me,[br]''Let's go outside and look at the city.''

0:00:44.673,0:00:46.330
I thought it was a great idea.

0:00:46.340,0:00:47.532
Dumb idea.

0:00:47.781,0:00:52.781
So we grabbed our coats, and we snuck out[br]past security and into the street.

0:00:53.866,0:00:55.691
We found the entrance to the metro.

0:00:56.294,0:01:01.638
The Moscow underground transportation[br]system is the deepest one in the world.

0:01:02.034,0:01:04.232
The ride down the escalator[br]took a full minute.

0:01:05.569,0:01:08.712
Once we were down there,[br]my friend headed right to an open train,

0:01:08.722,0:01:10.753
and I pulled him back and said, "Wait!

0:01:11.160,0:01:14.624
Let's write down the name of the station[br]so we can find our way back."

0:01:14.634,0:01:16.833
So I had a notepad, and I took a notepad,

0:01:16.858,0:01:18.913
and I wrote down[br]the letters of the station,

0:01:19.365,0:01:22.250
and we hopped down the train[br]and went on train hopping.

0:01:22.506,0:01:24.218
And that was fun because -

0:01:24.247,0:01:26.058
Well, actually, it was weird.

0:01:26.078,0:01:29.654
There were a lot of people,[br]probably all coming home from work.

0:01:29.674,0:01:31.931
They were all dressed[br]in brown and gray clothes,

0:01:31.951,0:01:35.394
and it looked very, very different[br]from what we were used to at home.

0:01:35.404,0:01:37.040
But the stations were lovely.

0:01:37.065,0:01:41.251
There were stations with statues,[br]with paintings on the wall,

0:01:41.271,0:01:43.443
and glass displays.

0:01:43.473,0:01:44.934
It was really like museums.

0:01:45.984,0:01:47.672
We would never have expected that.

0:01:47.692,0:01:49.632
And everything was perfectly clean.

0:01:50.463,0:01:51.470
Well,

0:01:52.269,0:01:55.649
what was weird though is that the people -[br]nobody seemed to speak,

0:01:55.679,0:01:58.971
and everyone seemed to be looking at us[br]and it kind of weirded us out.

0:01:58.996,0:02:00.408
So after about 20-30 minutes,

0:02:00.433,0:02:02.487
we'd had enough[br]and we wanted to go home.

0:02:02.891,0:02:06.275
I showed my note to someone[br]and they directed me over there.

0:02:06.683,0:02:09.143
Then over there, I showed my note[br]to another person,

0:02:09.168,0:02:10.985
and they directed us to the other way.

0:02:11.009,0:02:13.716
And then a third person[br]directed us sideways.

0:02:14.203,0:02:15.553
That was a little confusing.

0:02:15.918,0:02:17.210
Aw, then I saw it.

0:02:17.235,0:02:18.968
Over the stairs, the sign.

0:02:19.426,0:02:22.396
It turned out I had written down[br]the Russian word for "Exit."

0:02:22.725,0:02:24.114
(Laughter)

0:02:27.169,0:02:30.861
So we headed upstairs and we found a taxi.

0:02:30.881,0:02:32.102
That was great.

0:02:32.122,0:02:34.964
And we told the driver,[br]you know, "Intourist Hotel,"

0:02:34.989,0:02:36.763
and then he was willing to take us.

0:02:36.788,0:02:40.906
And I remember sitting[br]next to the driver, handing him 50 rubles.

0:02:40.931,0:02:42.628
And he looked at me and he said,

0:02:42.653,0:02:44.077
(Russian) No, dollar!

0:02:44.612,0:02:45.865
(Laughter)

0:02:45.890,0:02:46.902
Fifty dollars?

0:02:46.927,0:02:49.802
That was like I don't know[br]20 times that amount or something.

0:02:49.961,0:02:51.441
That was not an option for us.

0:02:51.461,0:02:53.039
So we had to get out of the taxi,

0:02:53.046,0:02:55.666
and he drove away,[br]leaving us standing there.

0:02:56.194,0:02:57.445
It was a cold night,

0:02:57.706,0:03:00.051
and you know everything[br]was strange for us,

0:03:00.076,0:03:01.385
and we were teenagers,

0:03:01.573,0:03:03.987
and we were pretty nervous,[br]didn't know what to do.

0:03:04.017,0:03:05.274
Well, we started walking.

0:03:05.294,0:03:07.574
We walked to the end of the block.

0:03:08.157,0:03:09.215
We turned the corner.

0:03:09.585,0:03:12.865
And 200 yards in front of us,[br]the Intourist Hotel.

0:03:13.331,0:03:14.617
(Laughter)

0:03:16.055,0:03:18.933
Well, this experience[br]affected me in two ways.

0:03:19.336,0:03:24.369
The first is that anytime after this trip[br]that I would hear anyone speak Russian,

0:03:24.394,0:03:25.603
I was just cringe.

0:03:26.092,0:03:27.173
(Laughter)

0:03:27.198,0:03:29.958
And the second one is that[br]it taught me the importance

0:03:29.978,0:03:32.969
of understanding the local language[br]when you're traveling.

0:03:33.435,0:03:37.454
And it actually led to me learning[br]another four languages fluently

0:03:37.464,0:03:38.956
over the following years.

0:03:41.882,0:03:44.455
Now, before I go on,[br]I'd like to know in the audience -

0:03:44.494,0:03:47.336
Can we have a little bit of light[br]maybe in the audience?

0:03:47.366,0:03:49.097
I'd just like to know who's -

0:03:50.365,0:03:53.266
By a show of hands,[br]who is not a native English speaker?

0:03:55.739,0:03:57.505
It must be 99%.

0:03:57.530,0:03:59.340
(Laughter)

0:03:59.365,0:04:01.570
Anyone who doesn't speak[br]English, stand up!

0:04:01.582,0:04:03.623
(Laughter)

0:04:04.223,0:04:05.431
Alright, so I can assume

0:04:05.451,0:04:09.452
all of you have, you know, gone through[br]the process of learning a language.

0:04:09.804,0:04:12.085
Anybody who speaks[br]three or more languages?

0:04:13.497,0:04:16.220
Wow, that's maybe 70%.

0:04:16.750,0:04:18.589
Four or more languages, anyone?

0:04:19.940,0:04:21.567
That's still quite a bit.

0:04:21.675,0:04:23.690
Anyone speak five or more languages?

0:04:24.059,0:04:25.898
Wow, come see me during the break.

0:04:26.300,0:04:27.559
(Laughter)

0:04:28.430,0:04:30.836
To me, learning a language is...

0:04:30.861,0:04:35.017
For me, it's like a deck of playing cards[br]lying faced down on the table.

0:04:35.493,0:04:40.707
As you start learning and understanding,[br]the cards start opening up for you.

0:04:42.250,0:04:45.612
Now there's no standard way[br]of classifying this.

0:04:45.637,0:04:47.975
But as you learn,[br]you reach certain milestones.

0:04:48.000,0:04:51.549
And the first one would be[br]when about 25% of the cards are turned up,

0:04:51.574,0:04:53.169
you reach like a basic level.

0:04:53.184,0:04:57.683
At this level, you have a base[br]vocabulary, some grammar,

0:04:57.693,0:05:01.287
and you're able to have[br]maybe very simple conversations

0:05:01.317,0:05:03.004
and communicate a little bit.

0:05:03.281,0:05:08.629
And your study goes on until you reach[br]this magical point of fluency,

0:05:08.654,0:05:10.709
what we call being fluent in the language.

0:05:10.734,0:05:13.135
Now what does it mean,[br]being fluent in a language?

0:05:13.154,0:05:16.746
It means that you've turned up[br]more than 50% of the cards in the deck,

0:05:17.635,0:05:20.496
and that is the point where you have -

0:05:21.000,0:05:23.685
where the language[br]becomes part of your subconscious

0:05:23.710,0:05:27.020
so that even if you don't use it anymore[br]for 10 years or longer,

0:05:27.055,0:05:28.317
you will not forget it.

0:05:28.337,0:05:31.409
You can get back into it[br]within a very, very short time.

0:05:35.212,0:05:40.410
So this is a level where you're[br]comfortable thinking in a language,

0:05:41.120,0:05:43.572
and comfortable[br]communicating in a language.

0:05:43.941,0:05:47.759
Now, some people go on[br]and, you know, reach like a mastery level.

0:05:47.784,0:05:50.802
By that time, you know classic literature[br]in the other language

0:05:50.827,0:05:53.743
and have maybe in-depth knowledge[br]of specialized fields.

0:05:53.999,0:05:56.296
That's often the point taken in academia.

0:05:57.557,0:06:00.153
For me, when I learned[br]my first foreign language,

0:06:00.164,0:06:02.216
I had a head start

0:06:03.152,0:06:08.728
because I was born to a German-speaking[br]mother and an American father.

0:06:11.323,0:06:13.899
Now, when I was a baby,[br]I didn't really understand

0:06:13.919,0:06:17.352
that what my parents were speaking to me[br]were two separate languages.

0:06:17.377,0:06:20.699
But by the time I was two years old,[br]I had figured it all out.

0:06:22.540,0:06:24.246
Women speak only German.

0:06:24.271,0:06:25.455
(Laughter)

0:06:25.480,0:06:26.949
Men only speak English.

0:06:26.960,0:06:28.100
(Laughter)

0:06:28.132,0:06:32.383
Imagine the fun my parents had[br]when they introduced me to couples.

0:06:32.400,0:06:33.955
(Laughter)

0:06:35.899,0:06:42.020
Being a bilingual was actually pretty[br]helpful in learning my first language.

0:06:42.050,0:06:43.428
It definitely helped.

0:06:44.930,0:06:46.137
If you're -

0:06:48.040,0:06:50.027
But it also gave me something else.

0:06:50.230,0:06:54.516
It gave me two identities and the ability[br]to switch between them.

0:06:55.863,0:06:58.582
When you're a native speaker[br]of more than one language,

0:06:59.215,0:07:04.962
then your personality, your humor,[br]your value system,

0:07:04.982,0:07:07.165
they change as you switch languages.

0:07:09.666,0:07:11.297
This can have huge advantages.

0:07:11.734,0:07:16.798
I mean, some studies have shown[br]an increased problem-solving ability

0:07:16.838,0:07:19.552
or even a higher resistance[br]to Alzheimer's disease.

0:07:19.577,0:07:21.186
But what I'm almost interested in

0:07:21.211,0:07:24.804
is that it's actually given me[br]a lot of social benefits.

0:07:25.502,0:07:26.996
When you're a native speaker,

0:07:27.933,0:07:32.521
then you feel at home[br]among native speakers or in a culture,

0:07:32.859,0:07:36.025
and also native speakers[br]accept you as one of theirs.

0:07:38.102,0:07:40.983
Now is this only relevant[br]to native speakers?

0:07:42.163,0:07:43.543
And that's the big question.

0:07:44.029,0:07:45.425
But wouldn't it be cool

0:07:45.450,0:07:52.433
if a person learning a foreign language[br]could actually develop another identity

0:07:52.458,0:07:57.260
and actually enjoy the social benefits[br]of a native speaker

0:07:58.641,0:08:00.930
that go beyond communication skills?

0:08:02.101,0:08:03.944
Well, that's what happened to me.

0:08:03.961,0:08:05.230
I was able to do that,

0:08:05.250,0:08:10.079
and I want to show you from my experience[br]how I think this can be achieved.

0:08:11.814,0:08:15.155
So if we say this green area here[br]is the level of the native speaker,

0:08:15.458,0:08:19.432
the first thing to note is[br]that on your way to reaching fluency,

0:08:19.457,0:08:21.101
there is not really any shortcut.

0:08:22.228,0:08:25.491
There are some methods that you can use[br]such as the Burrito Principle

0:08:25.516,0:08:30.721
where you identify 20%[br]of the most effective materials to study.

0:08:30.972,0:08:33.808
There are some apps,[br]like stuff for time-spaced learning,

0:08:33.833,0:08:35.830
that increase vocabulary retention.

0:08:35.853,0:08:37.052
They save a little time,

0:08:37.077,0:08:40.993
but in the end, there's no way around[br]working with the material, practicing it,

0:08:41.018,0:08:43.100
until you reach the fluency level.

0:08:44.539,0:08:45.929
But the second thing to note

0:08:45.949,0:08:50.014
is that going from fluency to mastery[br]is a much slower process,

0:08:50.044,0:08:53.378
and it requires[br]proportionally more effort.

0:08:53.837,0:08:56.582
That's why most people -[br]they just stop at fluency.

0:08:57.083,0:08:59.349
They know how to speak[br]English, good enough,

0:09:00.838,0:09:03.321
and they don't even attempt to venture on,

0:09:03.346,0:09:04.692
and I can understand it.

0:09:04.712,0:09:06.009
But the good news is,

0:09:06.462,0:09:10.972
to get the benefits of a native speaker,[br]at a native-speaker level,

0:09:12.234,0:09:16.666
you don't have to go through mastery[br]in the academic sense.

0:09:16.685,0:09:18.875
In fact, you can skip[br]this step altogether.

0:09:22.858,0:09:25.283
So if you think about it,

0:09:25.305,0:09:28.392
there are many native speakers[br]do not have an in-depth knowledge

0:09:28.417,0:09:30.805
of specialized fields[br]or sophisticated vocabulary.

0:09:31.043,0:09:33.002
So, that's not really what is required.

0:09:33.751,0:09:35.680
So how do you do it? What is required?

0:09:35.690,0:09:36.817
Well,

0:09:37.237,0:09:41.667
I want to give you three areas to focus on

0:09:41.687,0:09:44.679
when you're learning[br]and interacting with native speakers.

0:09:45.402,0:09:49.818
The first is: work[br]on eliminating your accent.

0:09:50.047,0:09:51.739
I'm aware I said eliminating.

0:09:52.390,0:09:54.601
It should be at least minimizing it.

0:09:55.310,0:09:58.702
This is, in my opinion,[br]the most overlooked aspect

0:09:58.722,0:10:00.662
of language learning today,

0:10:00.682,0:10:03.291
but it's also the most important one

0:10:03.791,0:10:08.437
to reach what I call a native-speaker[br]level or a speaker-like level.

0:10:10.978,0:10:14.412
If you communicate without an accent[br]or almost without an accent,

0:10:14.437,0:10:17.467
this changes how natives behave[br]towards you unconsciously,

0:10:17.706,0:10:21.853
and it also gives you an ability[br]to adapt to a new self-image.

0:10:23.650,0:10:25.226
The best way that I've found -

0:10:25.640,0:10:28.937
the best exercise I've found[br]to improve your pronunciation

0:10:28.962,0:10:31.107
is what I call the[br]perfect-sentence technique.

0:10:32.129,0:10:34.613
What you do is you find[br]a native speaker to help you,

0:10:35.291,0:10:37.611
and you take a book[br]in the foreign language,

0:10:37.636,0:10:39.261
you open it at a random page,

0:10:39.286,0:10:41.189
and you read the first sentence.

0:10:41.785,0:10:43.960
Then, you ask a native speaker to rate you

0:10:44.416,0:10:49.101
on obvious accent,[br]slight accent, no accent.

0:10:50.071,0:10:53.800
Then the native speaker[br]will read this sentence back to you.

0:10:56.383,0:10:59.896
You have to listen carefully[br]and then you repeat.

0:10:59.916,0:11:03.866
And you repeat this process over and over[br]until the native speaker tells you

0:11:03.886,0:11:07.010
that he can no longer hear an accent[br]when you read the sentence.

0:11:07.035,0:11:09.282
Now, I realize it can take[br]a very long time

0:11:09.302,0:11:11.792
even just to get one sentence right.

0:11:11.812,0:11:12.853
But I promise you

0:11:12.878,0:11:16.528
if you are persistent,[br]and if you patiently work on this,

0:11:17.311,0:11:19.556
you'll be amazed[br]by what happens to your accent.

0:11:21.769,0:11:28.388
The second area to focus on is using verbs[br]and expressions that locals use.

0:11:29.830,0:11:34.582
Now, we all know the situation[br]that vocabulary can be region-specific.

0:11:34.981,0:11:37.211
Like, in the US, you use "stand in line."

0:11:37.236,0:11:38.424
In the UK, you "queue."

0:11:39.508,0:11:40.901
That's all good.

0:11:40.926,0:11:45.279
But sometimes,[br]the spoken word is so different,

0:11:45.296,0:11:48.283
the speech is so different[br]from what you get in textbooks,

0:11:48.303,0:11:51.892
that the books are almost useless[br]if you want to converse with natives.

0:11:52.754,0:11:54.527
I want to give you an example.

0:11:54.545,0:11:58.245
In the French language,[br]there are words like "le travail,"

0:11:58.665,0:12:00.078
which is "my work."

0:12:01.142,0:12:04.524
A French person talking to his friend[br]would probably say "mon boulot,"

0:12:04.549,0:12:06.317
which is a completely different word.

0:12:06.342,0:12:08.365
The same for "the clothes,"[br]"le vestments,"

0:12:08.375,0:12:10.133
but you'll hear "le fringues."

0:12:10.158,0:12:12.894
Or money is "l'argent,"

0:12:13.274,0:12:18.305
but people say "le fric," "le sou,"[br]or many other expressions for this.

0:12:18.733,0:12:22.481
So, obviously I'm only scratching[br]the surface here.

0:12:22.506,0:12:29.440
But here you actually have to learn all[br]of these words and expressions one by one.

0:12:29.453,0:12:32.533
And of course, you have to interact[br]with natives to do that.

0:12:33.168,0:12:36.374
But after you reach a critical mass[br]that you're comfortable with,

0:12:37.694,0:12:40.506
it'll actually be easier[br]when you encounter something new.

0:12:40.531,0:12:43.632
You'll just pick it up in one go,[br]like native speakers would,

0:12:43.642,0:12:47.088
who hear words or expressions[br]that they didn't know before.

0:12:48.127,0:12:53.456
The third area to work on[br]is adopting cultural traits.

0:12:53.640,0:12:55.035
What do I mean by that?

0:12:55.999,0:12:57.418
So let me ask you:

0:12:57.438,0:12:59.796
what does this gesture mean to you?

0:13:01.056,0:13:02.344
Any Italians here?

0:13:02.411,0:13:03.465
(Laughter)

0:13:03.740,0:13:06.392
OK, now, depending[br]on what culture you're from,

0:13:06.417,0:13:08.154
this could mean something rude,

0:13:08.471,0:13:10.985
or it could just mean[br]it's something incredulous,

0:13:11.005,0:13:12.786
like, "Why did you do that?"

0:13:12.811,0:13:14.807
Or, "How could you?"

0:13:14.817,0:13:17.455
Or it could just be[br]signaling food, "Give me food!"

0:13:18.271,0:13:19.309
Interesting!

0:13:19.334,0:13:20.394
In the Middle East,

0:13:20.427,0:13:23.332
this is just a standard way[br]of signaling "Please, wait!"

0:13:25.350,0:13:28.106
So these kind of traits[br]you have to internalize,

0:13:28.126,0:13:30.921
and sometimes, they're hard to spot,

0:13:30.938,0:13:32.938
and it takes a lot of active listening.

0:13:32.952,0:13:34.810
I want to give you a few more examples.

0:13:34.830,0:13:40.021
So imagine I am with three of my friends:[br]an American, a German, and a Frenchman.

0:13:40.283,0:13:43.407
And, like, we're walking and maybe[br]the American bumps his head,

0:13:43.751,0:13:45.904
and his initial reaction might be, "Ouch!"

0:13:46.774,0:13:48.356
That's how you say it in English.

0:13:48.569,0:13:51.959
But the German that, you know,[br]gets, I don't know, elbowed in the crowd,

0:13:51.984,0:13:53.286
he would say, "Ow-ah!"

0:13:53.316,0:13:54.616
(Laughter)

0:13:54.647,0:13:58.117
And the French person[br]might step on the nail and say, "Ay!"

0:13:58.870,0:14:00.128
(Laughter)

0:14:00.481,0:14:02.692
So this, of course,[br]in your target language,

0:14:02.717,0:14:05.636
this is something you[br]have to observe and also internalize,

0:14:05.661,0:14:07.260
and it has to become part of you.

0:14:08.306,0:14:09.377
If...

0:14:10.214,0:14:12.832
Again I'm with these three friends,[br]and I sit with them,

0:14:12.842,0:14:14.335
and let's say I serve them tea,

0:14:14.355,0:14:18.520
and I ask the American,[br]"Would you like a biscuit with your tea?"

0:14:18.531,0:14:21.477
And if he answers in the affirmative,[br]he might say, "Uh-huh!"

0:14:22.040,0:14:24.765
And I can ask the German,[br]"Do you know what tea this is?"

0:14:24.790,0:14:25.901
He'll say, ''Mm- hmm!''

0:14:27.215,0:14:30.943
And then I ask the Frenchman,[br]"Do you like this?"

0:14:30.968,0:14:31.975
He'll say, "Hmm!"

0:14:32.000,0:14:33.140
(Laughter)

0:14:33.160,0:14:37.713
So these difference,[br]they really require active listening.

0:14:39.062,0:14:42.591
So all of these three things[br]that I told you

0:14:42.611,0:14:44.061
which is pronunciation,

0:14:46.189,0:14:49.697
and colloquial speech[br]and adopting cultural traits,

0:14:50.453,0:14:54.994
they all require that you interact[br]with natives as much as possible.

0:14:55.486,0:14:58.454
Ideally, you should[br]fully immerse yourself in the culture.

0:14:58.530,0:15:02.022
Now if you have the chance to live abroad[br]for a while, that will be great.

0:15:02.047,0:15:04.598
Or maybe live among natives[br]in your hometown.

0:15:04.974,0:15:07.388
Perhaps just have a romantic relationship,

0:15:07.421,0:15:10.970
or even just spend time,[br]you know, with co-workers.

0:15:10.995,0:15:13.998
So, romantic relationships,[br]I could do a whole talk about that.

0:15:14.023,0:15:15.023
(Laughter)

0:15:15.042,0:15:18.412
That works really well for these things.

0:15:18.442,0:15:19.906
But yeah -

0:15:19.926,0:15:22.676
So this will be different[br]for everybody, of course.

0:15:25.046,0:15:28.578
But even when you're not around natives,[br]your learning must not stop.

0:15:29.459,0:15:32.601
Because what you can do[br]is you can watch TV shows and films,

0:15:32.626,0:15:34.211
you can mimic the characters,

0:15:34.229,0:15:37.010
you can write down anything[br]that you haven't heard of before,

0:15:37.032,0:15:39.150
and practice that.

0:15:39.697,0:15:44.297
I also want to encourage you[br]to learn the lyrics of songs.

0:15:44.322,0:15:46.694
Songs are really great[br]because they tell stories.

0:15:46.714,0:15:50.812
And they not only help your[br]pronunciation when you sing them,

0:15:50.822,0:15:52.653
but if they're emotional,

0:15:52.673,0:15:55.620
they can anchor these expressions[br]into your active vocabulary.

0:15:55.650,0:15:59.367
And it's like speaking all day and really[br]using the expressions unconsciously.

0:15:59.377,0:16:00.379
It's a great way.

0:16:00.409,0:16:01.856
So music, definitely.

0:16:02.477,0:16:06.561
The other thing you need[br]to move towards native-speaker status

0:16:06.586,0:16:08.508
is the right mindset,

0:16:09.261,0:16:13.080
and a belief that[br]if you sound like a native,

0:16:13.092,0:16:14.819
express yourself like a native,

0:16:14.844,0:16:16.992
talk like a native and act like a native,

0:16:17.473,0:16:20.876
you'll actually achieve[br]a native-like level.

0:16:24.381,0:16:28.243
So if I could only leave you[br]with one thing today,

0:16:28.268,0:16:30.920
it would be: work on your pronunciation.

0:16:30.945,0:16:32.857
Because pronunciation

0:16:34.946,0:16:37.536
helps any stage of the learning process,

0:16:37.556,0:16:38.884
even in the very beginning.

0:16:38.904,0:16:40.279
It'll speed up everything.

0:16:40.764,0:16:45.955
And it also is the key[br]to reaching a native-speaker level,

0:16:46.421,0:16:48.780
or almost-native-speaker status.

0:16:49.628,0:16:51.417
So before I go,

0:16:51.437,0:16:56.281
I'd like to tell you how I was able to[br]overcome my fear of the Russian language.

0:16:56.894,0:16:59.385
It was a very, very elegant solution.

0:16:59.884,0:17:01.388
I married a Russian girl.

0:17:01.413,0:17:02.515
(Laughter)

0:17:02.538,0:17:05.999
And I now have little kids in my home[br]that speak Russian to me every day.

0:17:06.023,0:17:07.055
(Laughter)

0:17:07.844,0:17:09.483
So I want to thank you.

0:17:09.508,0:17:10.508
(Applause)

0:17:10.532,0:17:13.388
And before I go, I just want to wish you

0:17:13.418,0:17:16.304
(Spanish) A lot of success[br]with your language studies.

0:17:16.462,0:17:19.550
(French) It was a pleasure[br]to present for you today.

0:17:20.064,0:17:22.887
(Hebrew) I wish you lots of success[br]with your studies.

0:17:23.641,0:17:25.313
(Yiddish) Thank you for listening.

0:17:25.338,0:17:26.646
Good luck to you all and...

0:17:26.672,0:17:27.924
(Russian) Thank you.

0:17:27.948,0:17:30.440
(Applause)