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Submission grappling savant Mikey Musumeci always did things his own way, and that includes learning a new language.
Musumeci, during his interview with the Joe Rogan Experience, revealed that he became a fluent speaker of Portuguese thanks in no small part to Google Translate.
He said that practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu meant that he was always in the company of Brazilians. While he tried to converse with his gym-mates in the language, Musumeci complemented it by using Google Translate.
Mikey Musumeci said:
“So I was around Brazilians my whole life. So I just use Google Translate for so many years that I learned Portuguese that way. No one ever taught me. Just using Google Translate. And then Brazilians are always correcting me when I made mistakes.”
The five-time BJJ world champion was too in touch with the language that he even became familiar with the regional slang used in different parts of Brazil.
“So I even know like the slangs of the different parts of Brazil, because I would just talk in Portuguese on my phone like all day with Brazilians. Just over time, you just keep using it. You start seeing the words and you start remembering the words.”
Despite having no formal training whatsoever in the language, Musumeci said he’s almost as comfortable speaking Portuguese as his native English.
Getting an alter ego was an effect for Mikey Musumeci’s language self-study
There was always the perception that people would act differently when they spoke in another language, and Mikey Musumeci used this to his advantage.
Musumeci recalled a time when, as a kid, he would talk to referees in his broken Portuguese and try to get any advantage he would get. What he didn’t expect, though, was the officials’ disappointment when they find out he wasn’t actually a fluent speaker.
“I knew some words as a kid, you know. And then I would for fun, try to pretend I was Brazilian at like tournaments, like with the refs. It would help if you're Brazilian with the refs, right? So I would go in as an undercover spy, I would go up to the refs, and say something in Portuguese. I didn't know any words, and the ref would think I'm Brazilian. So I'd finish the tournament, and then the ref would come up and talk to me. I wouldn't know what he's saying. And then he would look at me with betrayal.”
Nevertheless, the ONE Championship grappler has fallen in love with the Portuguese language and it has since become his second tongue.
“It's more emotional. Like, I feel like in Portuguese, I'm almost a different person than in English. Like, it's all feeling based you know, I'm more confrontational in Portuguese. I'm a whole different personality. It's weird.”
