Independent badminton player Kisona Selvaduray (கிசோனா செல்வதுரை) has always been a fan favourite for her skills on the court, but it seems her language skills aren’t anything to scoff at either. Netizens were understandably amazed and proud after hearing her use Mandarin recently!
Languages can be hard to learn, even if you’ve lived your whole life listening to it. Well, Kisona Selvaduray recently left many impressed after she was heard speaking Mandarin with her coach during the World Championships in Copenhagen.
On 22nd August, a clip of Kisona speaking to her coach and brother during her match against Taiwan’s Pai Yu Po went viral as they were overheard discussing tactics in a mix of Mandarin, BM, English, and Tamil. He was apparently advising Kisona on her game with the 25-year-old clarifying strategies, albeit softer than her brother.
“(It’s) mixed with Malay, (and) a little English,” the caption read, referring to their conversation. “This is what makes Malaysia a diverse country.” The netizen added that they felt the way the two siblings were speaking Mandarin was “cute“. Others were quick to agree, with one commenting it is “truly Malaysian” to do so, while another said: “(I) like hearing them (speak) Mandarin.”
However, there were some doubts as to whether Kisona and her coach were truly the ones speaking. “It’s not that I don’t believe they can speak Chinese,” one admitted. “But the accent is too authentic! It seems like a dub, (like) the voices were added later, but it seems to (match) their lip (movement).”
Well, most in Malaysia are usually able to speak at least two languages, but it’s still amazing to hear people use a language that isn’t their mother tongue or the national language. Kisona herself is reportedly fluent in four languages, which she certainly proved in her discussion with her brother.
The duo likely did it out of familiarity, but some netizens joked they were doing it to confuse Kisona’s opponents and throw them off their game. Regretfully, Kisona ended up losing the match, but fans were still impressed by her strength and dedication.
Watch the clips here:
What is Malaysia?
This 👇🏻🫡 pic.twitter.com/wLN5XU2gOW
— Z 🇲🇾💎 (@theone_xyz2) August 21, 2023
