The last few days I have been watching the live webcast of the Nike Lowers Pro - one of the biggest surf competitions of the year taking place in San Clemente, CA. At the end of each heat the winner is interviewed on the beach. Many of the heat winners of this event have been from Brazil so they give interviews in English then address their fans in Portuguese. It's forgivable that some of these young gents may not speak the best English and appear less than articulate. It happens all the time with anyone who has learned a new language (See: me in France last year).
However, one young man stands out as particularly lacking of intellect in spite of his athletic brilliance (I met this young guy in France last year, as it turns out, and he was one of the nicest pros I have encountered). While he did not sound too bright in English I noticed that his simpleness came across just as clearly in Portuguese. I know little (i.e. no) Portuguese; the cues were couched in his tone, mid-word chuckles, and facial movement.
I was fascinated. How does this "translate" to those speaking our own language? Is it possible to appear smart without actually being smart? This could explain the master bullshitter/ scam artist. Do other people who are actually smart appear dumb because of their inability to portray the preferred non-verbal cues? The inability accurately display one's intellect could be a huge barrier to opportunity.
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