As a fluent English speaker in a country where that is decidedly not the norm, I was dreading a boring lesson.

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In particular, Kuroda is a fluent English speaker and, after eight years at the helm of the Manila-based ADB, may be seen as a more effective ambassador for policies that have already caused friction among Japan's trading partners.

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The fluent English-speaker has spent the last eight years helping British and American troops speak to their Afghan allies, risking his life on patrol in Helmand, and working side by side with British soldiers.

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Pansieri, a fluent speaker of English, German, French, Spanish and Chinese, in addition to her native Italian, holds doctorate degrees in philosophy from Milan University and in Chinese language and literature from Venice University.

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