For a start, he did not yet speak fluent English when he took the job.

BBC: Radio 4 Profile: England manager Fabio Capello

And Mr Buckles admitted: "I can't say categorically that all the guards recruited by G4S for the Olympics are able to speak fluent English".

BBC: G4S 'regret' over Olympic staffing

Four out of five second-generation immigrant children speak English fluently, but the same proportion are also fluent in Spanish.

BBC: Life in Spanglish for California's young Latinos

The Harvard-educated former diplomat, who speaks fluent English and Chinese, is lauded for his grasp of policy and willingness to speak his mind.

CNN: Down In Flames

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.

BBC: The Afghan interpreters seeking asylum in the UK