John Cena Opens Up About the Mandarin Mistake That Nearly Ended His Career

Summary

In this candid conversation, the speaker reflects on their journey of learning Mandarin, driven by a desire to break cultural barriers for WWE in China. Despite spending years studying the language, they faced an unexpected challenge when a press tour incident involving Taiwan led to geopolitical controversy. The speaker discusses the difficulty of balancing cultural sensitivity with language proficiency, emphasizing the lesson that knowing a language doesn't necessarily mean understanding the culture. Their story highlights personal growth, the importance of reflection, and the complexities of navigating global media in a culturally nuanced world.

Takeaways

• 😀 Brian Simpson praised the speaker's intelligence and their ability to speak Mandarin, which the speaker studied for over a decade.
• 😀 Despite studying Mandarin for 10 years, the speaker felt that language fluency didn’t necessarily equate to understanding the culture, a key takeaway from their experience.
• 😀 The speaker lived in Inner Mongolia, China, for several months while filming a movie with Jackie Chan, and was often the only person who looked different from the locals.
• 😀 The motivation behind learning Mandarin was to help bring WWE to China, as the speaker felt that knowing the language could break down cultural barriers and make WWE more accessible there.
• 😀 WWE offered a free second language program, which inspired the speaker to learn Mandarin as part of their initiative to break into the Chinese market.
• 😀 The speaker faced a significant cultural misunderstanding during a press tour when they inadvertently referred to Taiwan as a country, leading to a diplomatic issue and a backlash both in China and in their home country.
• 😀 The speaker realized that just because they could speak the language, they didn’t have the cultural depth or fluency needed to navigate sensitive geopolitical topics.
• 😀 Despite their fluency in Mandarin, the speaker chose to avoid speaking the language in global press tours in the future, as they felt they lacked the necessary cultural understanding to do so appropriately.
• 😀 During the press tour incident, the speaker didn't initially realize the gravity of the situation, but after the backlash, they reflected on their mistake and the importance of cultural awareness.
• 😀 The speaker openly took responsibility for the mistake, learning the importance of not being reactive and taking time to understand the consequences before apologizing or acting.

Q & A

What was Brian Simpson discussing about the speaker in the beginning of the transcript?

Brian Simpson was praising the speaker's intelligence and mentioned that the speaker speaks Mandarin, which he found impressive.

How long did the speaker study Mandarin, and what was the outcome of that learning experience?

The speaker studied Mandarin for around 10 years but struggled with fluency. While he became conversationally proficient and could dream and hold conversations in Mandarin, he didn’t reach full fluency and ultimately felt that knowing the language didn't equate to understanding the culture.

Why did the speaker initially decide to learn Mandarin?

The speaker's motivation to learn Mandarin was tied to his professional background in wrestling, particularly to break into the Chinese market, which was the only major territory where WWE had little presence.

What was the cultural takeaway the speaker gained from his experience learning Mandarin?

The speaker learned that knowing a language does not necessarily mean understanding the culture. This became evident when his language skills inadvertently led to a geopolitical mistake during a press tour.

What mistake did the speaker make during the global press tour?

The speaker read a teleprompter script in Mandarin that referred to Taiwan as a country, which caused offense in China, as Taiwan's status is a sensitive political issue. This led to a backlash from both China and the U.S.

What was the speaker's reaction after making the mistake with Taiwan?

After making the mistake, the speaker apologized to China, but this caused anger in the U.S. as well. He reflected on the situation, taking full responsibility for the misunderstanding and learning from it.

How did the speaker describe the difficulty of working in foreign territories like China?

The speaker mentioned that in foreign territories, particularly China, cultural nuances and geopolitics are complex. This made his efforts to communicate in Mandarin challenging, as even well-intended gestures could be misinterpreted.

What role did the WWE play in the speaker’s decision to learn Mandarin?

The WWE offered a free second-language program, which incentivized the speaker to take Mandarin lessons as part of his personal and professional development. The initiative aimed to help talent expand their global reach.

How did the speaker feel about his cultural fluency after the press tour incident?

The speaker acknowledged that despite his language skills, he lacked cultural fluency. He admitted that he didn't fully understand the political sensitivities regarding Taiwan and China, which contributed to his misstep.

What lesson did the speaker learn from the incident involving Taiwan?

The speaker learned to take a breath and avoid being reactive. Instead of rushing to fix the situation, he realized that he should have taken more time to understand the context and the best course of action.