He actually says ‘translators’ not ‘interpreters’ which is a different professional person altogether. Seems that he does not even know that basic difference.

His mouth twitching just before the thanking part show high emotional stress, which has raised his heart beat very high, thereby not allowing his body to transmit calmly what he is feeling.

Reason and temper never really stood well together in argument delivery.

Apart from that, the man never misses an opportunity to ‘make a show’, and with all the years of practice, now he’s somewhat getting good at it. Adds to his ego, you know.

He is a complete embarrassment to Malta and it appears that he does indeed mouth a ‘fuck you’ as he sat down. Disgraceful.

Too bad that he didn’t rehearse his English lines properly.

The acting is also pretty bad. First he reads at speed and then he pauses dramatically. What, no interpreters?

He’s been at it ever since. Lucky for him electors here love their bad Maltese soap operas and Catholic Institute drammi and can’t tell the difference.

True, but that happens with Maltese, too. So earlier this week I was standing in the shade near the Auberge de Castille, passing the time while waiting for an eCab by having a chat with a Transport Malta worker.

“Kont tghix barra minn Malta?” he says.

“Le. Minn dejjem kont noqghod hawn Malta,” I say.

“Ghax ghandek accent mhux ta’ Maltija imma titkellem bil-Malti.” (Pointless explaining that where I come from everyone has more or less the same accent.)

There’s a pause while we shoot the breeze about the escalating heat.

Then: “Jimporta allura jekk insaqsik minn fejn int?”

“Minn Tas-Sliema.”

“Ghidt jien. Ghax il-vera titkellmu bil-Malti pulit hemmhekk.”

And I thought, wow, for once somebody isn’t sneering.

The usual remark is, are you Maltese as you don’t speak like them.

I could give you a long, long list of what I am terrible at, but the subject under discussion now is language and not, say, football or tennis.

I think you are correct