- Shohei Ohtani was born and raised in Japan
- He now plays baseball in the United States
- Ohtani uses a interpreter, but can he speak English?
MLB star Shohei Ohtani hail from Japan. During interviews in English, you'll often see him with an interpreter, whose name is Ippei Mizuhara.
But can the Los Angeles Angels star actually speak English? It turns out Ohtani has commented on the topic, due in part to a controversy about his use of an interpreter.
Shohei Ohtani can speak English – but not too well
Shohei Ohtani actually can speak some English — and Spanish, too — but he is not fluent in the language. In 2022, he told GQ that English lessons are "mandatory in school, for, like, six years in Japan."
"That was the only exposure to English I had before I came over [to the US]," he said, through his interpreter. As he thought about it, however, Ohtani added that he "can't speak the language that well."
Also interesting:
Toru and Kayoko Ohtani
Family is everything
Ohtani's use of an interpreter once sparked a controversy. Commentator Stephen A. Smith actually argued that the face of American baseball — referencing Shohei Ohtani — should be able to speak English.
But in his GQ interview, Shohei Ohtani offered this thoughtful reply: "I came here to play baseball, at the end of the day, and I've felt like my play on the field could be my way of communicating with the people, with the fans."
Despite the language barrier, Shohei Ohtani is beloved by fans and his teammates. He even has Japanese nicknames for some of his friends on the Angels.
