A reporter from Scotland has earned both admiration and infamy after an awkward TV interview with a footballer who could not understand his English.

Jim Spence of the BBC was speaking to Slovakian goalkeeper Dusan Pernis, who plays for football team Dundee United for the first time this month. Spence was unable to speak Slovakian, however, and Pernis admitted his English was not good.

The combination of Spence's thick Scottish accent and the absence of an interpreter ensured the interview would not go smoothly.

The pair ran into trouble early on. When asked to say where he came from, give his name or "say anything" for a sound test, the sportsman faltered before replying, "Meh."

The sports journalist then asked which teams the athlete had previously played for, but had to rephrase it three times after receiving only quizzical stares in response.

"My Slovakian is non-existent," Spence later confessed. "I think I need to work on my Slovakian as much as Dusan needs to work on his English.

"And not only has he got to get to grips with English, but also Scots English and Dundee Scots too."

He told the BBC, "I think I realized quite quickly things weren't going well. I should have stopped digging after question three."

After seeing the embarrassing exchange, which quickly became an internet hit, a language translation company based in Berkshire, near London, offered its services to the Dundee United.

"Dusan deserves a medal for being brave enough to go in front of the cameras without an interpreter and the BBC Scotland reporter Jim Spence deserves a medal for persistence," said Shawn Khorassani of Prestige Network. "We would love to help out."

03 January 2010