Mamdani's multilingual broadway videos draws attention and recieves praise

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recent video speaking Mandarin has drawn attention online, with viewers questioning how he acquired his proficiency in the language.

Mamdani studied Mandarin at the Bronx High School of Science from 2006 to 2010. A spokeswoman for the mayor said he has not pursued serious Mandarin studies since his high school years, says the New York Times.

The video was produced in partnership with the Theater Development Fund to promote a lottery offering 2,000 free Broadway tickets to high school students across New York City.

The campaign also released versions of the video in English, Spanish and Bangla, but the Mandarin version attracted particular attention because of Mamdani's handling of the language's tones.

Social media users generally praised his pronunciation and performance. State Senator John Liu, who is fluent in Mandarin, gave Mamdani a "solid B" for his pronunciation and emphasis, while awarding him an "A+ for effort".

Mamdani's use of languages other than English has previously attracted attention. During his mayoral campaign, he frequently addressed voters in Arabic, Hindi and Urdu.

His multilingual campaign videos have also faced scrutiny. State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz previously accused Mamdani of using artificial intelligence to fake fluency in Spanish campaign videos, saying an independent analysis had identified signs of digital alteration.

Mamdani responded to the allegations by releasing a blooper reel showing the recording process, including mistakes and attempts to deliver the lines, as he sought to demonstrate that the videos reflected genuine efforts to speak the languages.

The latest Mandarin video has renewed interest in Mamdani's language skills, although his previous study of Mandarin at high school provides the explanation for his familiarity with the language.