New Delhi: US State Department’s Hindustani language spokesperson Margaret MacLeod grabbed attention at the G20 Summit in New Delhi Saturday, after she was seen talking to the media on US-India ties and cooperation on a range of issues in fluent Hindi.
Videos of her conversing in Hindi also made it to the internet, with some social media users observing that she spoke the language better than “99% Hindi speaking Indians”.
Posted at the US Embassy in New Delhi, according to her profile on the US state government website, MacLeod is America’s spokesperson for Hindi and Urdu-speaking audiences globally. She holds a doctorate in Sustainable Development from Columbia University, a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Georgetown University, and has studied at the Delhi School of Economics as a Rotary Scholar.
US diplomat – Margaret MacLeod speaks Hindi better than 99% of Hindi speaking Indians 🥲 pic.twitter.com/l9y3fsoCSM
— Azhar Jafri (@zhr_jafri) September 9, 2023
She not only speaks Hindi and Urdu, but is also able to read both languages, the profile adds.
While speaking to the local media Saturday, MacLeod focussed on US-India cooperation on a range of domains such as critical emerging technologies, AI, education, and student mobility.
“We will have discussions on several issues. India and the US share a partnership in several sectors including critical emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Education, Student mobility, and others. America wants to work with India after seeing the ambition of the youth in India”, she stated in Hindi.
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Having worked as a foreign service officer for over 16 years, MacLeod has served in numerous overseas assignments, including roles in US Missions in India, Pakistan, and Japan.
Within the US, she has worked on projects related to International Security and Non-proliferation, International Organizations, and as a fellow on Capitol Hill, mentions her official profile.
In addition to English, Hindi and Urdu, she also speaks French, Gujarati and Japanese, states her LinkedIn profile.
While talking about Washington’s relations with New Delhi Saturday, the foreign service officer also highlighted the importance of including opinions from across the globe in international forums and reiterated US’s support for the African Union’s membership into the EU.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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