If you found Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's seamless switching between languages after sips from his "magic cup" impressive, this Singapore police officer will blow you away.
In a gag posted to TikTok by the Singapore Police Force, investigation officer Rafi showcased his multilingual prowess and left would-be criminals with little excuse as to why they would not be able to understand his questions.
No English, no problem
The TikTok clip begins with Rafi entering what appears to be an investigation room and sitting himself down across an interviewee.
Gif via Singapore Police Force/TikTok.
"You don't speak English? No problem," Rafi declares before smoothly switching to Mandarin.
After a brief introduction in Mandarin, Rafi asked the interviewee a couple of questions only to be answered by a shrug of the shoulders.
Gif via Singapore Police Force/TikTok.
"Don't understand? No worries," Rafi responds, undeterred.
Rafi asked in Malay: "When and where did the incident occur? Are there any relevant information?"
Gif via Singapore Police Force/TikTok.
Still, no response from the interviewee, but Rafi kept his cool.
"Miss, can you speak Hokkien?", the investigation officer asked, but to no avail.
After an unsuccessful attempt with Cantonese, Rafi tapped into his evidently extensive lingustic reportoire to ask the interviewee in Thai what language she spoke.
Gif via Singapore Police Force/TikTok.
The interviewee appeared to have understood, and replied, "I only understand Tamil".
"Hey how!", a visibly shocked and disbelieving Rafi exclaimed in response.
You will have to hear the conversation to get a good sense of how impressive Rafi's linguistic skills are.
@singaporepoliceforce No magic cups were used in the making of this video ☕️ #singaporepoliceforce #multilingual #polyglotcheck #polyglot #malay #chinese #hokkien #cantonese #thai #tamil #jailer #desi #fyp #foryoupage #tiktoksg #safeguardingeveryday ♬ original sound - Singapore Police Force
The eyes were more effective
In the caption of the TikTok clip, the SPF alluded to PM Lee's magic cup, writing that "no magic cups were used in the making of this video".
However, for some TikTok users, Rafi's linguistic skills would not be the most intimidating to them if they found themselves across the table from the investigation officer.
Instead, it was his eyes which would make them cave.
One commenter suggested PM Lee acquired his multilingual skills from Rafi.
Top image via Singapore Police Force/TikTok