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You are not a real polyglot if... | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5210 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes  Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 281 of 299 05 November 2013 at 4:05pm | IP Logged | |||||
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While we are at this, I should mention that I've seen the word hyperglot with reference to those people who claim to
speak seven or more languages. I think that in these discussions of speaking languages we have to accept a certain amount of ambiguity. This is not an exact science. This is where the question of formal tests and certification comes in. Maybe not for most of us but for some people, formal certification is a necessity. I see this for example in language requirements to enter many European universities or to practice certain professions. It is clearly stated that you need proof of having, let's say, the C1 level not "an equivalent." 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| beano Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4402 days ago 1049 posts - 2152 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Russian, Serbian, Hungarian | Message 282 of 299 05 November 2013 at 4:15pm | IP Logged | |||||
I think a 10-minute interview, either face-to-face or via telephone / Skype would say more about a person's language ability than any "official" certification. I'm talking about interactive skills here, I'm aware that some people study languages mainly for the purpose of reading. 5 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| montmorency Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4608 days ago 2371 posts - 3676 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Danish, Welsh | Message 283 of 299 05 November 2013 at 4:48pm | IP Logged | |||||
Interesting idea. My son has had at least one online interview (with a potential employer in another country), although it didn't happen to be a language-related job, and the interview was in English. But the principle could easily be extended to language related jobs. If reading (or writing) skills are primarily what are needed, then I suppose conventional written tests (set by the potential employer) would serve as well. Of course it would require someone with the right skills to assess the candidate's skills. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5210 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 284 of 299 05 November 2013 at 5:45pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I think that you are missing the point. There is no doubt that a one-on-one Skype conversation can say a lot about
a person's language skills, but the point I'm trying to make is that in many situations today there is a formal requirement. Where I live a presitigious business schools requires a specific minimum score on a specific test. There is no alternative. I guess what I'm saying is that language skills in certain situations have credentials, just like a degree or a permit. Do you have a driving permit, yes or no? 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5042 days ago 2237 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 285 of 299 05 November 2013 at 6:16pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I'm not trying to get a job by citing my language skills. I am not making videos on youtube bragging about my abilities. I'm not selling a book. I'm not selling a program or language-learning method. I have no plans to attend a foreign university where I must prove my language skills. In fact, I simply have no need to prove my skills to anyone at all.
I am not going to spend a few thousand dollars (fly to mainland US, stay in hotel, rent car, eat out, miss work, etc.) just to get a piece of paper to prove my levels in my languages. I don't care if I am a polyglot or a "poly-not". My situation most likely mirrors the majority here on HTLAL who learn languages not out of necessity, but just because we want to. If you need the piece of paper, by all means get it. If you want it because it will motivate you to reach the desired level, that's great too. More power to you. I don't need it or want it. My proof is in my conversations, listening, reading and writing I do every day. That's all I need. Edited by iguanamon on 05 November 2013 at 6:54pm 7 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5210 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 286 of 299 05 November 2013 at 9:33pm | IP Logged | |||||
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As @iguanamon has well put it, the vast majority of HTLALers have no need for formal certification of their language
skills because they are not required in our professional lives. We are what I call language hobbyists or recreational learners. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. I should point out that the CEFR whose descriptors we use so readily is probably not the best proficiency evaluation system for us. It is heavily biased towards the university and professional fields. Since many of us are not applying to universities, research institutes, or to government jobs, certification of language skills is not an issue. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5114 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 287 of 299 05 November 2013 at 10:23pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Actually a quick test can often be more revealing than any official document. When I went into maternity
leave I interviewed the candidates in English and French, and several of the ones I interviewed had the documents to prove their skills, but not the actual skills. Later when a new candidate was needed my boss did the interviewing and he felt it would be ungentlemanlike not to trust their documents, so he hired a guy whose French turned out to be horrible. 7 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6689 days ago 4250 posts - 5710 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 288 of 299 06 November 2013 at 12:18am | IP Logged | |||||
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A friend of mine once applied for an Advanced German course - basic German was required. She didn't have any certificates, but had lived in Germany for one year, and simply called the office and talked to the staff in German. Problem solved.
2 persons have voted this message useful |
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