Languages as a Skill
- 22nd April 2004
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I consider myself fairly typically English in my approach to foreign languages - I learned a bit of French in school and I haven't really used it since. I'm so spoiled with the rest of the world speaking some variation on my native tongue that I've let things slip.
I figured my French was okay... I had to read French articles as part of my MPhil, I can get by when I'm snowboarding - order things in shops, that sort of thing, and I had to use a bit in Cambodia and Brazil, but I just got a phone call that suggests otherwise. I answered and the woman on the other end asked if I knew any French or German. Not really thinking about it I said 'oui, je parle un peu'. I didn't realise how heavily I relied on context, body language and visual prompts. The gist of the call was that she was looking for photos of classical concerts, which I don't have, but I couldn't make out many of the details. Did I just miss out on work? Maybe. Should I go back and learn French properly? Yep. Reckon I should.
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