By ugh - 21/01/2014 18:55 - Japan - Tokyo

Today, I went to an important job interview. I was really anxious but tried to soldier on anyway. When I was called in, my nerves got so bad that I reverted to speaking my second language. Not first, second. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting the job. FML
I agree, your life sucks 42 451
You deserved it 6 029

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Being trilingual, this happens to me quite often. Mainly speaking French in English class. Speaking my third language in my second language class? Logic. :)

thatonegirlnic 10

Pretty sure being bilingual is a positive thing in most job interviews.

Comments

Being trilingual, this happens to me quite often. Mainly speaking French in English class. Speaking my third language in my second language class? Logic. :)

What's your second language? (meant to OP)

I have a bilingual friend who switches between languages all the time without even realizing. Then he gets really confused and asks why I've started speaking French instead of English, of course he asks me this in French after just switching from English.

JMichael 25

32- you've sorta got me confused.

This thread's got me feeling really stupid for only speaking English :(

Being pentilingual is absolutely the worst. You have no idea how bad it sucks to accidentally write a history essay in the Arabic script.

"accidentally" Yeah, I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen.

49 - that does happen. When fluent in multiple languages, what you don't realize if you aren't, is you don't hear/read the words for their language, but in fact just hear what it is being talked about. When I hear German, I understand what's being said without translating and have to ask myself "what are the words my ears hear?" to figure out the language being spoken.

i guessed that kut in dutch was ****, if i can say that on here.. but i wasnt trying to come off like that, i was just being honest

twerk4satan 6

Well I always switch between Spanish, English, and Latin just to piss off my dad. But I've never accidentally done it.

61- you realise this thread is on MY comment, right? Re-read it, please. I was replying to as he said he accidently wrote an essay in Arabic script. No matter what anyone says, that absolutely never happens by accident. Different language, sure, but different alphabet? Nope.

I used to think I was hot shit for being bilingual (English/Spanish) but reading all the comments (especially this thread) makes me feel like shit. Time to continue practicing German, I guess. ps, I agree with 49. There's no way you don't notice right away that you switched.languages.

#74, switching between languages orally happens often, but when you're writing, you have to be seriously retarded to write in the wrong language. Your brain has to process what you want to expredd before writing it, unlike speaking where you automatically reply most of the time and it sometimes happens in the wrong form of speech. My point is, writing in the wrong language just doesn't happen, ESPECIALLY if it's in another alphabet.

That's right. And there's different rules for spelling and pronunciation. Take the word "outline". Written in Spanish it would be pronounced "oat-lee-neh". These kinds of differences should cue you to realize you're using the wrong language.

The guy should have said "Yay, look at me, I speak five languages!"

It's okay, I only speak English as well. We can be stupid together! :D

Gemma_Mansonite 20

Once in a science test I was panicking and wrote down a couple of words in my second language (that I'm not even fluent in, I'm learning but becoming fluent in) Yeah I am just that retarded.

thatonegirlnic 10

Pretty sure being bilingual is a positive thing in most job interviews.

Not if the second language is Klingon....

Or Dragon. Don't want to accidentally speak a few words in Dragon and accidentally blast your interviewer through a wall.

Or Dragon. Don't want to accidentally speak a few words in Dragon and blast your interviewer through a wall.

Either I just edited this accidental double post or FML glitched to hell on me. If so, sorry.

incoherentrmblr 21

Next time, go in for a job interview that has to do with speaking your second language? You'll get it on the spot!

Watch OP do that and then blank out on how to say anything in that language. Just a lot of nervous "um"s lol

red225 14

If you can't blow them away with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit

I kept on misreading "anxious" as "obnoxious"...

Hey, we're all in the DNA at some point.

#9, that was just mean. I have friends who are the subject of some awful bullying because they are dyslexic. (Ok, it was really clever but still.)

perdix 29

Why am I imagining you freaking out and going: Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so, think so, think so... That would be hilarious! So, did that happen?

maybe it wasn't that bad, could have just re enacted a death scene from 47 ronin in the dudes office. ARRAH! *end scene*

this comment and the FML remind me of when i was taking my oral final in Japanese last month, I got so nervous, I started speaking Spanish :/ my professor had a good sense of humor about it though

StompinOnCrayons 15

Most companies prefer bilingual employees because of the skill :)

perdix 29

No, I can't find anything and I speak both Klingon and Na'vi :( -- translation by Google Klingon-English translator.

shortunbiased 6

At least they know you're experienced :)

At something that probably has nothing to do with the job, or it wouldn't be on this website. Also, the interviewer might have thought OP was being cocky.

Maybe this will help impress your future employer :) knowing multiple languages is a sign of intelligence!

Only in the United States. Around the world you're considered pretty stupid if you only know one language. 2 languages is bare minimum.

Ali_Br_fml 33

Glad to know I'm above the bare minimum...though I wish I could be as fluent in my 2nd-4th languages as OP is. I just started Japanese, but I'm not fluent enough in Spanish or French to accidentally speak one of them either. If I'm speaking my other languages, it's because I'm actively trying to speak that specific language. (I did learn all of them in school, or via language learning softwares, so I'm nowhere near native in anything except gibberish, gypsy, hubba-yubba, pig latin, and all of those other crazy coded languages we learn as children.)