out of touch with a skill for firm callback Forum

[Anonymous User]

I put down Japanese as a language on my resume. I didn't write fluent, I wrote a specific language level that corresponds to casual convo. This isn't a lie, it is true. But what happens with me is that if I don't use my language skill for a while, I lose access to it. This does not mean I no longer have the skill, and I no longer know how to speak the language. It is there, somewhere, in my brain. It just got lost in the cobwebs and I can't retrieve it. But when I am exposed to it for a while, it comes back to me.

For example, when I go to Japan, in the beginning, I am completely unable to speak or understand it, almost as if I do not know Japanese at all. But after a few weeks of exposure, I can carry on conversations comfortably. The fact that the improvement was so fast proves that it was not that I didn't know it when I first went. Someone who doesn't know Japanese would not be able to learn it in a few weeks. It proves that I knew it all along, but for some reason was not able to exercise it.

Anyway, the point is that I have a callback with a firm coming up. I checked the bios of the people interviewing me, and one of them is a native Japanese speaker. I am worried that they might start speaking to me in Japanese. I am out of touch (like how I am the first few weeks I spend in Japan) and would sound like an idiot if I tried to stumble along with it. But I don't know how to explain this issue in a simple way without it sounding like I lied and don't actually know the language. I guess I need simple terminology to explain this phenomenon of being "out of touch".

How can I handle this situation without getting into a lecture about the human brain and memory recall?

[Anonymous User]

This happened to me with Spanish. I had "fluent" in Spanish on my resume because it had said that since my junior year abroad and my undergrad Spanish advisor thought that it was appropriate to write that. I had a callback with a firm and freaked out (literally had a panic attack) because I saw I was meeting with a fluent Spanish speaker. At least in my experience, it wasn't bad at all.I would say 5 minutes of the interview was in Spanish and it was what you would expect––asked me about my undergrad Spanish lit. thesis, my semester abroad, and my postgrad fellowship. After that portion of the interview ended I straight up said it had been three years (2 years WE + 1L) since I had spoken Spanish and jokingly asked if I used a word correctly. I let him know that I am part of a clinic where most of our work is done with Spanish speakers and that I am taking the "Spanish for Lawyers" class at my school this Spring. He laughed and said that he couldn't really notice and said that he too gets "rusty." This is all to say that what you are describing is fairly common and I think that most people will understand. FWIW I have changed my resume from fluent to proficient, just to avoid any future problems.

[Anonymous User]

I wouldn’t put conversational if it takes you a few weeks in Japan to remember how to have conversations.

I am nearly fluent in Korean and I put conversational in my resume because I don’t know Korean legalese.

I get that people embellish a little, but yours is a little far-reaching.

[Anonymous User]

I wouldn’t put conversational if it takes you a few weeks in Japan to remember how to have conversations.

I get that people embellish a little, but yours is a little far-reaching.

^^^^I agree.

If I were you, I would watch Youtube videos and practice, practice, practice until you can at least introduce yourself in Japanese. Like SERIOUS practice. In your shower, driving, eating, etc.

[Anonymous User]

OP here - thanks for the responses! Just to clarify the level of "rustiness" I'm at:

I'm currently fine with basic things like introducing myself and simple elementary sentences. The only problems are-
1) I get a lot of that "what's that word" feeling where you KNOW the word and it's at the tip of your tongue but can't recall it. I'm out of touch with vocab so I often will go blank and unable to remember a word but then after I look it up I'm like DUH
2) It's hard for me to understand other people talking at a fluent level because they often talk fast and with strong accents. It's honestly easier to read. But I think this is because I'm not used to hearing it, not used to processing the pronunciations, because when I am exposed to people speaking in it on a regular basis, it starts to become clear again.

So in the interview, if it's a simple greeting or singular question like "Hi, how are you today" or "How do you know Japanese" and they speak slowly and clearly, I can answer. But I'm worried if they speak fast and unclear (without enunciating or with a strong accent), I might not be able to catch what they are saying. Or if it's more than a simple question, and instead is a back and forth, I might get that "what's the word' blanking out.

But yes, I suppose I can watch videos and at least try to get back in touch. This is going to take time away from substantive interview preparation. So I guess I have to figure out what percentage of my time to spend on this vs. the other stuff

[Anonymous User]

Dude. I agree with the posts above. As someone who IS actually fluent in other languages, it always annoys me when people say they are fluent when they are only proficient (or less). If you’re that “out of touch” it’s because you’re not fluent. A language skill is something you can lose over time—which is why practicing it is necessary. For example, if you lived in Japan for 2 years ten years ago, and haven’t spoken the language since other than introducing yourself every now and then, you’re not “out of touch”— you’re just not fluent anymore.

[ClubberLang]

This is why you don't put a skill you don't really have on a resume. Expect to be called out by the interviewer who speaks Japanese. The harsh reality is if you flub badly, you won't get an offer. Regarding time spent relearning conversational Japanese vs. substantive interview prep - you've put yourself in a position where the Japanese is far more important than any other prep that you can do.

But going forward, you should take this off of your resume.

[Anonymous User]

I'm confused. Do people really not think there is a difference between a person who is unable to have a conversation because they lack knowledge of a language vs. a person who is unable to have a conversation because they are not used to using the skill (but have the knowledge)?

I ask this because I am in a similar boat - I have difficulty with a language that I know quite well due to not using it in a while, but I don't think I am the same as someone who never learned it in the first place. Both of us would have difficulty but for completely different reasons.

That's like equating a math PHD who hasn't calculated derivatives in years with a 10th grader who is just learning the basics.

[nixy]

But either way you’re not currently able to walk into an interview and speak fluently, which is presumably what a firm cares about.

[cbbinnyc]

I'm confused. Do people really not think there is a difference between a person who is unable to have a conversation because they lack knowledge of a language vs. a person who is unable to have a conversation because they are not used to using the skill (but have the knowledge)?

I ask this because I am in a similar boat - I have difficulty with a language that I know quite well due to not using it in a while, but I don't think I am the same as someone who never learned it in the first place. Both of us would have difficulty but for completely different reasons.

That's like equating a math PHD who hasn't calculated derivatives in years with a 10th grader who is just learning the basics.

I don't think anybody is suggesting that. I agree with several posters: ultimately this is pretty simple. If you put "conversational Japanese" on your resume, the interviewer will expect you to be able to carry on a conversation in Japanese.

I used to be an professional percussionist/drummer, but I have not practiced seriously in several years so I wouldn't represent on my resume that I'm concert ready, even if I could probably get there with a couple months of practice.

[Anonymous User]

I’m one of the previous posters.

People keep saying that they couldn’t speak a language they haven’t spoken in X years unless they can brush up.

I haven’t spoken a language in a few years, but I have no problem using the language and understanding people. I can still think in the language. I don’t have a hard time putting together basic sentences.

If you are so out of touch with it, I don’t know if you could truly say you were ever conversational in it.

When I spent time in Spain, I could easily communicate with people using my very limited Spanish. I would never say that I’m conversational in it. If it takes immersing yourself in a language, I think the best you can say is “basic,” and at that point, I’d leave it out.

[ClubberLang]

I'm confused. Do people really not think there is a difference between a person who is unable to have a conversation because they lack knowledge of a language vs. a person who is unable to have a conversation because they are not used to using the skill (but have the knowledge)?

I ask this because I am in a similar boat - I have difficulty with a language that I know quite well due to not using it in a while, but I don't think I am the same as someone who never learned it in the first place. Both of us would have difficulty but for completely different reasons.

That's like equating a math PHD who hasn't calculated derivatives in years with a 10th grader who is just learning the basics.

I think people understand the difference well enough, but rightly don't care. A former skill should not take up space on a resume. The motivation is transparent. You have one page to sell yourself. Talk about things you can actually do.

[merde_happens]

Language skills on a resume are such a dicey proposition. I’m conversational in french thanks to having some french family, but never even put it on my resume because I’m not fluent and didn’t want to risk a native speaker who felt inclined to conduct their interview completely in french. And nobody ever got hired because they could chat casually in a foreign language - language skills at this level are really only important to the extent that you can communicate expertly with clients or translate documents.

Unless you’re fluent, the risk-reward analysis is just not favorable.

[Anonymous User]

https://qz.com/1155289/even-if-youve-fo ... -with-you/

If you scroll down to "the science of language loss" heading of that article, it explains this phenomenon