Cunning linguist
In the industry that I am in, knowing more than one language is an advantage that is imperative in order to stay ahead of others in this competitive workforce.
Unfortunately, many of those who claim to be multilingual are linguistic liars.
They boast about their varied ethnic backgrounds, with cultural combinations that would make the UN proud. When asked how many of those languages they know how to speak, their responses are vague.
With the cultural changes that evolve our syntax every day, language isn’t static, so I have never claimed to be fluent in any language. One can never be fully fluent in any language - unless it’s Latin (and when was the last time you had a conversation with another living person under 400 years old, in Latin?).
Being someone who has “knowledge of” a couple of languages on his CV, I am normally given the assignment to contact various non-English stakeholders in/of the company. There is a little bit of apprehension on my side, since I don’t speak and write these languages on a daily basis (but, I can still whip out a 2000-word French essay on 16th century literature in a couple of hours - natch).
After performing these duties, I go back to my regularly scheduled program with a smug satisfaction that with a few rolls of my double-jointed tongue, I have a skill that no one else has. A cunning linguist.
But, that happiness fades rather quickly when I am the go-to guy for all non-English work of this nature. When that happens, I mutter under my breath something no one comprehends, but I hope they understand – even if it’s not in English:
Vaffunculo e baciare il mio culo.
Unfortunately, many of those who claim to be multilingual are linguistic liars.
They boast about their varied ethnic backgrounds, with cultural combinations that would make the UN proud. When asked how many of those languages they know how to speak, their responses are vague.
With the cultural changes that evolve our syntax every day, language isn’t static, so I have never claimed to be fluent in any language. One can never be fully fluent in any language - unless it’s Latin (and when was the last time you had a conversation with another living person under 400 years old, in Latin?).
Being someone who has “knowledge of” a couple of languages on his CV, I am normally given the assignment to contact various non-English stakeholders in/of the company. There is a little bit of apprehension on my side, since I don’t speak and write these languages on a daily basis (but, I can still whip out a 2000-word French essay on 16th century literature in a couple of hours - natch).
After performing these duties, I go back to my regularly scheduled program with a smug satisfaction that with a few rolls of my double-jointed tongue, I have a skill that no one else has. A cunning linguist.
But, that happiness fades rather quickly when I am the go-to guy for all non-English work of this nature. When that happens, I mutter under my breath something no one comprehends, but I hope they understand – even if it’s not in English:
Vaffunculo e baciare il mio culo.
Authored by S at 12:00 am
4 Comments:
CV = resume
:)
Something about your asshole at the end there, lol.
Six: Yes, I know, now drop it.
Torn: Yes, I know, now drop it.
Isn't more like: "Kiss my ass you dickhead!" ?
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