After exchanging a few words with a grocery clerk, a barber, or a bank teller, a question comes my way more often than not: "Where are you from?"
In those moments, I can't help but think, "They know! My accent gave me away." Despite speaking English for over 50 years, I can’t hide the fact that I am not a “native”.
My go-to response is to challenge them with a simple, "Guess?". 90% of the time (if not every time), the answer is "Germany?"
Germany! I wonder where this is coming from.
Perhaps, in the American psyche, a Frenchman has got to be short, adorned with a black mustache and a beret. I'm not even delving into the baguette and striped knit stereotype!
Or maybe, to them, a Frenchman should sound like "Pépé Le Pew"! Who knows...
In response to the recurring "Germany?" guess, I quip, "Close, but no cigar." Despite my accent, I feel the need to assert that I master the language…
Anticipating the inevitable need for more hints, I drop a crucial clue: "The country I'm from shares a border and a long history with Germany”.
As the person gets more and more confused, I can hear the cranks spinning in their head: "I know this, don't tell me." Yet, their guesses miss the mark with suggestions like "Ireland, Scotland...?"
At this point, Belgium or Switzerland would be acceptable guesses, but they never seem to hit the bullseye.
In the triumphant moment, when I proudly declare, "France!", there's often a suspicious look followed by a hesitant acknowledgment like, "Ah, okay!"
This amusing situation highlights two things:
American geography and history lessons must improve. There is actually a world outside the U.S.
No matter how fluent one is in a language acquired later in life, an accent persists (it's in the ear). Yet, as long as communication remains effective, does the accent truly matter?
Everybody’s multilingual nowadays !
Drawing from my experience as a former manager, I've had the opportunity to review numerous resumes. Nestled at the bottom of these pages lies a section titled "Spoken Languages”.
To my surprise, a plethora of applicants proudly declared themselves multilingual (polyglottes in French). French, German, English, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, you name it. Impressive, is it not?
Well, let's be honest. Many individuals tend to oversell their language proficiency, and some may even resort to blatant exaggeration. After all, who's going to fact-check every claim?
Consider this example of self-proclaimed French language proficiency on a resume:
French Native or Bilingual:
Native: achievable if exposed to the language long enough in youth and maintained practice. Fluency is likely, though an accent may persist.
Bilingual (the kitchen sink): a 50/50 claim.
French Proficiency:
Grasping 10-20% of a slow conversation, with the ability to articulate a few intelligible words or sentences. Not fluent.
French Conversational Intermediate:
Essentially not speaking French.
French Beginner:
Honestly admitting to not speaking French.
In essence, declaring fluency or proficiency in a language should be taken with a substantial grain of salt.
Mastering a language is a formidable task, requiring time, skill development, consistent practice, and unwavering commitment. It's a journey that extends beyond mere claims on a resume.
But what is Fluency?
A quick search on the Internet gets you this:
Language fluency refers to a high level of proficiency in a language that allows a person to communicate effectively and accurately in various situations. Fluency implies a deep understanding of the language's grammar, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and cultural norms, as well as the ability to think and speak in the language without significant hesitation or reliance on translation.
In short, language fluency means being able to use a language naturally and comfortably, almost as if it were one's native language.
This adds an additional layer to our understanding of fluency, refining the pool of candidates for the title. Fluency, as a concept, is intricately tied to culture, colloquialism, history, tradition, regional accents, and more.
Consider this scenario:
Take a Ph.D. holder in French from Stanford University and place them in the suburbs of Paris or a bustling fish market in Marseille. Chances are they may struggle to comprehend a single word spoken by the locals, let alone engage in an intelligible conversation.
Learn a foreign language in 30 days!
Now, let's address the enticing promise of mastering a foreign language in 30 days, often advertised by language-learning apps or online platforms.
It's akin to the dubious claims made by fad diet promoters guaranteeing a 30-pound weight loss in a month.
Both propositions, though lucrative, are fundamentally flawed.
While these language learning tools may offer some enjoyment in acquiring basic words and constructing simple sentences in Spanish or Chinese, achieving conversational proficiency in just 30 days is a far-fetched notion.
True fluency requires years of dedicated effort.
In my view, the most effective path to fluency lies in complete cultural immersion.
Do you agree?
I agree. We have an odd similarity, too: the French often think I, an Anglo-Canadian, am German. I take this as an indication that I've successfully reduced my accent to the point where it's perceptible but not readily identifiable.