Language Proficiency Phone Interview

[gollux]

I was directed to pick a time to have a twenty-minute proficiency interview for a language relative to my proposed course of study next week. Has anyone done this? When the fellow calls, is he going to just launch right into it in the language in question, or will he begin in English, describing what is about to happen?

I apologize if these are stupid questions, I'm just anxious. I didn't claim to have any great level of proficiency in the language, so I'm not worried about them thinking I misrepresented, but I would like to make a decent showing, for obvious reasons.

*breaks out in hives*

[Nightingalesing]

I wish I could offer answers, but I can only offer empathy. My "language proficiency" phone interview is tomorrow and I'm desperately trying to think of ways to prepare. My plan is to have a few basic answers casually planned, but the most powerful weapons in my arsenal will probably be a good night's sleep and a state of mind that is as calm as possible under the circumstances.

Best of Luck!

[gollux]

I wish I could offer answers, but I can only offer empathy. My "language proficiency" phone interview is tomorrow and I'm desperately trying to think of ways to prepare. My plan is to have a few basic answers casually planned, but the most powerful weapons in my arsenal will probably be a good night's sleep and a state of mind that is as calm as possible under the circumstances.

Best of Luck!

Good luck, Nightingale! I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job. I think your right about the sleep and the calm!

[ColorlessGreen]

Well, I haven't ever done a language proficiency interview for a school, per se, but I have done a Japanese oral proficiency interview over the phone. This interview was meant to establish my relative level of conversation on a scale from beginner to advanced.

First my interviewer explained what we'd be doing - in Japanese, because I was at a decent level of understanding, but I imagine she would have told me in English if I'd asked - and then we started the interview. She asked me some generic questions about myself - who I was, what I was studying, what had first made me interested in my field of study, and questions about my family. Then she asked me to explain, step by step, how to cook my favorite food. This, she told me later, was because being able to explain a process is generally required in order to test at an advanced level. After that, we went through a few role-playing scenarios - how to order food and asking a friend for a favor. We did these in both formal and informal speech, since that's an important distinction in Japanese. For another language, an interviewer might choose different linguistic aspects to emphasize, though.

What my interviewer looked for in my OPI was a variety of syntactic structures, a wide vocabulary, a general ability to carry on a conversation, and a bit of specialized terminology. I guess your interviews will probably be different, since they might be testing for whether you know field-specific terms or something, but hopefully this will tell you something about what to expect. Don't get too nervous and you'll be fine. Don't worry about making small errors in pronunciation or grammar - just keep talking. Good luck to you both!

[gollux]

Well, I haven't ever done a language proficiency interview for a school, per se, but I have done a Japanese oral proficiency interview over the phone. This interview was meant to establish my relative level of conversation on a scale from beginner to advanced.

First my interviewer explained what we'd be doing - in Japanese, because I was at a decent level of understanding, but I imagine she would have told me in English if I'd asked - and then we started the interview. She asked me some generic questions about myself - who I was, what I was studying, what had first made me interested in my field of study, and questions about my family. Then she asked me to explain, step by step, how to cook my favorite food. This, she told me later, was because being able to explain a process is generally required in order to test at an advanced level. After that, we went through a few role-playing scenarios - how to order food and asking a friend for a favor. We did these in both formal and informal speech, since that's an important distinction in Japanese. For another language, an interviewer might choose different linguistic aspects to emphasize, though.

What my interviewer looked for in my OPI was a variety of syntactic structures, a wide vocabulary, a general ability to carry on a conversation, and a bit of specialized terminology. I guess your interviews will probably be different, since they might be testing for whether you know field-specific terms or something, but hopefully this will tell you something about what to expect. Don't get too nervous and you'll be fine. Don't worry about making small errors in pronunciation or grammar - just keep talking. Good luck to you both!

Just saw this response. This is great! Thank you, ColorlessGreen.

[Jezebel]

This thread is a godsend! I'm doing a language proficiency phone interview for an intensive language study scholarship in a week or so and I'm so nervous! I do so much better in person where I can take clues from gestures and body language! Not to mention oral exams really put you on the spot - even in your native tongue! My plan is as follows:

1) Spend a little time reviewing basic grammar in context and common conversational phrases and sayings that make speech more natural

2) Think about common topics like how I would talk about myself and my interests and do some practice dialogs with another speaker

3) Get a good night's sleep (I can't even begin to stress how important sleep is for consolidating memories and improving cognitive function!)

4) Don't drink coffee and STAY CALM! (coffee will only make me all cracked out and unable to focus, so at least for me it's not an option)

I know that my 'score' won't affect anyone's opinion of me, nor affect my participation in the program, but I'm so nervous that I'll bomb it and not accurately represent my abilities. I'd hate to be classified as "Intermediate-Low" after 4 years of language study =P. I'd feel so bad about myself... I guess it helps just knowing other people are in the same boat, so we can empathize and feel each other's pain! Good luck everyone who is taking one of these!