Truth and Lies in Spanish | La Vie Overseas

It is hard to believe I am already at the halfway point of my Spanish education at FSI.?Next week I have my evaluation, which is basically like a mock test session. Oh yeah ? I don?t think I have mentioned that I?am able to take the exam and receive an ILR score. And my exam is already scheduled in late August!

Which brings me to the title of this post: Sometimes, to be successful in learning Spanish, you have to lie a little bit.

Dramatic? Not as dramatic as?El Talisman.

As Kail wrote, learning Spanish is about saying what you can say ? not what you want to say. This is especially true during one part of the exam?s speaking portion (there is a speaking test and a reading test), during which test-takers must give a brief presentation on a topic they select among a handful of choices. And you only have a few minutes to prepare.

In class, we?ve practiced this exercise several times. The themes can run the gamut of policy issues. In our practice sessions, I have talked about immigration, disparities between developed and developing nations,?the prevalence of cell phones and other mobile communication devices, domestic violence and aging.

Let me be clear: I don?t even know whether I could give a cogent argument on these topics in English, let alone in Spanish.?But the point isn?t to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge on the subject at hand; rather, it?s to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively on topics that may or may not come up in conversation in your course of work as a Foreign Service Officer (or as a Foreign Service Officer?s spouse, like me).

So citing statistics, referencing anecdotes and?offering solutions are all tactics that are encouraged to deliver a strong presentation. Are the statistics true? Maybe, maybe not. They?re not not true. Or at least, your exam proctor has no way of knowing. I might just say, ?I read that Americans spend something like 68% of their day using a mobile device.? Or, ?My friend told me her grandmother is in her 80s, and while her short-term memory isn?t very strong, her long-term memory is.?

I?m not presenting them as facts, so it?s harmless, right?

When it comes to offering solutions, do I really think the government has a responsibility to help [insert whatever subgroup I happen to be discussing] and that the best way to administer this help is to implement a new law or regulation, give more money to an existing federal program and/or create a new federal program altogether? No, but?I know how to say that in Spanish so I?m going to say it.

Note: These white lies apply only when I?m speaking Spanish, so you don?t have to worry about things I tell you in English.

What do you think: Is it OK to tell a little white lie every now and then?

Source: http://lavieoverseas.com/2012/07/31/truth-and-lies-in-spanish/

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