Listing Foreign Languages on your Résumé

krraej

I think we can all agree that if you're fluent in a language, you should mention it on your résumé as it can only benefit you (not to mention that knowing English is paramount in this industry). But what about languages which you only have intermediate knowledge of? Or basic knowledge? Does mentioning that you have, let's say, intermediate knowledge of Mandarin Chinese make a difference or is it just a waste of space on your résumé? Has anyone ever landed a gig because of that added skill? Or become a more viable candidate for relocating?

Learning about languages and linguistics is a hobby of mine and I'm unsure about whether mentioning languages I'm not yet fluent or proficient in would add or detract from the rest of my résumé.

Brian "Panda" Choi

The closest I got with using my modicum handle on Korean was when our Lead Engineer asked for synonyms of an English word so we didn't dupe the Korean phrase that technically made sense for both English synonyms.

Hehehehe

Kwramm

Intermediate Chinese would be useful, meaning you can follow a regular conversation, but you can't negotiate or express complex ideas (that would be advanced). It would be more useful if you can read a bit. This could definitely help to break down some language barriers. E.g. when you're an AD or Lead or an outsource manager. Anything less won't be of much use because, for most things, you'll still depend on someone more fluent. The idea is that you can be more independent, and more efficient because you can talk directly to your team or to your client's artists, or follow their IM / email conversations independently.

However, don't come to China without any additional skills. The times where companies looked for a token foreigner are pretty much over. A serious company will first and foremost look at your art or tech skills.

ZacD

Why not list basic, intermediate, and fluent all on your resume? It'll barely take up any room unless your a linguist. Basic knowledge still shows you are at least able and willing to pickup a language. If you took high school Spanish it's probably not worth listing, but if you know some French and are applying for studios in Canada, you might end up speaking with a French Canadian in the interview process.

krraej

Thanks for sharing your opinions, everyone!

Kwramm said:

Intermediate Chinese would be useful, meaning you can follow a regular conversation, but you can't negotiate or express complex ideas (that would be advanced). It would be more useful if you can read a bit.

I'm actually much more comfortable reading/writing it than listening/speaking it. Mostly because I'm a visual learner (as many people on this site can probably relate to) so I have much more trouble getting the hang of the tonal system Mandarin Chinese uses than its writing system.
But yeah, you're completely right — if you don't bring the artistic/technical skills necessary to the table, nothing in your résumé will convince them otherwise.

ZacD said:

Why not list basic, intermediate, and fluent all on your resume? It'll barely take up any room unless your a linguist. Basic knowledge still shows you are at least able and willing to pickup a language.

Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.

Jonas Ronnegard

just don't write that you know more then you actually can, might get you into some very embarrassing interviews.

MagicSugar

Planning to learn Japanese thru pimsleur and memrise in the off chance I find myself trying to survive living in a 24-hour Tokyo net cafe cubicle while freelancing as a fiverr artist.