An interesting insight into the current candidates lingual skills:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/news...e/cid/143.html
Sara - 7 languages! wow... she probably speaks most of the Indian languages (hindi, punjabi etc.)
And raef speaks French and Arabic, more of his many talents.
Quote:
“The Apprentice candidates may have proved they can hold their own in business while buying and selling, but they have a lot to learn on the language front.
Most of the remaining hopefuls had to rely on a wing and a non-denominational prayer to make themselves understood to the French-speaking locals in Morocco.
We did see Sara speak with one shopkeeper in Arabic which was refreshing, and with knowledge of seven languages, she is by far the most multilingual of our crew. Raef, too, may well have hidden talents - his CV suggests an advanced understanding of both Arabic and French, so on the same team, they must have made a formidable pair. But for Renaissance, who had just a few GCSEs and Irish Leaving Certificate language qualifications between them, things were tough; everyone was pretty much non plus by la langue Francais.
What proved to be very entertaining was not watching the contestants struggle with other people's languages. Instead, they copied the Marrakesh natives' tendency to speak in short seentences and use just a few disjointed words. Michael even seemed to develop a fake Moroccan accent at times.
Michael, Claire and Jen C's performances, in particular, suffered from a lack of language and understanding. Claire felt frustrated as she tried to talk to locals about how to get a kosher chicken. Despite having a basic knowledge of kosher produce (well, at least compared to the others), she couldn't get her message across.
Then when Michael and Jen C arrived at the butchers, viewers could see that the butcher could only understand half of what they were saying. A Muslim butcher who makes kosher chicken? A recipe for disaster, at best.
Michael, who has, however studied classics and can therefore speak Greek, was unperturbed, delighted at how you can get by with" a few words and lots of gestures," despite the huge chasms of understanding. Some might say they were deluding themselves.
"Au contraire", as Del Boy Trotter might say. They are truly the "crème de la menthe".”
“The Apprentice candidates may have proved they can hold their own in business while buying and selling, but they have a lot to learn on the language front.
Most of the remaining hopefuls had to rely on a wing and a non-denominational prayer to make themselves understood to the French-speaking locals in Morocco.
We did see Sara speak with one shopkeeper in Arabic which was refreshing, and with knowledge of seven languages, she is by far the most multilingual of our crew. Raef, too, may well have hidden talents - his CV suggests an advanced understanding of both Arabic and French, so on the same team, they must have made a formidable pair. But for Renaissance, who had just a few GCSEs and Irish Leaving Certificate language qualifications between them, things were tough; everyone was pretty much non plus by la langue Francais.
What proved to be very entertaining was not watching the contestants struggle with other people's languages. Instead, they copied the Marrakesh natives' tendency to speak in short seentences and use just a few disjointed words. Michael even seemed to develop a fake Moroccan accent at times.
Michael, Claire and Jen C's performances, in particular, suffered from a lack of language and understanding. Claire felt frustrated as she tried to talk to locals about how to get a kosher chicken. Despite having a basic knowledge of kosher produce (well, at least compared to the others), she couldn't get her message across.
Then when Michael and Jen C arrived at the butchers, viewers could see that the butcher could only understand half of what they were saying. A Muslim butcher who makes kosher chicken? A recipe for disaster, at best.
Michael, who has, however studied classics and can therefore speak Greek, was unperturbed, delighted at how you can get by with" a few words and lots of gestures," despite the huge chasms of understanding. Some might say they were deluding themselves.
"Au contraire", as Del Boy Trotter might say. They are truly the "crème de la menthe".”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/news...e/cid/143.html
Sara - 7 languages! wow... she probably speaks most of the Indian languages (hindi, punjabi etc.)
And raef speaks French and Arabic, more of his many talents.
) he kept speaking in english to the guy when trying to ask him if he could buy anything. It's quite a simple phrase in French to ask that question. 
