9 Things You Should Never Say To A Language Student During Exams

Being sociable creatures, around exam time we can generally be found stressing out in groups around campus, complaining about all the work we’ve got to do rather than actually doing it.

Us modern languages students are basically doing a degree in talking, so we generally won’t have a problem with telling you straight when you’re getting on our nerves.

We are extra sensitive at this time of year, and if you want to stay on our good side here are a few things that, if you value your life, you should avoid saying to us at all costs:

1. ‘I have so many exams’

Our hearts bleed for you. We have a speaking, listening and at least one 2 hour written exam per language (and some of us have translation exams thrown in on top of that). Most of us study at least 2 languages, so that means we have at least 6 exams to get through, on top of other assignments and essays. Steer well clear of final years students studying 3 languages, as they’ve got 12 exams to contend with. No matter what you study, we can probably beat you in the I’ve-got-more-exams contest.

2. ‘Yeah, but speaking and listening aren’t REAL exams, are they?’

This is probably the quickest way to end a friendship with a linguist.

3. ‘Shouldn’t you spend less time complaining about work and more time doing it?’

We can’t deny this is true, but we’ll resent you for making us feel bad about it. We like to talk things over and beat about the bush for a few days before we actually do anything, a habit that some of us intensified during our years abroad in latin countries).

4. ‘But you’re fluent in the language anyway right? Your exams will be so easy!’

Trust me, being fluent in a language has nothing to do with being able to pass an exam in it. Just try sitting an exam in English and you’ll see what we mean.

5. ‘You can’t really revise for languages exams can you? You either know it or you don’t right?’

Okay, so when it comes to the exam we will forget every piece of vocabulary we’ve panic-learnt during the night before, but we’re going to do it anyway and we’d rather not be reminded that it might all be for nothing.

6. ‘So have you got a job lined up?’

On our year abroad we generally pick up the travel-bug and most of us are planning on taking a gap year or ten before getting what our parents might consider to be ‘proper’ job, but that doesn’t mean we might not be feeling a bit stressed about it, and it’s the last thing we want to think about during exam time.

7.’What are you going to do for money?’

By all means ask us about our travel plans (our favourite form of procrastination), but don’t ask us how we’re planning on paying for them. We almost certaintly haven’t got that far.

8. ‘Do you want to come to the pub?’

YES. We love being around people, and locking ourselves away in the library is slowly killing us. But our 6 exams won’t let us, so please stop tormenting us now.

9. ‘Everything’s going to be okay’