Do you speak any foreign languages fluently?
The interviewer wants to know if you speak any foreign languages fluently to see where you could fit in with the agency if hired. The CIA looks for individuals who specialize in a range of languages spoken worldwide, emphasizing Russian, Korean, Mandarin, Chinese, Persian/Farsi, Kurdish, Arabic, Indonesian Dari/Pashto, and Turkish. If you speak any of these languages, you will be looked at favorably in the hiring process and may be eligible to receive a large hiring bonus as an incentive. Even if you do not speak any of the languages mentioned, be sure to list any foreign languages you speak fluently and how and why you learned the languages. If you speak some languages but not fluently, explain what languages you are learning and how close you are to becoming fluent.
If you speak a foreign language fluently, you may be given an exam to test your skills. You want to avoid saying you speak a specific language fluently if you do not. If you only speak a few words or phrases of a different language, that is not considered fluent.
"Yes, I speak Korean and Russian fluently. I learned Korean after marrying my wife, who is from South Korea. She speaks English very well, but I wanted to be able to communicate with her family who does not speak English. I learned Russian as a young child since my father is from Russia, and he wanted me to learn both English and Russian from a young age."
"Yes, I speak Spanish fluently. I learned Spanish while volunteering for a year in South America. I was on a project helping develop communication systems, and everyone only spoke Spanish. I took a three-week intensive course and immersed myself in the community. After that, I was able to speak fluently quite quickly. Now, I am learning Mandarin, but I am not fluent. I hope within the next year I will be speaking fluent Mandarin."
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