How much extra prep for case interviews in a different language?

Hello,

I think what Dennis mentioned is really important - especially on the part on business terms.

The terms that you might use in the consulting interview, especially business terms are really not ‘everyday’ terms. This is also applicable to industry specific terms.

• I did a project once in China, and even though I studied mandarin for ~12 years in school, I still struggled because industry/client specific terms like ‘viscosity’ or ‘throughput’ weren't something that comes up in everyday use :)

As for the specific timeframe, I don't think anyone can give you an estimation because as others have said it really depends on your baseline. What we could give you is several actions/steps that will help you get more comfortable with working in a different language

1. Find a list of common business terms and be familiar with their translation
2. Start practicing cases with someone in that second language
3. Go back on the previous cases you've already completed in English, and run through them in your head in the second language

All the best!

Hi there,

Q: What steps/timeframe would you suggest to comfortably be ready, and how many live cases in the second language would be necessary?

For steps: the easiest approach is to find partners in your local language (you should be able to do so in the case partner section on PrepLounge by selecting your target language).

For timeframe and live cases: it depends on your current fluency level, so it is not possible to provide an exact answer without more information. If your level is good, 5-10 cases in the target language could be enough, you can do more if you see you are still struggling after that.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

You need to remember here that everyone is different. So:

Number of cases: The number that you need to feel comfortable!

Timeframe: The amount of time until you feel comfortable.

How can you get ready?

1. Start casing in that language ASAP
2. Start reading articles every day in that language (BCG insights, mckinsey insights, etc.)
3. Grab all the key business terminology across your cases and make sure you know it in this different language

Good luck!

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• Given that you mentioned you are fluent in the language and familiar with business terms, I would advise you to dedicate around 1-3 weeks to prepare for case study interviews in that language.
• As such, I highly advise you to start practicing case studies in that language immediately, and to read and speak the language as much as possible over the course of the next weeks. When it comes to the number of case studies to practice, I would advise you to practice as many to feel confident and comfortable in the interview.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

What is your level of proficiency in that second language? Are you fluent? Do you know business and technical terms in that language already? 

The question you are asking does not allow for a useful answer unfortunately. It depends on a variety of factors. If you are pretty fluent and you can navigate business lingo, I'd say do one or two cases with someone in that language and see how that goes and if you still feel “completely ready”. If not, it becomes a function of how fast you can ramp up your language skills.

Hi there, 

It really depends on how effective is your command of the other language. My expectation is that if you control it as well as the primary language, 5-10 live sessions should be sufficient. 

The most important point is to get the confidence that you can navigate both languages comfortably. Additionally, it helps to know the business terms in both languages so you don't end up stumbling over your own words.

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

That is a great question and I can relate to that.

I remember that I had a ton of projects with English-speaking clients at McKinsey and then after two years, I was working with a German client for the first time.

You would guess that since German is my native tongue it would have been business as usual but it took me a couple of meetings to adjust and get into the German top-down presentation/Pyramid Principle communication and it felt uncomfortable initially.

The same applies to case interviews. You want to reduce any cognitive load that does not contribute to thinking about and solving the problem.

Communication should not be an additional burden and come naturally. Hence, practice as much as possible with partners and on your own in drills with your interview language.

Trust me, this makes a huge difference!

All the best,

Florian