Speak Spanish?

I always laugh when people apply for a job that states that you need to be "bilingual", but they don't really master the language. "I took Spanish in high school, so I think I can do it"... WRONG!! ha,ha,ha
In college, a high school friend always would call or text me asking how to say certain things in Spanish. I started to wonder why she had so much interest in learning the language all of the sudden. Who knows? Maybe she was visiting in Mexico and needed some assistance! ...in reality, she applied and got a job at a bank claimed that she was "bilingual". She took 2 years of basic Spanish and dated a Hispanic guy for two months; how experienced in the language can you really be to have a job that depends on communicating in Spanish??


To be honest, I don't think that being "bilingual" is all you need to be in order to work in an environment where connecting with the Spanish-speaking market is essential. Bilingual and bi-cultural is really what you need to be. Speak the language, but understand, appreciate and experience the culture. That will save you from embarrassments and misunderstandings. 


Want an example of what can go wrong? 
...you could be responsible for this:

New York Daily News Uses Cuban Flag On Puerto Rican Day Parade Ad

Source: HuffingtonPost.com