Advice on work experience

[limestone]

Hi,

Few days ago,I was offered a position as an assistant to head of Finance Dept. in an Industrial Infrastructure Development Firm, a medium-size subsidiary of a State-owned Corporation (of the biggest corporation in my country).

As it is a domestic firm, my boss cannot speak English very well. I intend to work for it a few years before applying for my MBA. The job itself is great in many aspects.

My question:
Is it hurt my application when my recommenders cannot speak English fluently?

If someone is working for a domestic firm and his boss/supervisor cannot speak English well, can he or she take letters of recommendation in his/her native language then have them translated at laws firms/ notarization offices into English?
After that, he or she send the notarized and translated version together with the in-native-language original letters of recommendation to Adcom.

Thanks,
Limestone.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear limestone,

It does not impact the applicant if the recommender does not speak English. You do need to make arrangements though, like you have noted in your post, to have recommendations translated into English before submission. One way is as you note below. However, since most recommendations are done electronically, meaning sent and received through an online portal, you might need to make other plans when the time comes. For instance, your recommender can work with someone who is fluent in English to translate the answers prior to inputting them into the online application--that person just can't be you.

Good luck,
Lisa