English Listening Practice B2–C1: Building Talent Instead of Just Hiring It

 

Vocabular 1

A. Impressive (adjective) [French: impressionnant]: Very good or special in a way that makes people admire you. Example: She gave an impressive presentation to the international team. (Elle a fait une présentation impressionnante devant l’équipe internationale.)

B. Sing decently (verb expression) [French: chanter assez bien]: To sing reasonably well, but not exceptionally well. Example: My brother can sing decently, but he prefers playing the guitar. (Mon frère chante assez bien, mais il préfère jouer de la guitare.)

C. Spectacular (adjective) [French: spectaculaire]: Extremely impressive, beautiful, or exciting. Example: We enjoyed a spectacular view from the top of the mountain. (Nous avons admiré une vue spectaculaire depuis le sommet de la montagne.)

D. Logic might suggest (expression) [French: la logique pourrait laisser penser que]: It seems reasonable to think that something is true. Example: Logic might suggest that higher prices will reduce sales. (La logique pourrait laisser penser que des prix plus élevés feront baisser les ventes.)

E. Iconic (adjective) [French: emblématique]: Very famous and easily recognized by many people. Example: The Eiffel Tower is an iconic symbol of Paris. (La tour Eiffel est un symbole emblématique de Paris.)

F. Undeniable (adjective) [French: indéniable]: Clearly true and impossible to reasonably deny. Example: Her progress in mathematics is undeniable. (Ses progrès en mathématiques sont indéniables.)

G. Mediocre (adjective) [French: médiocre]: Average or below average, not particularly good. Example: The restaurant received mediocre reviews from its customers. (Le restaurant a reçu des avis médiocres de la part de ses clients.)

H. Artistry (noun) [French: talent artistique]: Skill and creativity shown when making or performing something. Example: The artist's artistry is visible in every painting. (Le talent artistique de cet artiste se manifeste dans chaque tableau.)

I. Taboos (plural noun) [French: tabous]: Subjects or actions that society considers unacceptable to discuss or do. Example: The documentary discusses taboos surrounding mental health. (Le documentaire aborde les tabous liés à la santé mentale.)

 

Guide Questions

1. What does the speaker say about people’s singing voices?
2. What does the speaker say about Madonna?

3. Why is Madonna successful?

TRANSCRIPT 1

Some people are naturally born with an impressive singing voice, while others can sing decently but their voices are not spectacular. If we look at Madonna and compare her with other singers who possess more powerful voices, logic might suggest that Madonna should never have been as popular and as iconic as she is today. However, her impact on pop music, particularly on what female pop singers can accomplish, is undeniable. So why has Madonna been so successful despite having a voice that some critics might consider mediocre? It’s because talent alone is not what matters. Throughout her career, Madonna has worked hard not only to improve her voice but also to develop her artistry and public image. She broke taboos for female pop singers. She started trends instead of chasing them. And all this reflects the importance of hard work, continuous learning, and taking risks. (146 words)

Vocabular 2
A. Recruitment practices (plural noun) [French: pratiques de recrutement]: The methods a company uses to find and hire employees. Example: The company changed its recruitment practices to attract more applicants. (L’entreprise a modifié ses pratiques de recrutement pour attirer davantage de candidats.)

B. Emphasize (verb) [French: souligner, mettre l’accent sur]: To show that something is especially important. Example: The teacher used examples to emphasize the importance of teamwork. (L’enseignant a utilisé des exemples pour souligner l’importance du travail d’équipe.)

C. Talent acquisition (noun) [French: acquisition de talents]: The process of finding and hiring suitable employees. Example: Talent acquisition is an important responsibility of the human resources department. (L’acquisition de talents est une responsabilité importante du service des ressources humaines.)

D. Devoting (verb, -ing form) [French: consacrer]: Giving time, effort, or resources to something. Example: She is devoting two hours each evening to her studies. (Elle consacre deux heures chaque soir à ses études.)

E. Recruit (verb) [French: recruter]: To find and hire someone for a job. Example: The hospital plans to recruit ten new nurses. (L’hôpital prévoit de recruter dix nouvelles infirmières.)

F. Trainability (noun) [French: aptitude à être formé]: The ability to learn new skills through training. Example: Trainability is important when hiring people for entry-level positions. (La capacité à acquérir de nouvelles compétences grâce à la formation est importante lors du recrutement pour des postes de débutant.)

G. Screen (verb) [French: présélectionner]: To examine people or things to decide if they qualify. Example: The company uses software to screen job applications. (L’entreprise utilise un logiciel pour présélectionner les candidatures.)

H. Acquire (verb) [French: acquérir]: To gain or obtain something through effort or experience. Example: He hopes to acquire new technical skills this year. (Il espère acquérir de nouvelles compétences techniques cette année.)

I. Struggle (verb) [French: avoir du mal à, peiner à]: To have difficulty doing or achieving something. Example: I struggle to understand people when they speak too quickly. (J’ai du mal à comprendre les gens lorsqu’ils parlent trop vite.)

J. Overlooking (verb, -ing form) [French: négliger, ne pas remarquer]: Failing to notice or consider something important. Example: The manager made a mistake by overlooking an important detail. (Le responsable a commis une erreur en négligeant un détail important.)

Guide Questions
1. What does the speaker say about recruitment process these days?
2. What is the goal of many companies?
3.  is the problem?
4. What does the speaker say about developing skills?

TRANSCRIPT 2

If we look at the world of business, some recruitment practices suggest that companies emphasize acquiring talent over developing it. Many companies focus on talent acquisition rather than devoting sufficient resources to talent development. The goal is to recruit talented people: people who are already good in their fields of expertise. In the recruitment process, companies may prioritize existing skills over trainability. AI software is increasingly being used to screen candidates based on specific criteria, so applicants who do not possess the required skills may be rejected, even if they have the potential to acquire them. This can be a problem because not all of us are born with the abilities needed to become mathematicians, scientists, managers, and engineers. Developing these skills takes years and involves making several mistakes. As a result, companies may struggle to find qualified candidates while overlooking people who could become highly skilled with appropriate training. (153 words)

Vocabular 3

A. Aptitude (noun) [French: aptitude]: A natural ability to learn or do something. Example: She has a natural aptitude for learning foreign languages. (Elle a une aptitude naturelle à apprendre les langues étrangères.)

B. Rise from failure (verb expression) [French: se relever après un échec]: To recover and continue after something goes wrong. Example: After losing the competition, he found the courage to rise from failure. (Après avoir perdu la compétition, il a trouvé le courage de se relever après cet échec.)

C. Ever-changing world (noun phrase) [French: monde en constante évolution]: A world where things change all the time. Example: In an ever-changing world, businesses must adapt to new customer needs. (Dans un monde en constante évolution, les entreprises doivent s’adapter aux nouveaux besoins des clients.)

D. Resilient (adjective) [French: résilient, capable de rebondir]: Able to recover quickly from difficulties or problems. Example: The resilient athlete returned to competition after a serious injury. (L’athlète résilient a repris la compétition après une blessure grave.)

E. Encounter (verb) [French: rencontrer, être confronté à]: To meet or experience someone or something unexpectedly. Example: We may encounter unexpected problems during our journey. (Nous pourrions rencontrer des problèmes inattendus au cours de notre voyage.)

Guide Questions
1. What is the difference between talent and skills?
2. What kinds of people should companies look for? Why?

TRANSCRIPT 3

There is a big difference between talent and skills. Talent can involve natural aptitude, while skills are developed through continuous learning, hard work, commitment, and perseverance. In my opinion, companies should look for people who can learn and are willing to learn. How can you tell if someone can learn something? Simple. Have they learned difficult things in the past? Have they recovered from failure? It takes courage and commitment to rise from failure. Ideally, we want someone who has never failed before, but that is a fantasy. For a company to survive in an ever-changing world, we need more than employees who are already talented. We need resilient employees who can adapt quickly, especially in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. No one is born having already mastered every technology or AI tool they may encounter. People need opportunities to learn and be trained. So, perhaps, companies should give greater priority to talent development while continuing to recruit experienced professionals when necessary. (162 words)

Reference: This article was inspired by Suzanne Lucas’ TED Talk speech. Click here.