Irish vet fails computerised English oral test, despite being fluent

Call it a case of lost in translation if you like, but Australian English has given one Irish vet quite the headache.

Louise Kennedy, a vet who has been working in Queensland, Australia, but is originally from Wicklow, Ireland, failed an English fluency test despite being native in the language, according to the Irish Independent.

In Australia, skilled migrants need to complete an English proficiency test in order to apply for permanent residency.

Kennedy opted for the Pearson Test of English to prove her language ability, which has an oral component that is scored by a computer.

But to her surprise the oral part of the exam returned a 74, when she needed a 79 to attain the highest level in the test, which would have given her extra points on her visa application.

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"It was even such a pain to have to take the whole day of work to do the test and then be told I can't speak English," she told the newspaper.

Kennedy believes there is a fault with the voice recognition system used to score the test, who described it as "very, very easy."

Pearson, the company which runs the the test, told the Australian Associated Press that there were no problems with its computer-based tests or its scoring system. According to AAP, other providers of English tests in Australia all use human assessors.

It's not the only country looking to voice recognition to help aid with the migration process.

German authorities unveiled plans to use the technology in March to help identify and verify the dialects of asylum seekers, despite concerns that it wasn't perfect.

Fortunately for Kennedy, she has another visa to fall back on, which is more expensive than the skilled migrant visa she originally opted for. She's also been given the chance to take the test again.

But for future migrants, the eventual switch to automation in the visa application process could add more stress on what is already a not-so-easy affair.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated 79 was the score needed to "pass." It is in fact the score to fulfill the highest level, Superior, in the test. 65 is the minimum score required by the Australian government.