If you really want to assess how “bi-lingual” an individual is, have them write three paragraphs in both languages. Most will prove to be mono-lingual, if that.
Yep. I’m bilingual, and the number of incompetent teachers out there blocking me and who have no knowledge of my other language is unbelievable. It’s a PC mafya of Union members and foreigners brought in and what not, and most of them do not speak my language well, just a creole version of it that is just ridiculous.
Chances are you will find them to be illiterate in both languages.
That is probably true in a totally educational context, but;
Functional multilingualism depends on constant or frequent use. At one time I was fluent in Spanish and French, when I visited Spain and France once or twice a year, and family members shared the foreign language experience.
After years of non use, the ancillary languages tend to fade, so the "paragraphs test" would tend to fail. However, a week or a few weeks in the foreign environment, and 90% of the original facility is quickly respored. It's not a simple memory-practical use excercise.