AITA for refusing to translate on the spot after my friend keeps using me as his proof he speaks the language?
i’m (19M) fluent in another language because of my family, my friend “jake” (19M) has been “learning” it forever, he knows a few phrases but he’s not conversational. the problem is jake likes people he speaks and then when someone actually starts talking to him, he immediately looks at me to save him.
it started out kind of harmless, we’d be out somewhere, he’d hear someone speaking it and he’d jump in with a sentence. they’d respond normally and he’d just stare at me like “help”. i”d translate a bit to keep it from getting awkward for the strangers.
after it happened a few times i told him please stop doing that like if you want to practice just say you’re learning, dont tell people you speak it and then make it your interpreter, he laughed and acted like i was being dramatic. he said its “good practice” for him and its a “cool skill” for me.
last weekend we’re at a birthday thing at a bar. he meets a couple at the next table, finds out they speak the language and immediately goes “oh i speak that too” then he points at me like “and he does too, we can all talk”
the couple gets excited and starts chatting fast and then he starts doing the thing where he turns to me mid-conversation like “tell them…” as if i’m just there to translate his life. i tried to be chill at first and said in english “im not translating tonight” he kinda ignores me and keeps trying to hand me lines to translate while the couple is just sitting there waiting. so i finally just said to the couple (in their language) “sorry im not translating right now” smiled and walked off to get a drink. jake followed me and was pissed, he said i embarrassed him and made him look like a liar. he said i couldve just helped for 2 minutes and corrected him later.
i told him i have corrected him later multiple times and he keeps putting me on the spot anyway. he says im petty and that friends dont do that to each other.
aita?
