You see the impact of your world language program every day, but the people making decisions about budgets, staffing, and course offerings may not.
You see students move from memorized words and phrases to meaningful communication. You watch them develop confidence, earn the Seal of Biliteracy, pursue advanced coursework, and discover that language proficiency can become an asset in college, careers, and their communities.Continue reading
Written by Hilda Wong
Your workforce directory tells you who speaks another language, but does it tell you who is ready to use it with patients?
A nurse may speak Spanish comfortably, while a scheduler may describe herself as fluent in Mandarin. Those descriptions alone do not establish whether they can explain care instructions, answer detailed questions or recognize when they need language support.
America has a language paradox.
A recent Pew Research Center survey of 3,507 adults found that 78% of Americans believe it is at least somewhat important for children growing up in the United States to learn a language other than English. Yet only 43% of public schools offer world language classes, including just 20% of elementary schools. At the high school level, access rises to 82%, but by then many students have already missed the sustained early learning needed to build meaningful proficiency (nces.ed.gov).
If public support for language education is so strong, why are so many language programs struggling to survive?
The answer may lie in a disconnect between what Americans believe about language learning and how the education system positions, funds, and measures its value.Continue reading
If you want to feel more confident in your English competence and officially certify your proficiency, it is beneficial to learn more about language certificates. English language certificates can help put you into consideration for new, exciting opportunities.Continue reading
Written by Lisa Rice
Your transit organization likely knows how many of your employees identify as bilingual. But when a rider needs an explanation of a service disruption, a paratransit policy or safety instructions, do you know who has the skills to handle it? Are those employees in roles that match the job responsibilities, with the support needed to optimize their potential? Could others be overlooked or underutilized?
A language proficiency assessment measures how well you can use a language in real-life conversations or applications, regardless of how you learned it. Understanding how to prepare for a language proficiency test helps you sharpen your skills and increase your chance of getting a higher score. Since these proficiency-based tests focus on what you can do with a language, practice is more important than memorization. You must dive beyond vocabulary and use strategic preparation to become comfortable in your target language.
“What are you going to do with that?” has become an almost inevitable question for students studying world languages. Traditionally, the assumption has long been that language learning is enriching, but not necessarily practical; culturally valuable but not career oriented.
Recent labor market data tells a different story.
Choosing a language assessment is an important decision. The right test can help educators understand what learners can do, guide instruction, support program goals, and give students meaningful evidence of their language proficiency.
As schools prepare for a new academic year, here are several questions to consider when selecting a language assessment.
Businesses can scale language proficiency testing with a standardized testing framework and consistent proficiency scoring criteria. ACTFL tests evaluate language users on a proficiency scale that ranges from a Novice level to a Superior level. This scoring criteria helps you determine an employee’s precise language capabilities in real-world situations and on a global scale.
AI for language learning is becoming more popular with students because of its easy accessibility and advancements in natural language processing (NLP). From Azure AI Speech and Berlitz to Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, many companies are integrating AI into their language learning platforms because they offer excellent accessibility, personalization, and real-time feedback.
