What’s one of the biggest worries people have when traveling? Hint: It stops more than 30% of travelers from embracing new and different destinations and accommodations. Booking.com surveyed 20,500 global travelers about various travel topics, including travel ambitions, trip planning habits and biggest fears. Nearly 30% of the people surveyed agreed that one of their […]
Continue readingWhen Miscommunication Turns Deadly: The True Story of Avianca Flight 52
What Happened? In January 1990, Avianca Flight 52 from Bogota, Colombia, to New York City, was running out of fuel on approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Due to weather conditions, the aircraft was kept in a holding pattern prior to landing, even though its fuel situation was critical. The flight crew communicated the […]
Continue readingHow To Improve Communication With Multilingual Patients In Healthcare Environments
The number of foreign language speakers in the United States has increased an impressive 90% since 1990. There are 38.4 million Spanish speakers reported in the US. The next most common language is Chinese, with 3 million speakers, followed by 1.6 million Tagalog speakers, 1.4 million Vietnamese speakers and 1.3 million French speakers. These populations […]
Continue readingThe Importance of Assessing Employee Language Skills for Specific Positions
Note: This post has been updated on April 2, 2024 to reflect the changes to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. How well does one need to be able to speak a language to use that language effectively and appropriately in the workplace? What language tasks does that individual need to accomplish successfully? How accurate must one’s […]
Continue readingLet’s Talk About It, Language Proficiency in the Workplace
We’re operating in a global economy. As a result, competition is far reaching, and companies are increasingly finding themselves at a competitive disadvantage when employees lack the functional language skills needed to do their job. These companies should be considering the following questions; are your employees actually qualified to communicate in another language effectively? How […]
Continue readingExpand Your Company’s Multilingual Talent and Expand Your Global Reach
The time to expand and assess the language proficiency of your employees is now. A recent opinion article in the Training Journal indicated that “language learning will become an integral part of [a] company’s corporate strategy” as a means of improving international negotiations and relationships, as well as internal business operations. This article is part […]
Continue readingLTI celebrates 25 years of language testing expertise
In 1992, Language Testing International (LTI) was founded as a way to bring reliable proficiency testing to a wider audience, and so began our close partnership with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Twenty-five years and almost three million assessments later, LTI is still proud to be the official testing office […]
Continue readingFour Critical Questions To Ask When Choosing a Selection Test
Pre-employment selection tests can be valuable tools, providing vital information about candidates’ applicable knowledge, skills, and abilities before they are offered employment. Ideally, this information will save you time and money by increasing the likelihood that candidates will perform well and stay on the job. To reap these rewards, however, you must carefully weigh your […]
Continue readingDoes Bilingualism in America Threaten the English Language?
English is in no danger of disappearing any time soon; it is firmly established both in America and in countries throughout the world. In fact, no language has ever held as strong a position in the world as English does today. Some people worry when they see Spanish showing up on billboards and pay phones, […]
Continue readingLatest Anti-Discrimination Rules: Language Assistance for Non-English Speakers
On May 18, 2016, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its final rules implementing new anti-discrimination rules for Non-English Speakers within provisions of the Affordable Care Act § 1557. This is the first of several alerts discussing aspects of the new rule. The alert focuses on those provisions requiring language assistance for persons with limited English […]
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