Meet a Language Superhero: Gabby Clark

Gabby Clark

The 2019 survey commissioned by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) titled “Making Languages Our Business,” reveals that the demand for employees with foreign language skills is rapidly growing, and nine out of ten employers rely on employees with language skills other than English (p. 3).

As the report states: “A command in multiple languages is a valuable asset for U.S. students and employees–not only in boosting their marketability in the workplace, but in helping them thrive in a global economy.” (p. 3) In other words, multilingualism gives you a special power: a power to communicate in another language, a power to better understand other cultures, a power to earn college credit, and a power to advance professionally.

Every year, thousands of professionals take the ACTFL language assessments with LTI to certify their language skills and use the official credentials to showcase their multilingualism. One of these professionals is Gabby Clark, a Scholars Program Coach at JetBlue. Gabby, a 10-year veteran at JetBlue, has had a successful career and leveraged her multilingualism to not only advance professionally but also to earn college credit and connect with her Guatemalan family.

We hope you take the time to read Gabby’s story and get inspired to get your language skills certified.

Click to read and/or download Gabby’s story: Gabby-Clark-story

Mitigating Conflict and Fostering Mutual Understanding with Language Proficiency

three professionals having a discussion at a table

At Language Testing International, we have seen countless ways in which language proficiency skills alone have benefited our customers in their professional, academic, and even in their personal lives. However, when a person’s language proficiency skills are combined with cultural competency, the value that person brings to the table grows exponentially. A culturally competent person with the ability to effectively communicate in another language can help create understanding or even mitigate potential conflicts.

In a recent episode of LTI’s “Language Is Your Superpower” podcast, Marcos Vilar, the Founder of the non-profit organization ALIANZA Center, discussed the value of combining cultural competency with language proficiency, “because the next step after language is understanding all the cultural nuances that are behind a language.”  Marcos Vilar was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland United States when he was a teenager. Today, he also runs Vilar Strategies, a public relations consulting practice in Orlando, FL, which serves clients in strategic planning, community advocacy, and not-for-profit organizational development and management.

Marcos has led major efforts to activate Latino civic engagement at a national and local level and created a coalition of Latino-led organizations dedicated to increasing Latino participation in the electoral process in key states. His language proficiency in both English and Spanish and life experiences that have afforded him competency in both Puerto Rican and American cultures, have uniquely positioned him to help navigate and mediate various interactions between his native island of Puerto Rico and the continental United States.

One example of this was when Vilar was “hired by the National Association of Realtors and by the Puerto Rico Association of Realtors, to basically rebuild and reconstruct their organization that had gone through some troubled times. And they needed somebody in there that could understand the American way of doing business at the National Association and someone who could understand the Puerto Rican way of doing business—the Puerto Rican Association of Realtors.” Both the National Association of Realtors and the Puerto Rican Association of Realtors are the same association. However, Vilar explained that “the two different cultures of those two bodies, which are related, (one is an affiliate of the other) are completely different.”

Marcos provided more context for the differences between these two groups: “they’re basically formed in a legal framework from two different legal ways or legal tendencies, the Roman law and the British law. All of the romance languages; Spain, France, Italy, all of those countries … they have the legacy of the Roman law. And the Roman law is very prescribed. If it’s not written down specifically, it’s not a law, and there’s very little room for interpretation,” On the other hand, Marcos differentiates that “the British law is much more condensed, much more general … it leaves a lot more space for interpretation. … It’s flexible. It adapts to the condition and the time.”

You might now be thinking to yourself, “I thought we were talking about language and culture, not legal frameworks.” To expound on this, Marco gave the example that “we in the United States speak English. And that is a language, but it’s also a legal system, a legal psychological construct of how we do business. It’s all set up in law. And how we set up law in language and how the language works even, all of that plays into the cultural context that that individual and that society brings into any scenario.”

Marcos was aware of these legal and linguistic constructs, “having lived in the United States for so long, having experience with both cultures in a very profound way, being that [I] studied here in the United States, but also having grown up in Puerto Rico.” This “gave [me] a lot of tools to be able to navigate and negotiate between the association in Puerto Rico and the association at the national level.” Through this and other similar experiences, Vilar stated that he “learned a lot and became aware, in a much deeper sense, of all of those nuances, that it’s not just linguistic, but it’s also cultural.”

As we shared before, language proficiency skills on their own are extremely valuable. But when language proficiency is combined with cultural competency, whether learned naturally through one’s upbringing or through one’s life experiences—or both in Vilar’s case—those language proficiency skills can yield a deeper level of understanding, create situational context, and even help mitigate potential conflicts!

 

To learn more about Marcos Vilar’s story, tune into our most recent podcast.

Diversity of Hispanic Leadership

volunteer giving presentation

The values and cultural preferences of individuals who identify as Hispanic are unique and distinct. So does the concept of leadership—what it should look like, sound like, and how it should be represented by Hispanic leaders in their communities. The diversity that exists within the Latino population means that leaders must use certain skillsets and engage differently. Different doesn’t mean any less proficient, less productive, or less impactful. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

In a recent Language is Your Superpower podcast, guest Marcos Villar, Executive Director of ALIANZA, a civic organization in Florida aimed at uniting the Puerto Rican and Hispanic community, stated, “We don’t prescribe [sic] to the idea that our community does not have leaders. We are surrounded by leaders everywhere…sometimes they don’t fit the leadership structure of a particular area (i.e., local government, region, etc.).” In the realm of leadership development, ALIANZA works with the community to encourage them to exercise tu voz or “your voice” by supporting better understanding of their individual and collective roles in social, economic, and environmental justice movements in the Latino and broader community. Three (3) attributes that you may find in Hispanic leaders that are directly linked to their diverse backgrounds are:

  • Linguistic diversity and proficiency: Many Hispanics are bilingual (English and Spanish) or Spanish dominant, and they may or may not be linguistically proficient in navigating the regional or local landscape in which they may want to lead, irrespective of their command of English. A language difference does not equate to a leadership deficiency. Rather, it may require identifying the leadership qualities of the Spanish speaker and helping them learn how to communicate effectively within an English dominant environment.
  • Culturally diverse backgrounds and upbringing: Latinos, Hispanics, or people that self-identify as Latinx connect to the cultural norms, beliefs, and way of living of the greater Hispanic population, but also to the subcultures of which they are a part. For example, Hispanics from the northeastern region of the U.S. such as New York or Chicago who are first, second, or third generation born in the U.S. have lived experiences that seamlessly integrate both cultures. In comparison, Hispanics that recently moved to the mainland U.S. may not thoroughly command the English language and cultural nuances, including those of other Latinos they meet. Hispanic culture is not monolithic, rather it is culturally rich and linguistically diverse in its dialects, interpretation of context, and social norms, which is influenced by each individual’s country of origin, unique personal experiences, and socioeconomic status. So, once newcomers learn how to navigate their new communities here in the U.S., culturally and linguistically, their contributions to society are felt even more.
  • A passion for serving people: A collective and underlying belief of many Hispanics is that enhancing the life of one is to enhance the life of all, to serve one is to serve all and that when I benefit, we all benefit. That belief often drives their passion to serve.

Regardless of their nationality or heritage, natural leaders acquire the necessary attributes to serve their communities as they are exposed to opportunities which help groom them into becoming great leaders. Such is the case of Maribel Gomez Cordero, a County Commissioner in Central Florida who is a social worker that “currently is the bridge and the voice that connects the County with the Community” (Orange County, FL Board of Commissioners, 2021, para. 7). She has become well known in the community for her years of unselfish advocacy and work with the homeless, the Hispanic community, and people in need. Due to her work in the community with the homeless and with faith-based organizations, she decided to run for Commissioner. Her first attempt was unsuccessful, but she remained determined in her unwavering desire to serve her community. Eventually, she was successful in her civic pursuit to becoming a County Commissioner as continued to become more proficient in English.  She now uses her language superpower to translate county-related communications from English into Spanish to ensure that her community is aware and understands what is going on. Marcos Villar stated, “She is a nonstop warrior for her community.”

With leadership, there is no “one size fits all” and that is also true for the diversity you will see and experience with Hispanic leaders. The combination of linguistic proficiency, understanding of culture and diversity, and passion for serving others that they have adds value to conventional leadership norms, and heightens the breadth and scope of their positive impact in American society.

Want to know more? Tune into our recent podcast with Marcos Vilar.

Leveraging Language Proficiency to Engage Larger Audiences

woman gazing into a screen filled with images of people

Community leaders are utilizing language proficiency to engage larger audiences in today’s connected world.

Since its inception in 1992, Language Testing International (LTI) has become a leader in administering language proficiency tests in more than 120 languages and in over 60 countries. While LTI has understood the importance of language proficiency skills since day one, over the past nearly-three decades, we have seen the “power” of language grow exponentially.

Think about it this way: 1992 pre-dates public access to the World Wide Web, mass use of email, the dot com bubble, social media, and the globally connected society we now live in today. The services LTI offers didn’t just adapt to fulfill the language testing needs caused by these shifts—they have become increasingly more valuable.

In a recent episode of LTI’s “Language Is Your Superpower” podcast, guest Marcos Vilar, the Executive Director of the non-profit ALIANZA organization, shared, “the world is becoming smaller, in the sense that we have the opportunity to travel, to engage, and, since the Internet, you really don’t have to travel to engage,” Vilar stated, “sometimes you can use these artificial intelligence translators … technology to translate what you’re saying. But there’s nothing like sitting in front of a person, or even screen-to-screen, and being able to engage in their language.”

Marcos Vilar, a native of Puerto Rico, moved to the mainland United States at the age of 14. He has worked in Washington, D.C. in government, labor, and non-profit settings. In Chicago, Illinois he worked as a high school teacher, and in Florida as a consultant for several organizations in the non-profit and electoral sectors. Today, he also runs his own business, Vilar Strategies, a public relations consulting practice in Orlando, FL. His clients rely on his linguistic and cultural competencies to plan strategies, create legislative and advocacy campaigns, formulate issue campaigns and electoral campaigns, as well as conduct not-for-profit organizational development and management. Their goals are to activate Latino civic engagement at a national and local level and create a coalition of organizations that work together to increase Latino civic participation in key states. And Marcos is just the person to help accomplish these goals.

While some people may associate having a noticeable accent with negative connotations, Vilar explained how that is an outdated way of thinking in today’s globally connected world, and how an accent is merely a sign of aperson’s “language superpower.” “My accent is my asset, not my liability,” Vilar said. “It means I speak two languages, or three, or four. That means that you can speak to and relate to more people than a person who only speaks one language. It means that I don’t have to force people to come to me in my language. I can share my thoughts, and my ideas, and my knowledge to you in either language.”

Marcos knows first-hand that “the byproduct of having two [languages] is that you talk a little bit funny or your talk a little bit different.” However, his experience has taught him that his accent is “just a byproduct of something that is huge, and is powerful, and is valuable when it comes to communications, because the name of the game today is communication; being able to get your message and get your thoughts out to as many people as possible.” To put it simply, he explains, “if you can do it in two languages, you’re going to be that much more successful. You’re just going to have a bigger audience—more people that you can reach.”

That is why, now, nearly thirty years after we first opened our doors here at LTI, the importance of language has remained a constant, but the power of language keeps getting stronger. This leaves us with just one question for you: Are you utilizing your language superpower as a community or business leader?

Want to know more about Marcos Vilar’s story? Tune into our most recent podcast.

Learning from AAPPL Results

teenager at computer with headset on

I cried real tears the first time I received my students’ AAPPL scores. I had much to celebrate: great accomplishments on the Interpretive components, with several students obtaining scores high enough for our state’s Seal of Biliteracy, and those “surprise kids” performing better than expected. But they weren’t just the happy kind of tears; for every 10 celebrations there was one rating that would break my heart.

I’ve come to learn from other language teachers that this is a common phenomenon. As teachers, we become so personally invested in our students’ success that ratings on a test can feel like an indictment of our worth as a teacher. I’ve learned it’s important to stay away from that trap and instead use the results not as a badge of honor but as a way to improve our own professional practices.

I wasn’t sure if my students would do well the first time they took the AAPPL, but I felt very confident going into the Presentational Writing component. So, when I first saw one of my best writer’s score come back lower than anticipated, I had an immediate feeling of teacher-effectiveness crisis combined with the dread of having to deliver news to a kid I had showered with writing praise for over a year. The one skill I thought I taught well was writing and now the AAPPL results showed that things were not going as well as I had assumed.

That would have been the end of the story of that year’s testing if not for the encouragement of my instructional coach, the individual in charge of AAPPL administration in my district. She encouraged me to examine the students’ writing samples to look for commonalities between those that had received low scores, differences between high and low scores, and the characteristics of the high scores. I felt that it was not a helpful task since I was well versed in the ACTFL proficiency ranges. I assumed I knew the characteristics of Intermediate Low writing already. But I quickly learned two major things from the AAPPL results and from my review of the student samples that revitalized, refocused, and redefined my practices as a language teacher.

The fact that the AAPPL allowed me to review the samples after being rated was transformative. I was able to see the submitted work and the ratings, and a lot can be learned if you carefully review and compare. My instructional coach recommended I look for patterns—focusing on things I see repeatedly and the things that appear to be missing.

My biggest takeaway was that my students were weak in first person narrative writing. That made little sense to me until I thought about what we did in Spanish 3 and Spanish 4; we used novels and 3rd person storytelling heavily. The students were very skilled in writing about others and describing sequences of events but not strong in explaining their own experiences. Novels and storytelling are great for expanding vocabulary, learning structures, and getting exposure to culture. However, I learned from the AAPPL results that I didn’t infuse enough first-person narrative within those practices.

The other major weakness I saw from looking at the results was in direct second person informal communication in the form of emails or letters; my students could write about others but not necessarily to others. This surprised me because I figured they would apply the same structures we used in interpersonal communication practice. However, since I didn’t ever have them practice those structures specifically through writing, their lack of the ability to apply second person informal forms resulted in significant communication difficulties and possibly contributed to lower than expected scores.

It was also helpful to see that some of my talented writers only offered 3 or 4 sentences for advanced level prompts. Even though the writing samples they provided were crystal clear in terms of intelligibility— they didn’t demonstrate that they could string together paragraph level discourse. This boiled down to an effort issue. The students had assumed that perfect but brief production was sufficient and discounted the importance of “showing off” all of their writing skills. I now emphasize the importance of doing this in my teaching.

My practice as a teacher today is more well-rounded than it was prior to AAPPL testing. Learning from the results and examining patterns in the student samples have helped me understand how students apply their communicative modes and the range of their proficiency. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have those AAPPL samples matched with scores and grateful for the opportunity to have the data, which allows me to grow and learn.

“My accent is my asset”

woman asking another woman for directions

There is often a misconception about people who speak English as their second language. If they have strong accents, they are often perceived as having a reduced ability to communicate or their level of intelligence is questioned. Let’s consider instead that if a person speaks with an accent or does not fully command English, that means he or she may actually possess richer experiences. In our most recent podcast with Marcos Villar, Executive Director of ALIANZA, he explains it this way: “It means I speak two languages, or three, or four. That means that you can speak to and relate to more people than a person who only speaks one language. It means that I don’t have to force people to come to me in my language. I can share my thoughts, and my ideas, and my knowledge to you in either language.” In the podcast, Marcos shares the story of Johanna Lopez, District 2 School Board Member in Orange County Florida, who doesn’t see an accent as a deficit. She declares, “My accent is my asset.”

This declaration has resonated with many, like Johanna, who are non-native English speakers trying to navigate their lives in an English-dominant environment. A native of Puerto Rico, Johanna has a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and holds a Master of Arts in Higher Education from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico. Despite her academic accomplishments and career as a teacher, when she moved to Central Florida after a difficult divorce, she could not practice as a teacher at the time due to the language barrier. As a single mother supporting her children, she took a job in the restaurant industry until such time that her English proficiency improved and she was able to obtain her certification as a teacher. Since then, Johanna has served as an Advanced Placement Spanish Teacher for over 19 years and earned the distinction of Orange County Public Schools’ 2017 Teacher of the Year.

While Johanna’s teaching career, leadership opportunities, and language proficiency have evolved, her Puerto Rican accent has prevailed. Her accent is not something that holds her back or anything to be embarrassed about. It is a signal to others that, while she may come from a different place, she has cultural and linguistic competencies that are becoming a necessity in the U.S., and she can accomplish great things. The accent is not a deterrent but rather a motivator for her as she serves her community and leads various regional initiatives. According to Marcos Villar, the “accent is just a byproduct of being able to speak two languages and reach a bigger audience.”

As society becomes more diverse and other languages, such as Spanish, become more mainstream, the benefits of being proficient in speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension in more than one language become more valuable. The stereotypical assumptions associated with having an accent are shifting such that what  once may have been perceived as a deficit is now considered an asset. In a recent conversation with Marco Villar, Lisa March, Host of the Language is Your Superpower podcast stated, “Having an accent doesn’t necessarily preclude you from having some of the most important jobs in your company, in your community, in the world. You can be someone that makes a huge difference.”

So, if you have an accent, celebrate it, and own it. Be like Johanna Lopez and proclaim, “My accent is my asset.”

Tune into our podcast with Marcos Villar to learn more.

#LTI #language #languageproficiency #PuertoRico #accent #leadership #diversity #superpower #bilingual

Multilingual Community Members Become Community Leaders

diverse group of women discussing an issue, sitting in circle

Culturally proficient outreach efforts help create equitable pathways for community members to become community leaders.

At Language Testing International, we have seen many esteemed community leaders and elected officials utilize their language proficiency skills in their communication and outreach efforts. When combined with integrity, cultural competency, and authentic respect for the communities they are engaging, their dual- or multi-language skillsets continually prove to be valuable assets for these individuals and the members of the communities they serve.

Unfortunately, many marginalized communities are not as engaged as they could be during the most pivotal moments, such as elections. Oftentimes, language and cultural obstacles stand between them and the candidates for office they need to choose, and they cannot fully engage in the electoral processes that directly affect them. Lack of voice often leads to a lack of fair and/or adequate representation for the needs and wellbeing of those marginalized communities.

So, how do we, as a democracy, change that?

In some of these instances, the best chance for real representation of marginalized communities is to have a few members from that community step up to be that representation. However, with all the uphill battles and inequities that marginalized communities statistically face, these efforts can be far more successful and equitable with outside help and support from others who have navigated these linguistically and culturally diverse spaces.

Someone who knows this first-hand is Marcos Vilar, who joined us on a recent episode of LTI’s “Language Is Your Superpower” podcast. “Civic engagement is one of the most important things in a democracy, when we want to make sure that all of our needs as members of a society have an equal place, and an equal voice, and an equal opportunity to have the benefits of our government,” said Marcos. “We all pay taxes. We should all have a little bit of a say, and a way to say how those taxes should be used. And that’s what I think makes this country so unique and so attractive to so many people from around the world. And when we’re talking about around the world, we’re talking about languages, right?”

Marcos Vilar was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland United States at the age of 14. Today, he runs Vilar Strategies, a public relations consulting practice in Orlando, FL which serves clients in strategic planning, legislative and advocacy campaigns, issue campaigns, electoral campaigns, and not-for-profit organizational development and management. Vilar led major efforts to activate Latino civic engagement at a national and local level, creating a coalition of organizations working together to increase Latino civic participation in key states.

In his work as the Executive Director for ALIANZA, Marcos “seeks to unite the Hispanic population in the state of Florida and develop leaders from within the community.” He helps identify individuals within Hispanic communities who are engaged and motivated to become the voice of and for their people. He spoke to LTI about two selfless community members, Johanna Lopez, an Orange County Public Schools Board Member, and Maribel Cordero, the Orange County Commissioner, about their inspiring stories and how he supported them in their efforts to rise to the prominent positions they now hold in Orange County, FL.

The power of language allowed these leaders to skillfully navigate and communicate in large Hispanic communities in both English and Spanish during their campaigns, broadening their audience of prospective voters. Marcos took it upon himself to lead outreach efforts to support these two women. They care deeply about their local Puerto Rican community in Central Florida and decided to become leaders in the local Hispanic community at large. They created platforms that provide an opportunity for them to represent and advocate for their neighbors in an impactful way.

“Our work in ALIANZA is identifying people like them,” Marcos Vilar said. “And there’s [sic] people like them in all walks of life, right? These are like super activists, people who give themselves to the community, who really take their role [seriously]… I think they are legacy people, who live life because they came here for a purpose, right? And they understand that life has purpose with it. And so, I think there’s a lot of folks like that in our community. And sadly, sometimes there’s not an opportunity or there’s not the light shining on all the people who are like that in our community.”

Vilar noted that “there are probably hundreds, maybe thousands of stories like [Johanna’s and Maribel’s] out there, probably even tens of thousands of stories like theirs out there in the community of people who are doing things. We don’t know them all. We seek them, we find some of them, and with the ones that we find, we try to build better, and we try to build for the future in any area.”

It takes all our participation to make sure everyone has a fair shot at exercising their leadership. So, who are the hidden bilingual gems in your community, or in your company or department? Have you engaged with and supported them? Who can you help be an advocate and help guide  toward and through more equitable pathways to success? If language and/or cultural barriers exist, how can you help bridge that gap, and bring everyone to the table to expand your audiences?

Listen to Marcos’s story on our most recent podcast.

 

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-in-2020/why-minority-voters-have-a-lower-voter-turnout/

It’s not as simple as Spanish + English = Spanglish

What is Spanglish? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Spanglish (Span·​glish | \ ˈspaŋ-glish) is various combinations of Spanish and English, which is primarily “Spanish marked by numerous borrowings from English.” Often used by multilingual Spanish speakers, it “comes after learning one’s native language,” by those that are integrated into both Spanish and English-speaking communities but may not involve the complete integration into either one, but rather a hybrid of both cultures through verbal encounters (Berly, 2019, para. 1). Spanglish has become known as a mixed, creole or “non-standard form of either language” [Spanish or English] with regional variations based on who is speaking it, where it is spoken, the cultural idioms and phrases used, as well as the context in which it is being spoken. For example, the Spanglish that may be spoken by Mexican Americans in California (often referred to as Tex-Mex and Chicano), differs in linguistic structure from the one spoken by Cuban Americans in Florida, often referred to as Cubonics. This serves as evidence that English + Spanish = more than just Spanglish, but that it is a linguistic expression and anthropological journey that for many Spanglish speakers is a part of their identity (Hernandez, 2004).

Test Your Language Skills Here

As a result of the mixing of English and Spanish as well as the regional variations, there is an ongoing debate regarding the “legitimacy” of Spanglish as a language. Initially viewed as slang or a degradation of either the English or Spanish language by some researchers, linguists and Spanish experts view it as a bicultural, cross-pollination of the two.

The primary components of a legitimate language involve borrowing and code-switching. In research conducted by Amy Hernandez, MA (2004) titled Spanglish: A Study of The Features of Bilingual Speakers in Georgia, she states  “For a combination of two languages to be considered a new language, borrowing must occur, but not simply in the lexicon. Structural features such as phonological, phonetic, syntactic, and sometimes (though rarely) morphological elements must also be borrowed” (Thomason & Kaufman, 1988). Aligned with borrowing is code switching, which entails the speaker’s sociolinguistic understanding and cultural exposure as it relates to their social setting, the context variables, and ability to use language to communicate. In other words, the bilingual capabilities of Spanglish speakers go beyond their linguistic skills, but also include the multicultural understanding they possess to navigate their respective Spanish, English, and Spanglish cultures.

Language and culture are huge components of one’s identity. It speaks to who we are as individuals and as part of our community. As a result, Spanish + English ≠ Spanglish. It is so much more! The point is that language is a fluid code system, and Spanglish speakers may have varying levels of proficiency in each language. Testing the proficiency in both English and Spanish can give a person insight into his/her proficiency level and certify his/her language skills.

If you want to test your language proficiency and obtain a formal and legally defensible certification of your proficiency, visit LTI at www.languagetesting.com.

 

Sources:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/

https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/hernandez_amy_m_200408_ma.pdf

https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/opinion-and-interviews/spanglish-validity-spanglish-language

https://sloap.org/journals/index.php/irjmis/article/view/842

The Gift of Language Proficiency Certification this Holiday Season

boss shaking employee's hand, congratulatingThe spirit of giving is in the air as the holiday season approaches. What better way can you show your employees that you care about their futures than by giving them the gift of language proficiency certification? Whether you are in academia, healthcare, hospitality, construction, technology (or any another industry), we are experiencing demographic shifts and linguistic diversity in the business world. These changes require us to have a good understanding of how to utilize our team’s bilingual skills by not only investing in employees, but also by enhancing customer satisfaction and our ability to capture market share.

As you plan your holiday gift giving in your organization, consider providing your multilingual employees the opportunity to obtain a language proficiency certificate. The value that multilingual employees bring to businesses is undeniable as the data from a research study conducted by ACTFL called “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers,” show. Here are four benefits you can bring to your business by gifting your employees with language proficiency certification.

1. It creates pathways for career advancement for multilingual staff.

Approximately 34% of employees reported a foreign language gap when asked if their employees could meet their foreign language needs. Therefore, to fill the gap, consider language proficiency testing, tracking, and training as a critical component of an employee’s professional development plan.

2. It empowers your team to engage non-English speaking customers.

Communicate, engage, and interact with your customers in their preferred language to build brand awareness and loyalty. Over 58% of employers reported that their employees communicated in a foreign language both externally with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders as well as internally with fellow coworkers. The demand is there by non-English speaking customers, you just need to empower your team with the language skills to fulfill that need.

3. It allows you to utilize the skills of your multilingual staff and grow your global market share.

“With a five-year outlook, employers in the healthcare and social assistance sector are the most likely to expect an increase in demand (64 percent), followed by employers in trade (59 percent), education services (57 percent), professional and technical services (55 percent) and construction (54 percent).” (ACTFL, pg. 4). And there are no signs of those trends slowing down – so, empower your multilingual staff to strengthen your company’s connection with your local customers and community while growing your market share globally.

4. It incentivizes multilingual employees by certifying their language skills.

With ACTFL language certification delivered through LTI, your multilingual employees will have an opportunity to validate their level of language proficiency in over 120 languages. This certification not only boosts their confidence in their current roles, it but also enhances their communication skills both locally and abroad. 97% of U.S. employers reported using foreign language capacity domestically and 54% deployed them overseas. So, if your organization isn’t currently utilizing the skills of multilingual employees, it is likely that your competition is. Incentivize your multilingual employees by certifying their language skills.

The season of giving is upon us, and language proficiency is a gift that keeps on giving…to your employees, customers, and community. Get your bilingual and multilingual staff members language proficiency certification this holiday season!

 

Source: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2019). Lead with Languages. Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers, https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/report

Recognizing The Importance of In-Culture and In-Industry Language Proficiency

Business woman interviewing for a job

Many companies would agree that possessing the ability to communicate with diverse audiences, potential customers, or clients, and even with potential investors or strategic partners in more than one language is a valuable asset to have. After all, 75% of consumers say they’d be more likely to make a purchase from a company that had customer support speak their language1, and 56.2% of consumers reported they’d be willing to pay a higher price if a company provides information in their own language2.

However, companies and in-house HR professionals who have ventured down this path know it’s never easy to find the perfect candidates. On top of all the time it takes to review resumes, and to schedule and conduct the minimum number of interviews required for any job opening, hiring candidates based on their language proficiency presents even more hurdles.

For starters, if the HR representative or hiring manager are not fluent in the language they are hiring for, how do they evaluate the candidate’s proficiency, or their ability to communicate in the language in a professional setting?

Language Testing International (LTI) helps our clients reduce that time by eliminating the guesswork of whether candidates who claim to be fluent truly possess the language skills required for the job. Recent survey results showed that about 60% of all job applicants will overstate their abilities, including language proficiency3. From the start, ACTFL language proficiency assessments delivered by LTI give employers the confidence to know that their candidate, whether they are a new hire or a current employee you want to train from within, has the right level of language proficiency for the role. As the exclusive licensee of the ACTFL assessments, LTI provides opportunities for employers to administer valid and legally defensible tests to measure language proficiency.

Conversely, for the job applicant, verifying their language skills with LTI demonstrates a strong work ethic every employer looks for. Companies seeking to reach customers around the world look favorably on an applicant who is culturally aware and has the required language abilities to help grow their business and generate new revenue. Reports show that bilingual employees can earn up to 20% more than those who speak only one language4.

Celia Patitucci, an HIV educator and tester based out of Central Florida, also advises that it is very important to also become culturally competent in addition to having high proficiency in a language: “It’s not just knowing the language, it’s also knowing the culture.” Knowing the language and the culture of the language you speak go hand in hand.

Celia has worked on the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases for more than five years. In a recent episode of LTI’s podcast LANGUAGE IS YOUR SUPERPOWER, Celia shared key insights with us regarding why it is import for bilingual job candidates to take their language proficiency to a professional level.

“I think that one of the things that people need to do when they speak a second language is also take it to the level of professional speaking. It’s not the same as being able to speak the language,” Celia said. “You should be proficient in a professional setting. You should also be able to write and read it in a professional setting. For example, if somebody speaks Spanish, it doesn’t mean that when it comes to work it translates [the same way]. There’s terminology you need to learn.” She advised, for “somebody that might speak Spanish and wants to advance their career, they should look at what field they’re in and learn that terminology in that language.”

Celia explains that this is important because “sometimes you learn things, and we live here, and we learn that terminology in English. And then, you have to stop and you’re not sure. When you’re in front of your customer or your client or your patient, you have to be able to say those words in Spanish. And you have to be able to use the right terminology, and you have to be able to explain it to them in their language, because, if you’re having to do it in Spanish or Portuguese or Creole, you can’t be going back and forth with Spanglish, because that might confuse your client. So, do your research,” she said. “Just because you speak the language, it doesn’t mean you’re proficient within your field.”

From her own experience, Celia stated, “I’m telling you because that’s one of the first things I had to do is learn this terminology in Spanish. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. That is my first language. But I did not use medical terms in my everyday life in Spanish. So, when I became a tester and when I became a part of the community in this capacity I had to go and look it up. I had to go and look it up and translate and make sense of it, for me first, so I can express it to whoever I was serving at that point.”

There is tremendous value in leveraging ACTFL language certifications delivered by LTI for companies and HR professionals who are looking for qualified candidates, as well as for bi/multi-lingual professionals seeking to advance their careers.

You can provide affordable, valid, and legally defensible language proficiency testing with LTI. Visit www.languagetesting.com to get started.

To learn more about Celia’s story, listen to our podcast here.

References:

1 https://csa-research.com/Blogs-Events/CSA-in-the-Media/Press-Releases/Consumers-Prefer-their-Own-Language

2 https://hbr.org/2012/08/speak-to-global-customers-in-t

3 https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180820-can-you-actually-speak-the-languages-you-list-on-your-cv

4 https://www.schwartzinsgrp.com/blog/the-career-advantages-of-being-bilingual