Tag: bilingual

What I Love about ACTFL

It’s always an exciting time right before Thanksgiving…not because of time off, yummy food, and time with family and friends (while those are exciting) but because it means that the Annual ACTFL Convention has arrived! As a district coordinator, my ACTFL week is a bit different from many; my learning starts on Tuesday afternoon. By […]

The Importance of Language in Patient-Centered Care

American medical systems face challenges as demographic shifts result in a growing number of patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The commonality of language and cultural sensitivity are key elements that can facilitate the implementation of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. It is vital that healthcare providers offer translation services in order to respond to patients’ […]

bilingual bilingual employee bilingual employees determining proficiency employee language assessment healthcare hispanic interpreters language in the workplace language testing spanish speakers testing

Mi casa es su casa

The American Dream, a key piece of which is home ownership, is flourishing in Latinx communities all across the nation. By every economic measure, the buying power of Spanish-speaking Americans is skyrocketing to the tune of over $2 trillion. That buying power is most especially manifesting itself in home ownership, evidenced by the statistic that […]

bilingual bilingual employee bilingual employees Bilingual Employees & Job Market determining proficiency employee language assessment employee language skills English speaking test & English Proficiency global expansion language in the workplace language proficiency language testing language testing for positions oral proficiency spanish speakers testing

Minimum Language Requirements Are Not Enough to Keep Our Skies Safe!

A terrifying mid-air collision in 2017 was caused by two international pilot trainees who both lacked basic English language proficiency. One of the pilots was severely injured, the other pilot died. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released a report on the crash that occurred between two flight school airplanes near St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec. The […]

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You May Have to Remain Silent, If You Don’t Understand the Language of Your Arrest

Interactions between police and citizens can either be friendly, community building events, or frightening, emotion-laden, traumatic crises fraught with peril and fear. In either case, communication and process are facilitated when both sides speak the same language. However, given the growing multilingual makeup of U.S. society, there are often differences of language between the police […]

bilingual bilingual employee bilingual employees cultural identity determining proficiency diversity employee language assessment language learning language proficiency language testing law enforcement lti multilingual employees

ACTFL’s Martha G. Abbott Appointed to National Security Education Board

ALEXANDRIA, VA — ACTFL Executive Director Martha G. Abbott has been appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Security Education Board. “It is truly an honor to be appointed by the President to serve in this capacity on the National Security Education Board advising on the important work of building our nation’s linguistic and […]

ACTFL NABE TESOL biliteracy language testing high school LTI Testing academic bilingual English Proficiency Obama & Education

ACTFL Establishes Center for Assessment, Research & Development

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) announces the establishment of the ACTFL Center for Assessment, Research and Development. The ACTFL Board of Directors approved the proposal for the Center during its May 13-15 annual meeting. The mission of the Center is to support PK-12 schools and institutions of […]

ACTFL NABE TESOL biliteracy language testing high school LTI Testing academic bilingual English speaking test & English Proficiency

Superior Social Skills Tied To Bilinguals

It’s well-known that being bilingual has obvious advantages. Some of which are that it allows you to take advantage of new experiences new conversations. But in recent years, psychology researchers have demonstrated some less obvious advantages of bilingualism, too. For instance, bilingual children may enjoy certain cognitive benefits, such as improved executive function — which is critical for problem solving […]

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Talking Toys: Helping or Hurting Young Language Learners?

A new and very interesting study in JAMA Pediatrics discovered that toys marketed as language promoters don’t prove to be so in most cases. In fact, the study found that these toys in fact, hindered the language learning process in young children. Professor Anna Sosa, of Northern Arizona University, led the study and provided participating families three different types […]

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Will the US Become a Bilingual Country?

In the U.S., speaking more than one language fluently is not very common – except in Los Angeles, California.The city has one of the largest populations in the U.S. of young people between the ages of 18 and 34. This generation is often called millennials. More than half of millennials in Los Angeles are bilingual, which […]

bilingual hispanic & spanish speakers hispanic market language proficiency