According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census, 22% of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English at home, and nearly 9% of the population speaks English less than “very well.”
For individuals with limited English proficiency, language is a major barrier in accessing basic benefits and services and exercising important rights. Government agencies that don’t proactively work to eliminate these linguistic barriers might be in violation of institutional civil rights obligations. According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964—a fundamental piece of federal legislation—discrimination based on race, color, or national origin is prohibited in federally funded programs, services, and activities. Title VI specifically requires that persons with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to programs, services, and activities.
Hiring Multilingual Employees
As the U.S. population continues to be more linguistically and culturally diverse, hiring multilingual employees and providing services to community members in their preferred language reduces institutional language barriers and demonstrates a proactive effort to comply with institutional civil rights obligations.
Bilingual and multilingual employees in positions that are public facing, such as police, fire, 911 operators, EMS, community engagement staff, etc., not only enable non-English speaking individuals to access essential information and services, but they also build trust and strengthen the relationships with the communities they serve. In many instances, bilingual skills are critical to address difficult or dangerous situations successfully. For example, research shows that law enforcement roles at all levels are improved when officers can communicate in the languages of the individuals they encounter. Defusing tensions, taking accurate testimonies, and building more trusting relationships with the community are just a few benefits of multilingualism in state and local governments.
Pay Differential or Foreign Language Incentive Plan (FLIP)
One way to attract and retain bilingual and multilingual employees is to offer a Foreign Language Incentive Pay (FLIP), also known as “language pay differential,” which recognizes the value multilingual employees bring to help increase access to government programs, services, activities, and information.
FLIP can be disbursed as a one-time bonus or paid in the form of a higher salary. To get an idea of how organizations may compensate their employees, you can check out the City of Portland’s pay differential policy and the foreign language proficiency bonus established for U.S. military members.
Determining the minimum level of proficiency
To be eligible for the language pay differential, bilingual and multilingual employees need to demonstrate a professional working proficiency in the specified languages by taking a valid and reliable language proficiency test.
Why test for language proficiency?
Language fluency is consistently hard to gauge as a person’s perception of his/her proficiency might not match what his/her true proficiency is when measured with a language proficiency assessment. A recent survey has shown that it’s easy to overstate one’s proficiency, and almost 60% of job applicants do so on their resumes. Unverified language ability can leave employees unable to perform the tasks required of them. This can lead to dangerous misunderstanding, escalation, serious errors, legal ramifications, and reputational harm.
On the other hand, multilingual employees whose language skills have been verified bring value by improving communication, defusing difficult situations due to miscommunication, promoting safety, and building trust in the community.
Partnering with a reliable language testing agency
Partnering with a reputable language assessment provider is the first step to certifying your employees’ language skills. Language Testing International (LTI) is an exclusive licensee of ACTFL, the leader in language teaching and testing. For 30 years, LTI has served as the language testing provider for academic institutions, commercial clients, and federal, state, and local government agencies. Our certification results are legally defensible; decades of research and practice assure the reliability and validity of each assessment. Scheduling tests is easy as our secure remote proctoring services allow test-takers to complete the assessments anywhere and at any time that is convenient to them. Our experienced team will work with you to establish the minimum proficiency levels required for each multilingual job and develop the best language assessment plan to meet your assessment and reporting needs.
