The current global and culturally diverse economy in which the United States is immersed has created more awareness regarding the importance of having a multilingual and multicultural workforce in most industries and organizations, including in the governmental sector.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Equal access to essential information and resources by members of the community who have limited English proficiency or none at all, is increasingly relevant for public safety. \u201cFor those seeking to enter the government workforce, language skills have become more than a resume-boosting asset. They are of vital importance to the safety and effectiveness of both the professionals themselves and the citizens they protect and serve. Additionally, when culturally competent and multilingual government workers are able to improve communication between individuals and nations, they play a vital role in shaping our international image and promoting trust and good diplomacy,\u201d (Lead with Languages<\/a>).<\/p>\n In the U.S., there are 65 million residents who speak a language other than English. This fact makes it critical for government to retain a workforce with advanced language skills to help prevent serious errors that can lead to dangerous miscommunications, legal ramifications, and reputational harm. In fact, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that people have meaningful access to federally funded government programs including individuals with limited-English speaking abilities. It is imperative for government agencies to work proactively to eliminate linguistic barriers.<\/p>\n Read More –><\/strong> Hiring, Retaining, and Rewarding Multilingual Employees Is Good for Business<\/a><\/p>\n The demand for foreign language skills is on a sustained rise and nine out of ten U.S.- based employers reported a reliance on employees with language skills other than English over the past five years, as stated in a recent study<\/a> conducted by ACTFL. Millions of people continuously need to understand how to access the services and resources they need from their local governments. Bilingual and multilingual public servants help residents with limited English exercise their rights, and they build trust between the community and the government agencies they represent.<\/p>\n Employees who command two or more languages and are in positions that are public facing, such as police officers, firefighters, 9-1-1 operators, community relations staff, healthcare teams, and social assistance representatives (among many other roles), help defuse tensions in the community, take accurate testimonies, increase safety, and save lives. It is necessary to put time and effort in finding and recruiting candidates with the appropriate language skills to best support the departments and areas of focus of each governmental agency. Some government agencies are actively working to reduce languages barriers, gaps, and bilingual staff shortages in the workplace by compensating team members who command more than one language.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can get that communication through a language line or through an interpretation service, but I think having bilingual employees that physically are answering a call or physically driving the ambulance to the hospital and are able to speak in that language and really connect with those residents, I think that has been the most impactful piece of this. It\u2019s just developing that trust and making those connections,\u201d said Katie Hedrick, Community Inclusion Coordinator of the City of Roanoke in Virginia. As the person in charge of developing and implementing the Bilingual Employee Incentive Pay Program, Hedrick knows first-hand the importance of hiring and testing bilingual workers for the benefit of the community, as well as recognizing the abilities of these employees. After partnering with Language Testing International (LTI)<\/a>, the exclusive licensee of ACTFL language proficiency assessment<\/a> with over 30 years of experience administering language assessments to government agencies, commercial entities, and academic institutions, the City of Roanoke is building their multilingual public service capabilities across various departments through valid and legally defensible language tests in over 120 languages.<\/p>\n To ensure current and prospective government employees have the required level of language proficiency, language certifications are becoming part of the recruitment process as well because the individual perception of employees\u2019 language skills might be different from their true proficiency. LTI has been assisting Ms. Hedrick for over a year now in the provision of secure and remotely proctored language assessments that allow test takers in the City of Roanoke to certify their language skills at their learning center. The scheduling system is fast and easy, and the LTI team helped her develop the best language assessment plan to ensure their multilingual employees meet the Advance Proficiency requirement for the languages their constituents speak.<\/p>\n Watch Katie Hedrick describe the purpose and process of language assessment in the City of Roanoke as well as her experience implementing language assessment for all city agencies.<\/p>\nThe Growing Demand for Multilingual Workforce in the Government Sector<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Language Proficiency Testing<\/strong><\/h3>\n