This informal CPD article ‘The Advantages of Certification when learning a second language’ was provided by Learn French with Alexa, online language education and teaching content of the highest quality, ensuring that students achieve their desired goals.
You might be thinking that you don’t need a form of certification to learn a language. After all, native speakers get by without it just fine. It won’t help you learn conjugations any faster, or demystify some of the peskier aspects of grammar. So what, exactly, is the purpose of Certification?
Understanding language certification
Certification provides evidence of your proficiency in a language. Of course there are other ways to prove you can speak a language—including, well, speaking the language—but certification serves as reliable evidence for anyone who might want to know the scope and extent of your linguistic abilities. For instance, if a prospective employer wants to know that you speak French—but doesn’t speak the language themselves—they would have no way of determining whether you are actually able to speak it without some form of certification.
Of course, certification doesn’t necessarily guarantee knowledge or ability. But it does show that the holder of the certificate is able to meet certain criteria which are widely recognised as benchmarks for determining one’s proficiency in a second language. Certificates are legitimate, therefore, when they have the seal of approval from a course accreditor. Accreditation from a body such as The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) provides proof that courses line up with widely recognised qualifications. These qualifications are designed to grade learners on all aspects of language learning, including reading, writing, speaking and listening. For post-secondary education language courses, there are a number of different qualifications learners can take to demonstrate their proficiency in a language. Some of the most common include the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) (1), the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) (2) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (3).
Benefits of language certificates
Having certification is useful for many things, such as qualifying for a higher-level language course or securing a new job. In a hypercompetitive job market, employers want to see proof of your skills the quickest way possible. Certification is by far the fastest, most convenient and most accurate way to demonstrate proof of your ability in a second language.
Even if knowing a second language isn’t immediately relevant to your prospective job, being able to claim to speak one to a certain degree—and back it up with the relevant certification—will help you stand out from the crowd, as well as show that you’re committed and curious. The ability to speak a second language is one of the most impressive and versatile things you can put on your CV. So even if you do choose to learn a second language without the help of a teacher or a structured course, it's worth seeking certification from a qualified accreditor so that you can make your language skills official.
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REFERENCES
(1) https://www.actfl.org/
(2) https://www.govtilr.org/
(3) https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/level-descriptions
