How to incidicate language profficiency on resume Forum

[Vagab0nd]

How does one indicate a language proficiency on a resume:

(1) Linguistics: French (fluent), Japanese (conversational), and Spanish(basic)
-or-
(2) Linguistics: Fluent in French, conversational in Japanese, and basic proficiency in Latin
-or-
(3) Linguistics: French-fluent, Japanese-intermediate, Latin-basic

etc...

Thanks!

[legends159]

How does one indicate a language proficiency on a resume:

(1) Linguistics: French (fluent), Japanese (conversational), and Spanish(basic)
-or-
(2) Linguistics: Fluent in French, conversational in Japanese, and basic proficiency in Latin
-or-
(3) Linguistics: French-fluent, Japanese-intermediate, Latin-basic

etc...

Thanks!

At the bottom, labeled under "Skills"

put Proficient in ___________

and I studied Latin in college, but I don't think that counts. No one speaks it.

[Vagab0nd]

lol, all I learned from Latin was how to conjugate...

How do I separate being "proficient" in something from fluency and conversational and having minimal understanding?

[valjean]

You don't want to use the word "linguistics" to introduce your language skills. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[whyamidoingthis]

You don't want to use the word "linguistics" to introduce your language skills. I do not think it means what you think it means.

+1

[jaen78]

I have a section at the very end of my resume titled "additional language proficiency" and then wrote this:

Spanish- Fluent in speech, high level of comprehension ability, intermediate levels of reading and writing ability

[muddywaters]

i would advocate against making a whole section specifically for language. i put my 3 languages under Skills and Interests. Spanish - fluent, Portuguese - proficient, Italian - proficient

[muddywaters]

I have a section at the very end of my resume titled "additional language proficiency" and then wrote this:

Spanish- Fluent in speech, high level of comprehension ability, intermediate levels of reading and writing ability

bad idea, jaen.

[kjunfood]

im curious, what is the difference between 'proficient' and 'fluent' and 'conversational' in a language, in regards to these resumes and what one would put down

[muddywaters]

fluent: can read and write the language with ease, understandable by natives with little effort

proficient: can express clear thoughts, often moreso through speaking.

conversational: took a few beginner's level courses and can put some words together.

IMHO.

[hmlee]

What if you can read / understand a language when spoken to you but have difficulty writing or speaking it?

[sarcasmpolice]

fluent: can read and write the language with ease, understandable by natives with little effort

proficient: can express clear thoughts, often moreso through speaking.

conversational: took a few beginner's level courses and can put some words together.

IMHO.

You had better be able to do a lot more than "put some words together" if you say you have conversational language skills.

[muddywaters]

not really...you can say you are conversational if you can have a short CONVERSATION with others (natives) in the language, even if they have to pur forth significant effort to understand you.

[sarcasmpolice]

not really...you can say you are conversational if you can have a short CONVERSATION with others (natives) in the language, even if they have to pur forth significant effort to understand you.

Donde esta el bano?
Ohayo gozaimasu.
Ich mag sauerkraut.

Conversational in 3 languages!

[muddywaters]

totally. good for you!

[monkeywrench]

totally. good for you!

you have jurisdiction over sarcasmpolice

[Ranita]

As a former foreign language major and as a current foreign language teacher (ESL/Spanish), I often deal with this topic. Simply put, neither my colleagues nor I have come to a satisfactory answer.

In the military we had a standardized test called the DLPT, so we could list our DLPT scores (for example: Reading 2+, Listening 3). Europe, if I’m not mistaken, is moving towards adapting a skills-based rubric that places one on a scale from A1 to C2, but it hasn’t made its way to our side of the ocean yet

So what to do? Terms like fluent, proficient, and conversational are ill-defined, as are terms like basic, intermediate, and advanced. However, they are all that we have. Luckily, the latter set of adjectives can be linked to commonly used college classes descriptions. French 101 and 102 tend to be Basic (or Elementary), 201 and 202 are Intermediate, 301 and 302 are Advanced, etc. As an example, the highest level French classes that I took were the lit/civ courses, as well as a semester abroad and a 50-page research paper. So I put French: advanced, but rusty. Also, I took 4 semesters of German, so I put German: intermediate. I also studied some Slavic, Semitic, and Mon-Khmer languages, but only for one semester. To avoid appearing as either a braggart or directionless dilettante, I put none of them on my resume.

However, not everyone has obtained skills from college. In this case, I would suggest a guestimation. Can you conjugate the present, present progressive, past, future, and conditional tenses? Do you have the vocabulary to talk about food, sports, family, school, body parts, etc.? Then that’s equivalent to about two semesters (Beginner). Can you use the subjunctive mood and tell your doctor what hurts and what happened to you last night after you left the bar? Can you read the paper and get 90% of what’s going on? Then you’re looking at Intermediate. Can you distinguish between the preterite, imperfect, present perfect, and past perfect as well as conjugate them all without blinking? Can you read an Op-Ed about Bolivia’s constitutional crisis? Can you understand little kids and less educated speakers, as opposed to just CNN-style news broadcasts? Then put Advanced.

IMHO: Conversational is too vague to mean anything. Proficient is better, but still open to interpretation. Fluent, for me, is a strong word. If you can not only read said Op-Ed about constitutional crisis, but write your own publishable response to it, then go for it. Otherwise, play it safe. We gringos tend to overestimate our capabilities.

[jaen78]

I have a section at the very end of my resume titled "additional language proficiency" and then wrote this:

Spanish- Fluent in speech, high level of comprehension ability, intermediate levels of reading and writing ability

bad idea, jaen.

The career services office at my UG advised me to do it that way. It's been like that for a few years and has never caused any trouble.

[muddywaters]

i think it takes up too much space that way and may be seen as filler. im sure you have other more significant stuff higher up on which you could elaborate.

[carpet]

i think it takes up too much space that way and may be seen as filler. im sure you have other more significant stuff higher up on which you could elaborate.

UW app actually asks for this info

[Action Jackson]

You should just list the languages you have abilities in on one line and not bother with specifics. Unless you have a major or minor in one of those languages they're not going to make a big difference.

[SoxyPirate]

fluent: can read and write the language with ease, understandable by natives with little effort

proficient: can express clear thoughts, often moreso through speaking.

conversational: took a few beginner's level courses and can put some words together.

IMHO.

I respectfully disagree.

I am "fluent" in Portuguese in the sense that I lived in Brazil, learned how to read, write, interpret, translate, think, eat, breathe in Portuguese.

I am "proficient" in Spanish because I can read, write, and say almost everything (with exception of most slang phrases or idiomatic expressions that rarely come up in conversations with classmates, professors, etc.) I want in Spanish. I have interpreted for a local attorney in Spanish, but I am not fluent.

"Conversational", IMHO, would be someone who studied a language for a few months before traveling abroad in order to talk to cab drivers, waiters, doormen, etc.

My personal opinion is that unless you can think and dream in a language, you are not fluent, regardless of how easily others understand you.

One school where I've applied specifically asks for foreign language ability on the application, and it states that "fluent" is the highest level of proficiency that a non-native speaker can attain. This school is known for having one of the best foreign language programs in the country. I have a hard time reconciling this definition with yours.