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We are living in a global society; there is explosive growth nationally and internationally. Our clients, prospects, and staff are diverse, yet <\/span>one in three businesses report a gap between the language skills needed and the employees available to fill the need<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\nAs organizations grow, so does the demand for language proficiency in multiple languages. In order to thrive in an evolving marketplace, consider these steps to meet the opportunities that are ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Assess Your Needs for Language Proficiency\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Conduct a survey of your current organization to determine the strengths and weaknesses, and identify the current and future language needs to help your company meet the demands of an increasingly global marketplace. Analyzing where you are today will help you create clear goals for hiring multilingual talent and developing the skills of current employees. Work with an expert to help you take stock of the skills needed internally and externally to meet the demands of your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Take Inventory and Capitalize on Talent<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Do you have multilingual talent? Have you taken inventory of the skills they can offer your organization? Have you used a valid and reliable measure to confirm what they can do with their language skills? Are your multilingual workers in the appropriate roles to help your business grow? Have you mitigated the risks of miscommunication by ensuring employees language abilities verified and certified? Take the guesswork out of the equation, and use assessments developed by subject matter experts to help you understand where you are and where you need to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hire the Right Talent for the Task at Hand<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once you have determined your needs with the help of language proficiency subject matter experts, incorporate best hiring practices for recruiting multilingual talent. Conduct a task analysis with experts, understand the job requirements and the level of language needed, and incorporate language testing in the hiring process to ensure that the candidates are qualified based on the benchmarks and proficiency levels you have determined to be important.<\/span><\/p>\n Language Training<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Training the best and the brightest! Targeted on-the-job language training is a terrific way to ensure your employees have the appropriate language and strategies for the scenarios they encounter on a day-to-day basis. In many cases, the level of language proficiency may vary. Training helps your employees\u2019 confidence, mitigates risk, and puts your company in a position to delight your clients.<\/span><\/p>\n Build Your Pool of Qualified Candidates<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The most successful global companies identify and cultivate a pipeline of multilingual talent by partnering with local universities, foreign language programs, or diverse community groups. Consider offering internships to qualified students who are studying world languages and culture; they will welcome the experience and are perfect for your professional pipeline.<\/span><\/p>\n Become an Advocate of Valid and Reliable Language Credentials<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Nine out of ten U.S. employers report a reliance on employees with language skills other than English, yet <\/span>studies have shown <\/span><\/a>that there is a huge skills gap, leaving many employers unable to meet their multilingual business needs. Ensure that your organization has a development plan and multilingual recruiting process that allows it to excel\u00a0 in attracting and retaining talent to serve the needs of your business.<\/span><\/p>\n About Language Testing International<\/b><\/p>\n Since 1992, <\/span>Language Testing International (LTI)<\/span><\/a>, a Samsung company, has been the leader in the development of language proficiency testing for more than 120 languages, globally. In partnership with the <\/span>American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)<\/span><\/a>, we proudly offer our corporate clients valid and reliable reading, writing, speaking, and listening tests. Each test is designed to properly determine the specific proficiency level of an individual and ultimately to provide a valid and defensible language credential.<\/span><\/p>\n From Fortune 500 corporations to small and midsize companies, LTI works closely with your human resources department to identify the appropriate level of language proficiency required for the position you are looking to fill. Once your needs have been identified, we will help you qualify the right candidates with the language skills needed to be successful.<\/span><\/p>\n