Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate Success

Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate Success Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate Success Picture it. A large, shining (yet tasteful) trophy.The plaque reads Worlds Best Language Learner.And underneath? Your name.A language certificate is a lot like a sports trophy.You can have a wonderful time playing sportsâ€"or learning languagesâ€"without ever needing something external as proof of your effort.Which is great for learners going it alone, because self-directed learning has a lot of great advantages.But theres a reason why courses, exams, certificatesâ€"and trophiesâ€"exist.Theyre a way of proving not only to others but also to yourself that youve put in the long hours and seen the results.If that sounds like your cup of tea, read on to find out what a language certificate can do for you, and how to go about obtaining one. Certified! Your Guide to Language Certificate SuccessWhy Go for a Language Certificate?Have Your Skills Honestly Assessed by a Third PartyIt can be hard to really know where youre at, especially if youre a self-learner. Nobody likes trying to figure out how big their vocabulary is, or going over the grammar charts for the dozenth time.But assessment can be an important reality check.If you self-assess at a high level but then cant pass even an intermediate-level exam, it means there were some gaps in your knowledge that went undetected for too long.Fixing those gaps is crucial if you want to really use that language in your life, and doing so will make you a better language learner overall.For example, knowing what your real level is can help you better use language resources like FluentU.FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them.Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already h and-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.Have a Quick Answer Ready for Questions About Your Language AbilityHow good is your Portugues e?Well, I can read it without much trouble, but its kind of hard for me to follow the newsâ€"oh, and I did a homestay in Brazil three years agoWhats your Japanese level?I passed the JLPT N2 exam last year.Which of the above scenarios do you like more? If youre sitting in a job interview, a quick and decisive answer could be what makes the difference between acceptance and rejection.The presence of a language certificate on your resume is the quickest answer of all.Be Eligible for Employment, Study or ImmigrationSome places set a hard limit on accepting applicants based on how well they can speak a language. No matter how good your other credentials, youre not getting in that door without proof of a certain language level.In Germany, for instance, many university programs require proof of a C1 level. Universities in China generally require about the sameâ€"around an  HSK 5 level, to be exact.And if youd like to live and work in another country, chances are youre going to have to demo nstrate your language ability with a certificate of some sort.In Japan, if you manage to pass the JLPT N1, you prove to the government that youre able to use Japanese at an extremely high level and easily function in the business world. That goes a long way towards getting you a coveted skilled worker visa.But say, what is the JLPT N1 anyway? Read on to find out!5 of the Worlds Most Useful Language CertificatesBelow are five of the worlds most recognized and useful certifications for languages. These arent by any means all the language exams that exist, so dont feel distressed if you dont see your target language represented or are interested in other options.There are many other tests to measure language proficiency, including the DSH for German and the TOEFL for English, but this list covers a broad range of languages and should be helpful for seeing useful examples of whats out there.JLPT  (Japanese)The Japanese Language Proficiency Test measures ability from N5 (basic) to N1 (ad vanced). People who pass the N1 are said to have about the same linguistic ability as a native high school graduate. Its offered at testing centers around the world, though usually only once or twice per year.There are three sections: Language Knowledge (vocabulary and grammar), Reading and Listening. You wont have to produce any written essays, nor will you have to sit through a spoken interviewâ€"but dont let your guard down.Just around 30 percent of applicants on average pass the N1 exam each year. So when you try for this Japanese certificate, make sure you can talk the talk and walk the walk.DELE  (Spanish)The Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language is administered by the Instituto Cervantes in Spain as a measure of European Spanish proficiency. In the past few years, the Instituto Cervantes has worked with test centers in Mexico to design a more international test known as the SIELE, but the DELE still has a powerful presence. There are more than 1,000 test centers worldwide !When you apply for the DELE, you need to pick one of the six CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) levels from A1 to C2 as your test level. Each test has four sections that cover listening, reading, writing and speaking.DELF/DALF (French)Just like the DELE, these two exams are based on the CEFR scale of language proficiency. If you sign up for levels A1 through B2, youll apply for the DELF (Diplôme détudes en langue française).At the C levels, the name simply changes to DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française). These French certificates are organized almost exactly like the DELE in Spanish. You simply sign up at any one of the hundreds of locations around the world.Passing the C2 French exam is no walk in the park, but once you do youll be eligible for all kinds of benefits such as employment in the Francophonie, a job as a teacher or translator and access to French-language higher education.HSK (Mandarin Chinese)The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, or Mandari n proficiency exam, is well-known all over China. There are six levels of the test, ranging from knowledge of just a few hundred words and characters to many more. Unlike some other exams, there are freely available vocabulary lists published for each level.Theres also no speaking sectionâ€"you have to sign up for the separate HSK speaking exam if you want proof of oral Chinese proficiency.But once youve passed HSK 5, youll be able to take ordinary Chinese classes surrounded by native speakers. And by HSK 6, youll have no problem reading or understanding Chinese that you see and hear around you every day.TELC (several languages)The European Language Certificates (TELC) is a German organization that offers a smorgasbord of languages and certificates to choose from. For major world languages like English and Spanish, youll be able to sit exams rated at any of the CEFR levels.Other languages, like Arabic or Polish, are just as important but dont yet have one unified exam like the DELE or HSK. In this case, TELC also offers a limited selection of exams at the intermediate level that can serve as an important benchmark for your skills.The exams are held in thousands of test centers worldwide, and the results are accepted as valid in just as many places.As a German company, TELC  works especially closely with the governments and businesses in the German-speaking regions of Europeâ€"so if youre looking to study or do business in these places, TELC  may be a perfect option for you.How to Prepare for a Language Certificate ExamTake a Look at Previous ExamsExam agencies often publish mock exams, older questions or practice tests for you to prepare.Some are in book form, and some are even online.  DIALANG is a great one-stop resource for finding practice tests in a ton of languages. Theyre modeled after the standard exams used in Europe like the DALF and DELE. Your results here are likely to be a good diagnostic for what level exam you should take.Another way to find exa ms is by checking the websites of test centers or places that offer exam prep classes. Heres an example from the HSK center at the University of Manchester.If you dont know what youre going to be tested on, youre probably not going to do well. As much as the designers of the test try to make it reflect real-world language use, its necessarily going to be a little bit artificial for the purposes of grading.Thus, just having a high level in your target language never guarantees a solid score.You need to be prepared for each exam section in turnâ€"and, of course, youll need to know how to follow the exam instructions in the target language!Read Nonfiction Articles from Different SourcesThe reading portion of standardized language exams is almost always nonfiction. Fiction reading is extremely important for your vocabulary development, but when you study for a test you need to get used to the type of writing youll encounter on that test.That means you should be extremely comfortable rea ding easy news articles in your target language, such as  those found on news sites like NHK World in many languages.But beyond just news, you should be able to read different types of nonfiction.Can you follow the main arguments of opinion pieces? How about understanding the flow of step-by-step instructions or the pros and cons in a product review?These are just a few of the writing genres we encounter every day in our native languages. If you want to excel at the reading comprehension sectionâ€"a component of every examâ€"you’ll need to be familiar with all of these and more.Ditch Your HeadphonesThis is a small tip, but it might end up making all the difference in your exam preparation.When we sit down to study languages at home, more often than not we use headphones or earbuds. And why not? Theyre comfortable, the sound is clear and theres no risk of bothering others.But if youre used to having your target language piped cleanly into your ears all day, you might start to sweat when you see a cheap boombox at the exam center.Although all the exam centers prepare the same test for you, the conditions for the listening part can be completely haphazard. Its entirely possible that youll be asked to do the listening exam in an echo-y room with construction going on outside.Practicing your listening with computer speakers in a variety of environments will get you prepared for whatever conditions the examiners throw at you.Fine-tune Your Writing with a TutorWhen was the last time you challenged yourself to write something difficult in your target language? Its not something self-learners often do.And in fact, its actually not necessary for all the exams I mentioned or all the exams out there. At lower and intermediate levels, the JLPT and HSK dont test your composition skills at allâ€"the writing section of those exams is multiple choice.But the fact remains that for an advanced language certificate, you had better be able to write well in your target language.T he best way to study writing is to write and get feedback. Some people are lucky enough to have good friends or colleagues that can give them tips on their writing.Even better than that, though, is a tutor who has successfully coached exam candidates in the past. You want a tutor with a proven track record in getting students the language certificates they want.Now that youve taken a look at some of the major language certificates out there, what do you think?Do you want to join the ranks of millions of people around the world who have sat and passed exams in their target languageâ€"proving their ability to themselves and others?Theres no better time than now to start preparing.Get your hands on a copy of a practice exam, read some online articles, browse through some tutor listingsâ€"and be on your way to your first language certificate of many.