ALTE LANGUAGE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (LSP) (formerly WOLE) SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

The Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) Special Interest Group was formerly known as the WOLE - Work Oriented Language Examinations – SIG. Work Oriented Language Examinations are those examinations that measure language proficiency needed to function within work-related contexts and are designed to test language by using contexts typical of general working conditions rather than to test language needed for specific professions or industries. These examinations are particularly suitable for candidates who either work or are planning to work in general office situations and wish to obtain a certificate of language competence. All the examinations are based within the context of work and ALTE member organisations which have developed such examinations include Alliance Française, Cambridge ESOL, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, telc GmbH, Universidad de Salamanca, and Università per Stranieri di Perugia.

One of the key issues discussed by members of this special interest group is the relationship between language for specific purpose examinations and general language examinations, and ALTE LSP examinations have been placed on the same ALTE Framework of Levels as examinations of general language proficiency so that it is possible to see which language qualifications are at the same level, and what level the holder of a qualification is at on an internationally recognised scale.

In order to make the ALTE Framework easier for the user to understand, ALTE has developed a series of Can Do statements for each of the levels. One of the main groups of statements covers the area of work and supports the work-oriented examinations developed and produced by ALTE members.

Issues to be discussed by the LSP Special Interest Group at future meetings include the following:

The role of LSP examinations as an instrument for selection on the job market
LSP in the context of migration
The development of examinations for specific professional needs
The development of modules or tailor-made examinations for specific groups of candidates