Located in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., U.S. territories, and over 40 countries worldwide, Members of the National Language Service Corps (NLSC) now account for 5,900 multilingual individuals who represent more than 330 languages and various occupational and cultural backgrounds. No matter their location, NLSC Members often enjoy networking and learning more about the NLSC from fellow Members and staff. One such opportunity arose when the NLSC hosted a Meet & Greet in San Diego, California on Friday, June 26, 2015.
The San Diego Meet & Greet opened with a festive performance by a group of Aztec dancers; NLSC Staff followed the performance with program updates, including examples of recent assignments and benefits available only to NLSC Members. Members were particularly interested in the opportunity to take a foreign language test known as the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT), produced by the Defense Language Institute. This test measures language ability according to the Federal Interagency Language Roundtable Proficiency Guidelines (http://govtilr.org/Skills/ILRscale1.htm), commonly known as the “ILR Scale”. San Diego Members in attendance spoke a myriad of languages, and the opportunity to have their language skills assessed appealed to them.
Language testing is one of the unique benefits available to NLSC Members at no cost. A self-assessment test is a requirement in order to enroll in the NLSC; upon joining, Members have access to various language sustainment tools on a Members-only platform, and tests such as the DLPT can help better prepare them for a potential assignment.
NLSC Members make up an exclusive group of U.S. citizens who maintain the organization’s mission of serving as an on-call language reserve corps who can support the federal agencies when surge or sudden needs arise. The NLSC strives to stay connected to such outstanding individuals, and Meet & Greets are just one way of doing so.
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