Experts to Provide Strategic Guidance to Support Leader in Language Certification

Frankfort, IL— February 8, 2024 — The Global Seal of Biliteracy will expand their independent Board of Advisors with four new international members. The organization is excited to add some of the most accomplished leaders in language education and assessment from Latin America, Asia, and Europe, to its prestigious Board in order to provide strategic guidance and support efforts to verify, document, and certify language skills around the world.

“We are excited to bring together passionate individuals who offer proven leadership, expertise, and a unique understanding of the needs of bilinguals and multilinguals worldwide.,” said Linda Egnatz, Executive Director at Global Seal of Biliteracy.

International Guidance and Expansion

LinkedIn data shows that the demand for bilingual professionals has doubled in the last 5 years with an increasing number of employers seeking ways to easily verify and validate language skills. The Global Seal of Biliteracy, which has now been issued in 40 countries, meets that demand. To support their rapid international growth, the Global Seal recognizes the need for corresponding global perspectives. The expanded Board of Advisors will provide critical thinking, insights, and analysis to meet the need of multilinguals to document their language skills wherever they may live.

Global Expertise

Joining the Global Seal Board of Advisors are Dr. Cristina Banfi (Argentina), Dr. Arti Khosla (India), Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien (United Kingdom), and Dr. Jinlan Tang (China).

Dr. Cristina Banfi is Professor at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She was Director of Languages in Education at the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires. She has taught in Argentina, the UK and the US and has taken part in research and language policy projects in Latin America and internationally. She holds an M.Phil. (University of Cambridge), a Ph.D. (University College London), both in Linguistics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Policy (University of Buenos Aires). Additionally, Dr. Banfi has published several books on language teaching and learning.

Dr. Arti Khosla, the award winner for “Best woman entrepreneur in conformity assessments in education” on International Women’s Day in 2021, is the Founder & CEO of the International Centre of Assessments for Excellence whose goal is to bring transformational changes in the education sector. Dr. Khosla is India’s country representative and project leader at the International Technical Committee ISO/TC 232/WG 7 and the convener of the national mirror sub-committee at Bureau of Indian Standards, Government of India. She has played a key role in developing national & international standards for conformity assessments and accreditation in higher education, school education, learning & development, vocational education, e-learning and language learning.

Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien is the CEO and co-founder of Bilingualism Matters, a social enterprise that emerged from the University of Edinburgh's Public Engagement Centre of the same name. Bilingualism Matters aims to connect research and practice and help people make better decisions about languages and multilingualism in personal and professional contexts. Her interest in bilingualism is underpinned by her personal experience of living and working with multiple languages, as well as raising a multilingual family. Katarzyna speaks Polish, English, German, and Spanish and holds an MSC from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and a PhD from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr. Jinlan Tang is the Dean and Professor of English language education in the Institute of Online Education, Researcher at Artificial Intelligence and Human Languages Lab, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), China. Her research covers the areas of language assessment, teacher training, EFL teaching and learning in the e-learning environment. Dr. Tang is a registered expert of the International Association for Standardization (ISO) and member of the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Education Services of China.

Drs. Banfi, Khosla, Przybycien, and Tang will join current members of the Global Seal of Biliteracy Board of Directors: Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki, Dr. Richard D. Brecht, Dr. Maria Carreira, Dr. Jacque Van Houten, Dr. Duarte M. Silva, Dr. Shuhan Wang, and Tom Welch.

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is a pioneering organization offering free certification in over 120 languages, enabling individuals to demonstrate their language proficiency worldwide. The program provides three distinct certification levels - Functional Fluency, Working Fluency, and Professional Fluency, each acknowledging different stages of language proficiency. The certificates, recognized internationally, empower recipients to showcase their language skills to educational institutions and employers across international borders. Global Seal credentials are stackable and digitally-shareable. Emphasizing the importance of multilingualism in today's global economy, the Global Seal of Biliteracy celebrates linguistic achievements and enhances opportunities in multicultural environments.

Photos (L-R)  Dr. Arti Khosla, Dr. Cristina Banfi, Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien, and Dr. Jinlan Tang