• The main objective of the agreement signed between the Modern Languages Program of the Department of Linguistics and Literature (Faculty of Humanities) and Seminarium Certificación is to certify the skills acquired in the English language courses given at the university according to international standards. 

The main objective of the agreement signed between the Modern Languages Program of the Department of Linguistics and Literature (CELEM) and Seminarium Certificación, is to certify the skills acquired in the English language courses given at the university according to international standards. Seminarium Certificación is an agency devoted to the specific assessment of knowledge and skills.

The agreement signing ceremony was held in November, at the Salón Solemne of the Faculty of Humanities, and it was attended by Dr Roxana Orrego, Head of the Department of Linguistics and Literature, and Marcelo Contreras, Executive Director of Seminarium Certificación.

Julia Barraza, CELEM’s project manager, and Johanna Figueroa, coordinator of the program, were present at the ceremony too.

According to Dr Orrego, the agreement is “a big step for our CELEM, our Department and our university, as it allow us to certify the English level of our students and of all of those who take English courses at our university and wish to take an international examination like TOEIC or TOEIC Bridge, here at the university.”

“Signing this agreement speaks well of the CELEM and the university, because many educational institutions cannot officially certify their students,” she added.

For his part, Marcelo Contreras, said that English certifications are an effective way of assessing English proficiency.

“Having the TOEIC at the CELEM will allow the university to certify the students’ progress and proficiency levels according to international standards. Students will be able to include their certificates in their CVs and improve their job opportunities,” he added. The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC®) is an English language test developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The test has become a key certification requirement in current labor market.

This test measures English language proficiency of nonnative speakers in work environments. It is used in more than 90 countries by more than 9,000 organizations for selection and training purposes.

On the other hand, TOEFL ITP tests are used by more than 2,500 organizations in 50 countries. They are based on the long-standing heritage and expertise of the TOEFL® test and allow to measure and evaluate English-language skills for academic purposes.

The idea is that, once the students complete their language courses at the CELEM, they have the possibility of taking these examinations.

Translated by Marcela Contreras