Language Committee Policy Statement

Guides and trainees on courses whose first language is English must apply to take a language proficiency test in any other languages in which they aspire to guide. Equally, those whose first language is not English must have their English tested if they wish to guide in English regardless of circumstances. There are no automatic exemptions for persons who have lived in the UK for a number of years, have attended courses and/or have been awarded diplomas and degrees in the UK and have followed the tourist guide course and taken the examination in English. Considerable effort is made to help and encourage non-English first language candidates on guide training courses. Examiners make considerable allowance for candidates who are performing in English rather than in their first language but this in no way equates with ipso facto granting them qualification to guide in English.

The current system of language testing is very much geared to the real needs of professional guiding. The Institute Language Committee provides for regular reviews of the tests, consultation of all examiners and verification of examining standards. Tests are usually arranged annually in London and elsewhere when there is significant demand and thus there is no long waiting list.

A guide must be able to hold the attention of a group for as much as several full days guiding, according to level, on a moving vehicle, on foot, in museums, art galleries, churches, archaeological sites etc. The subject areas covered comprise history, art history, archaeology, politics, religion, flora & fauna, agriculture, music, legal system, literature, gastronomy, geography, geology and many other specialist fields. Information conveyed to visitors must be instantly comprehensible to the audience.

From the outset the basic criteria developed for language testing were also based on client/tour operator feedback regarding guiding in various languages. Some visitors stated that their enjoyment and appreciation were considerably marred by having to strain to understand tour content through strong accent, grammatical mistakes, strange use of words and intonation.

The tourism industry and the guiding profession in particular have always been characterised by the beneficial and welcome presence of people of many nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. Language testing policies have no discrimination based upon race or nationality. What determines where or in what language a person guides is solely a matter of qualification.

The Institute will set up language tests for students on guide training courses upon the submission of written requests from programme directors. There are two exam levels: the L3/4 exam is for Blue Badge (Level 4) and Green Badge (Level 3) Guides and the new L2 exam which is designed for Site/Fixed Route (Level 2) Guides. Qualified guides of any level may individually apply to the Institute for language tests. Tests will be conducted by two approved examiners and last approximately 30 minutes for the L3/4 or 20 minutes for the L2 exam. The Institute endeavours to provide, wherever possible, a combination of at least one First Language Examiner, an examiner who has examined in the language before or a guide who regularly guides in the language; the Institute will further endeavour to provide a different combination of examiners for any candidate re-sitting a test. Tests may be recorded in the interest of verification of standards.