Of course, it is useful to speak a foreign language correctly, but in fact, grammatically correct language is not always the most important factor in successful communication. Far more important are the hidden codes and messages in language, the foreign language or your own. The success or failure of your dealings with foreign partners will depend mainly on your intercultural competence and how you implement this when using a foreign language. For this reason, intercultural competence is one of the aims of all elc training programmes right from the start.

elc works with European standards and is thus able to guarantee the extremely high quality of its language training, teacher training and language audits and consultancy.

 The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) published by the Council of Europe in 2001, created an entirely new basis for language learning in Europe. Since then it has been translated into many languages and its influence has spread far beyond Europe. For the first time, language competence and competence levels in language were described using a single system. The aim of this description was to encourage educational institutions concerned with the teaching, learning and assessment of language competence to work together within one system, in particular with regard to the measurement of levels of language competence. As national economies become increasingly global and work takes place in many different international language contexts, there is an increasing need for procedures and tools which make it possible to describe the ability to use language at work by means of one set of valid - and truly European - descriptive scales and measurements.  

Two extensive training units developed by elc for Intercultural Competence in English and French have been awarded the European Language Label 2010 - a highly regarded distinction initiated by the European Commission and awarded annually all over Europe.

Back to the elc - HOMEPAGE in German