When talking about foreign-language testing, ethics would not typically be the first thing to come to mind. According to Mike Milanovic, chief executive of Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), part of Cambridge Assessment, a department of Cambridge University, UK, it is ethics, along with assured quality, standards and codes of practice, that comprise the basis for best practice in this field.

He was in Sofia from November 8 to 10 for the semestrial ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) meeting. According to its website www.alte.org, ALTE is an "association of institutions within Europe, each of which produces examinations and certification for language learners. Each member provides examinations of the language which is spoken as a mother tongue in their own country or region".

Currently, ALTE, which was formed in late 1989 by the universities of Cambridge and Salamanca, has 31 members, representing 26 European languages.

With the integration of European nations, globalisation and the no-waiting mentality of daily life, being able to speak fluently a second language and having acknowledged, certified proficiency in it is essential.

"The amount of resources, the traditions, the amount of expertise is very varied around Europe," said Milanovic. ALTE's role is to facilitate the work of the certifying institutions, departments and programmes, "to collaborate with partners in other countries facing similar problems".

As such, the semestrial meeting - held each November and April in capital cities around Europe - aims to, in circumnavigating the continent and islands, bring together language testers and member institutions for workshops, lectures and discussions.

The need for transferability of certification of fluency in a foreign language is evident, for example, for students wishing to study in another country, for employees seeking to get hired abroad and for employers assuring the true fluency of their possible staff.

Like any form of assessment, said Milanovic, language testing is not straightforward. What you're trying to do is figure out what is going on in the testee's head, and that cannot be done in any random way. "It's quite important that (the test) adhere to standards of good practice," including how the people taking the test are treated, what questions they are asked, what is done with the information received. The practices of the assessment need to be documented, he emphasised.

ALTE seeks to "bring about the highest possible standards in language testing," Milanovic said, "thorough a programme of self-assessment. But we can't force people to do things. They must freely wish to work towards quality of exams".

And with the European Union providing increasing facility of mobility within its borders, "European citizens do need to operate, ideally, in several languages, including their own language", he said, noting that the Council of Europe and the European Commission are pushing the idea of fluency in one's mother tongue plus two others.

"This is a good standard, for the individual and for society, for mobility, to enhance contacts," for intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and tolerance, he said. In this context, internationally recognised certification plays a key role, and this is where ALTE comes in, providing quality standards, management, a forum for the exchange of know-how and ideas.

In Bulgaria, ALTE works closely with the British Council and Sofia University's Department for Language Teaching and International Students (DLTIS), otherwise known as IChS. IChS is in fact the only ALTE member organisation in the country, having joined ALTE in 2004.

Since its creation in 1963, IChS has been fulfilling two basic purposes, said its director Evgenia Benova at the ALTE meeting. The first is training foreign students in Bulgarian language, allowing them to study and live in Bulgaria, with the curriculum approved by the Education Ministry and certification recognised worldwide; and child and adult education for Bulgarians, in foreign languages, science and IT. The second purpose is acting as an authorised testing centre for various foreign-language proficiency certificates. These include the TRKE in Russian, KEG in Greek, TCF and TCF-Quebec in French, the University of Michigan test for English, and the European Computer Driving Licence.

IChS was also responsible for the creation of the Common European Framework of Reference test for Bulgarian language, which included its design, content, translation and basis for administering and analysis.

"There is no other institution in Bulgaria where a person can take a Europe-recognised Bulgarian language test," said Benova. In total, about 6500 people register for courses at IChS each year.

She said that while Bulgaria has multitudes of private language learning-centres, they are not held to any standards or quality assessment. Benova also noted that certification of language teachers is a problem, with some certificates recognised in private schools in Bulgaria and outside the country, but not in Bulgarian state-run schools. Lack of money is one of the main reasons for the problem.

IChS is again the only state- and internationally recognised institution to issue these certificates.

The British Council is in close partnership with ALTE, and offers, conversely, ESOL tests to Bulgarians. Or, 99.9 per cent of the test-takers are Bulgarians, said Andy Chamberlain, Cambridge ESOL development manager, who is responsible for exam administration in South East Europe. He has working with Bulgarian since 2004.

Cambridge ESOL takes on the responsibility of creating the exams, which test language skills that "are going to be used in people's studies and career. There's no point in having a test for test's sake," said Chamberlain.

It also assures the validity of the exams, and that the exams are a reflection of classroom methodology.

Given the competitive nature of commerce and trade in Europe and the world, he said, "it's essential that (potential staff), their employers, and also students give themselves a competitive advantage, and give themselves tools to do business". This is why passing a recognised foreign-language test is beneficial. "Tests allow employers to be sure" of the skills of the person they're hiring.

Like Benova, Chamberlain named lack of funding as one of the largest challenges in teaching and testing foreign-language skills. He said that all around Europe, language teachers and testers have to "push" the necessity of such things not only with the government, but also with their colleagues.

Overall, though, a positive atmosphere permeated the ALTE meeting, with the general hope that with the globalisation and the EU, people will increasingly recognise the need for validated fluency in a foreign language, and start to learn