Becoming Bilingual In New Brunswick

New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, with English and French as its two official languages. The path to bilingualism in New Brunswick can vary depending on factors such as age, education, and personal goals. For children and students, bilingualism can be achieved through French immersion programs, French as a Second Language (FSL) courses, or attending francophone schools and universities. Adults can take advantage of free language training programs offered by the Government of Canada, such as LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) and CLIC (Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada). These programs are designed to help newcomers improve their language skills and facilitate integration into Canadian society. Additionally, universities, community colleges, private language schools, and community organizations also offer language classes to help individuals become bilingual. It is important to note that bilingualism can bring social and economic benefits to the province, fostering mutual respect and understanding between linguistic communities.

Language training programs for adult permanent residents

The Government of Canada works with provincial governments, school boards, community colleges, and immigrant and community organizations to offer free language training for adult permanent residents. These language courses are designed to help new residents of New Brunswick improve their English or French language skills, making it easier for them to navigate their new community, communicate with their neighbours, find employment, and support their children's education.

One such program is LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada), which has centres in New Brunswick that assess your language skills and help you find the best training program. LINC offers free language classes for protected persons or permanent residents. The French equivalent of this program is CLIC (Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada). These programs are designed to help newcomers improve their language skills and adapt to life in Canada.

In addition to LINC and CLIC, there are other options for language training in New Brunswick. Universities, community colleges, private language schools, and community organizations offer language classes. These courses may have associated fees, so it is important to inquire about any potential costs.

Before arriving in Canada, permanent residents and protected persons can take an online self-assessment language test to gauge their language level. This test is not mandatory and provides a general idea of one's language proficiency. Once in Canada, individuals can take the CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) online self-assessment to determine their language level and register for language classes.

The benefits of these language classes include qualified and experienced instructors, flexible locations and schedules, and additional support in areas such as childcare and transportation. The classes are designed to meet the national standards for language skills of adult immigrants in both English and French. Upon completing a CLB level, individuals receive a certificate that can be used as proof for meeting the citizenship language requirement.

Language proficiency levels

New Brunswick, Canada's only officially bilingual province, offers language courses in English and French, with some being free of charge. The province works with community colleges, immigrant and community organizations, and school boards to offer free language training for adult permanent residents.

There are several scales used to measure language proficiency, including the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

The ILR Scale

The ILR scale includes six levels:

• No proficiency: The person may know a few words but cannot form sentences or carry on any type of conversation.
• Elementary proficiency: Able to form basic sentences, including asking and answering simple questions.
• Limited working proficiency: Able to handle basic work commands and social phrases, and carry on limited casual conversations.
• Professional working proficiency: Can contribute to office meetings, have conversations with clients, and carry out most work functions. May still have an obvious accent and need help with advanced terminology.
• Full professional proficiency: Able to have advanced discussions on a wide range of topics, including personal life, current events, and technical subjects. May still have a minor accent and make occasional mistakes.
• Native/bilingual proficiency: The person was either raised speaking the language or has been speaking it long enough to be completely fluent, with little to no accent.

The CEFR Scale

The CEFR scale also includes six levels, which are grouped into three broader levels:

• Basic User (A1-A2): Able to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases, introduce themselves and others, and ask and answer questions about personal details.
• Independent User (B1-B2): Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters, produce simple connected text on familiar topics, and describe experiences and events.
• Proficient User (C1-C2): Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and express themselves fluently and spontaneously, use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes, and produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects.

The ACTFL Scale

The ACTFL scale consists of five main fluency levels: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Distinguished. These levels include sublevels of proficiency known as low, medium, or high.

French as a second language education

French as a Second Language (FSL) education is an important part of New Brunswick's bilingual identity. As Canada's only officially bilingual province, New Brunswick offers many opportunities for individuals to learn French as a second language.

The Government of Canada and the provincial government of New Brunswick work together to offer free language training for adult permanent residents. The Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program has centres in New Brunswick that assess individuals' language skills and help them find the right training program. The French equivalent of this program is called CLIC, or Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada. These programs are designed to help newcomers become comfortable communicating in English or French, which will make it easier to navigate daily life, interact with neighbours, find employment, and assist children with their education.

For those with children, the New Brunswick education system offers French Immersion programs, which will soon be replaced by a universal French language learning program. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten and Grade 1 students will receive half of their instruction in French, with the goal of fostering literacy skills and building a strong foundation for future language learning. Higher grades will also receive a significant portion of their instruction in French, with Grades 6-8 spending 40% of their day learning subjects in French. This approach is designed to ensure that all students graduate with at least a conversational level of French proficiency.

In addition to the public education system, there are other avenues for FSL education in New Brunswick. Universities, New Brunswick Community College, private language schools, and community organizations all offer language classes. These courses may or may not be free of charge, so it is important to inquire about fees. Local public libraries also provide access to FSL resources, including books, online training, and materials on multiculturalism and diversity.

Bilingualism's economic benefits

Bilingualism in New Brunswick, Canada, means being proficient in English and French. New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province. Bilingualism has many economic benefits, which are detailed below.

Increased Employability

Bilingual individuals are highly employable. Their communication skills make them attractive to employers and enable them to find work in a greater range of industries and sectors of the economy. Bilingual individuals can also move to geographic areas where their second language is spoken during an economic downturn to find work, giving them more employment opportunities than monolinguals.

Higher Earnings

Research shows that bilinguals are paid better than monolinguals. In Canada, bilinguals make, on average, 37% more than their monolingual co-workers. In Quebec, bilingual French-speaking men make about 7% more than monolingual French speakers, and nearly 21% more if they speak English on the job.

Increased Trade

Bilingualism increases the volume of bilateral trade. Canada's trade with French-speaking countries has increased significantly in recent years, and the knowledge of a second language allows for the diversification of trade. In 2011, exports from Quebec and New Brunswick to French-speaking countries were two times more than expected considering their share of overall Canadian exports.

Business Opportunities

Bilingualism creates greater economic activity. Being able to trade goods and services in two languages adds 3.3 billion dollars each year to the economies of Canada's two most bilingual provinces, New Brunswick and Quebec.

Job Security

Bilingual workers are often laid off last and are seen as more valuable to companies, especially during economic hardship due to rising wages. They are also offered more job security and promotion opportunities by employers.

The challenges of becoming bilingual

New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, with residents speaking English, French, or both. The Government of Canada offers free language training for adult permanent residents, and there are also many language courses available, some of which are free of charge.

Becoming bilingual is not without its challenges. Here are some of the most common difficulties that people face when learning a second language:

• Language Fluency Delay: Bilingual children may take longer to become fluent in both languages, which can be frustrating for parents when comparing their children to monolingual children. However, this is normal, as bilingual children are exposed to a larger vocabulary.
• Language Mixing: Bilingual children may mix languages, using the grammar of one language with the vocabulary of another. This is a natural part of the language-learning process and is not a cause for concern.
• Preference for One Language: Bilingual children may prefer to speak one language over the other, usually the dominant language they are exposed to the most. This can strain the relationship with the parent who speaks the minority language.
• Reading and Writing: While speaking a language may come naturally, reading and writing require more effort. Bilingual children may never become proficient in both languages to the same level, and it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children learn to read and write in the minority language.
• Passive Bilingualism: Some bilingual individuals may understand a second language completely but be unable to speak it, a phenomenon known as passive bilingualism. This can occur when there is no "need" to speak the second language.

In addition to the challenges faced by bilingual individuals themselves, there are also challenges in assessing bilingualism and in providing bilingual services. For example, in New Brunswick, there is no standardized level of bilingualism required for bilingual government jobs, making it difficult for applicants to determine whether they are qualified. Furthermore, in therapeutic settings, it can be challenging to find bilingual therapists and to translate clinical jargon and documentation into other languages.

Frequently asked questions