advanced or fluent

[LwyrFirat]

The other day I stubmled upon a job advertisment which confuses me , it says;

Candidates should possess excellent academic qualifications and no less than 3 years relevant experience in a major and highly-regarded law firm. They should be advanced or fluent speakers of English......


Which of those levels are higher than the other?

Thank you.

 

[NanetteDee]

I am not a teacher of English and not a native speaker.

Advanced means highly developed, complex; also, being of a higher level than others.
Fluent means that you are able to express yourself effortlessly and readily in all language situations; your English is always smooth and flowing.

While being advanced in reading, translating, hearing comprehention, you may not be fluent -- in some situations you may be at loss of words. It requires practice.
Yet I wouldn't say that being fluent is on a higher level than being advanced. Say, I am fluent in the daily small conversations, and yet, should I try to read serious books on politics, arts, psychology, etc, I become aware of my limited vocabulary and grammar skills.
I think those two levels go together.

 

[Offroad]

I am not a teacher of English and not a native speaker.

Advanced means highly developed, complex; also, being of a higher level than others.
Fluent means that you are able to express yourself effortlessly and readily in all language situations; your English is always smooth and flowing.

While being advanced in reading, translating, hearing comprehention, you may not be fluent -- in some situations you may be at loss of words. It requires practice.
Yet I wouldn't say that being fluent is on a higher level than being advanced. Say, I am fluent in the daily small conversations, and yet, should I try to read serious books on politics, arts, psychology, etc, I become aware of my limited vocabulary and grammar skills.
I think those two levels go together.

You're right, however, I have to disagree with you about the "highness" of both levels, advanced and fluent.
Well, students say being fluent means you can talk to people effortlessly, they understand you and you understand them, however, for many companies that send recruiters to select students to apply for a job, an advanced student can do a lot of things with English, however those ones who are fluent can do anything!

 

[NanetteDee]

You're right, however, I have to disagree with you about the "highness" of both levels, advanced and fluent.
Well, students say being fluent means you can talk to people effortlessly, they understand you and you understand them, however, for many companies that send recruiters to select students to apply for a job, an advanced student can do a lot of things with English, however those ones who are fluent can do anything!

I think I agree with you, yes. One can be fluent but not advanced... It makes sense!

 

[LwyrFirat]

So can we say that the highest level of English is "advanced" for non-native speakers?

 

[NanetteDee]

I believe, yes, we can. But I wouldn't disregard being fluent: It takes a lot of daily practice to reach the fluency.

 

[Jaskin]

Hello,
Note am not a teacher

General English exams (University of Cambridge)

KET (Key English Test)
PET (Preliminary English Test)
FCE (First Certificate in English)
CAE (Certificate in Advanced English)
CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English)

The last exam is at proficiency level; so I'd say that the proficiency level is the highest one.

Cheers

 

[Soup]

They should be advanced or fluent speakers of English......


Which of those levels are higher than the other?

Thank you.

Fluent is higher.

Advanced: non-native speaker of English with advanced English language skills.

Fluent: native English speaker (doesn't mean that English was your first language)

 

[LwyrFirat]

Fluent is higher.

Advanced: non-native speaker of English with advanced English language skills.

Fluent: native English speaker (doesn't mean that English was your first language)

So if I understand you correctly you mean being fluent is "using English as good as native English speakers", don't you?

 

[Offroad]

Well, I personally think a native speak is that one whose first language is, in this case, English. Whether someone is fluent it means she or he can do anything a native speaker does.

 

[NanetteDee]

I think, guys, we are arguing about terms only.. words. Fluent, advanced or proficient, what really matters, I believe, is whether or not your skills allow you to function in the English-speaking environment -- and to what extent.

 

[Soup]

So if I understand you correctly you mean being fluent is "using English as good as native English speakers", don't you?

Yes. :-D There are a lot of people whose first language wasn't English but you wouldn't be able to tell that that was the case. They are fluent, non-native speakers.

There are many definitions of fluent speaker and fleuncy, but when it comes to getting hired for a profession that requires language skills, fluent refers to "academic" native proficiency in both spoken and written skills, as one poster noted.