私营教育机构英孚教育正同LinkedIn合作考察这家商务社交网站会员的商务语言：英语。
The idea is simple. When LinkedIn users in non-English speaking countries update their profiles, they will be asked if they would like to take the EFSET test. The EFSET test is a free online standardized English test from EF Education First. LinkedIn will redirect users to EF's website to take the test. Users can then post their certified EFSET test results on their LinkedIn profile. There is no cost for users.
这个想法很简单。当非英语国家的LinkedIn用户更新自己的个人简介时，他们将被询问是否愿意参加EFSET考试。该考试是来自英孚教育的免费在线标准型英语考试。LinkedIn将用户重定向到英孚教育的网站参加考试。然后用户可以将他们经认证的EFSET考试成绩发布到自己的LinkedIn个人简介上。用户无需任何费用。
The EF-LinkedIn partnership offers English learners a free and convenient way to demonstrate their English ability online. However, the EFSET test is new and not as well known as the TOEFL and IELTS.
英孚教育和LinkedIn的合作伙伴关系为英语学习者提供了一种免费方便的途径来在线展示自己的英语能力。然而，EFSET考试刚出来，不像托福和雅思一样出名。
There are other online testing options for English learners. Transparent Language offers an online English proficiency test with four parts: two levels of grammar, a vocabulary section, and a reading comprehension section. The results of the test give a percentage of the overall score.
网上还有其它面向英语学习者的考试。透明语言提供的在线英语水平测试包括了四个部分：两个级别的语法、词汇部分以及阅读理解。该考试成绩会给出总体成绩百分比。
A fun, casual way to test your language ability can be found on "Which's English." This is a game-like quiz that Transparent Language includes on its Free Resources page. Players look at two words or phrases and choose the one that is actually English. For example, is "muplex" or "conciliation" an English word?
在"Which's English"可以找到一种有趣、休闲的方式来测试你的语言能力。这是透明语言在其免费资源网页上包含的一种类似游戏的小测试。玩家在两个单词或短语中找出正确的英语。例如，muplex或conciliation是英语单词吗？
At the end of the game, the players receive the correct answer and an explanation for each question.
在游戏结束后，玩家会得到正确答案以及对每个问题的解释。
Several companies have online English proficiency tests. They often place a student into a level of an online teaching program associated with the company. Most of the tests just measure knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and reading. Students preparing for a standardized test of English should also check their listening skill. Exam English has free online tests that include listening comprehension sections. The test taker listens to an audio clip and answers questions about it.
好几家公司都有在线英语水平测试。他们通常把学生放在该公司某个相关网上教学计划的层面上。这些考试的大多数只是测试语法、词汇和阅读。筹备参加标准型英语考试的学生还应该考察他们的听力。Exam English就有包括听力理解部分的免费在线考试。考生听音频剪辑并回答有关问题。
Colleges and universities accept international students based on their test scores or placement on a widely-accepted proficiency scale, like the Common European Framework of Reference, CEFR. Employers decide on their own which test results to accept for international applicants.
各个高校录取国际考生是基于他们的考试成绩或是一种被广泛接受的熟练等级，像欧洲语言共同参考框架。雇主自主决定以哪种考试成绩来接受国际申请。
Since online tests do not have a way to proctor the test-taker, their results are best for a casual self-assessment by the learner, or as a tool to guide study. Putting them on social media, such as a LinkedIn profile, means the scores are available to anyone on the Internet.
由于在线考试没法监考，其成绩最多是英语学习者非正式的自我评估，或者是指导学习的工具。将成绩放到社交媒体网站上，例如LinkedIn的个人简介上，意味着该成绩向网上任何人开放。
Minh Tran is the Director of Research and Academic Partnerships at EF. He says sharing test scores on social media may affect a person's reputation.
Minh Tran是英孚教育研究和学术合作部门的负责人。他说，在社交媒体分享考试成绩可能会影响一个人的声誉。
"If you say on LinkedIn that you have an EF 80 score, which is a high score, it's an advanced C2 score, and you go into an interview and you clearly do not have that advanced level of English, that is your reputation at stake."
“如果说在LinkedIn上你的EF成绩是80分，这是一个高分，它属于C2这一高级别的分数。而你在面试时显然不具备这么高的英语水平，你的声誉就岌岌可危。”
Mr. Tran says the eyes of the world on social media should encourage truthful reporting of test scores.
Tran先生表示，全球对社交媒体的关注会促使大家真实地报告考试成绩。
"I actually think that social networks keep us more honest than if it were a traditional resume, because on a traditional resume, only the interviewer sees your resume, but your LinkedIn profile - the whole world can see it."
“其实我认为社交媒体让我们在简历上更加诚实。因为在传统简历上，只有面试官看到。而你的LinkedIn简历全世界都能看到。
It is too early to tell if EF's collaboration with LinkedIn will be a success. But one thing is sure—you can't beat the price.
现在说英孚教育和LinkedIn的合作一定会取得成功尚为时过早。但有一点是确定的，这考试的价格无敌（免费）。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)