I speak three languages to varying degrees of fluency. English is my native language. "Native fluency" is pretty easy to describe. I speak Spanish fluently, among friends and family, and in social situations. I've never used it professionally or at work. Portuguese I speak well enough to carry on a conversation with a willing and forgiving conversation partner... and to order at a restaurant and get home in a taxi.
The last time I was looking for a job, I put my language proficiency on my CV as such:
Language Skills
- English: Native (ILR level 5)
- Spanish: Full professional proficiency (ILR level 4)
- Portuguese: Limited working proficiency (ILR level 2)
I've not taken any placement tests to validate these levels, and I don't even know if ILR levels are well recognized. I hear the CEFR levels (A1, A2, B1, etc) used much more. But they're specifically European, at least in name.
Is there an internationally recognized standard to describe my language proficiency in my target language(s)?
Note that this question is not about how to evaluate my proficiency.