This article is also available in:

Skills assessed during a LILATE LSF

LILATE® (Live Language Test) certifies an individual’s language level and ability to work in a foreign language, especially with native interlocutors.

The objective is to certify the operational ability of a person to work in French Sign Language. LILATE® enables recruiters and HR departments to know a candidate’s capacity to work in LSF or an employee's ability to progress within the company.

On this page you will find the competencies evaluated by the examiner during the LILATE certification in French Sign Language. The evaluation is done according to the CEFR levels. At the end of the test, the examiner will assign you an overall level and report on your competencies.

Certification and the ability to work in French Sign Language is obtained starting at level A2; candidates obtaining evaluations below A2 will receive only a level attestation and record of participation.

For what a LILATE certificate looks like, check the following page A quoi ressemble un certificat LILATE ?

I ‒ CEFR Levels

Not able to work in the evaluated language	Able to work in the evaluated language
A0 ‒ Discovery	A2 ‒ Intermediate
A1 ‒ Introductory	B1 ‒ Advanced
	B2 ‒ Independent
	C1 ‒ Proficient
	C2 ‒ Mastery

II ‒ Competencies by Levels

1. Welcome & Identify

A0	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
No assessed competencies	No assessed competencies	Communicate within a routine task, through a simple and direct information exchange	Use the appropriate form of greeting or farewell depending on the context and the audience	Adapt the register to the target audience	Shift seamlessly between formal and informal register	Use and respect sociocultural norms in one’s presentation (for example institutional information, social status, possible taboos)
		Receive information and messages expressed in LSF in order to understand the interlocutor’s request.	Introduce oneself according to the context and the audience (place, role, activities).	Recognize and understand cultural references in exchanges	Grasp subtle references to people present when the signer, for example, uses a smaller signing space or holds one hand in front of the index finger, making it impossible to know who the finger is pointing at.	Identify and express nuances in signs, gestures, and facial expressions

Understand and follow explanations about the interlocutor’s identity and request

Identify direct or indirect references to events, people, and institutions

Adopt the appropriate register to consider and maintain professional distance regarding a reported issue

Maintain eye contact with the audience while signing

2. Gather & Reformulate

A0	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
No assessed competencies	No assessed competencies	Ask questions (using signing) to ensure the interlocutor understands what one intends to say	Extract relevant information from a simple and structured presentation to identify the interlocutor’s request	Identify and properly assign signed names to public figures and institutions	Understand technical information in a familiar field, and use the contained information, ideas or opinions	Understand almost all signing when delivered at natural speed
		Paraphrase to clarify or confirm a request	Spell names and technical terms, among others, using the fingerspelling alphabet	Recognize what the interlocutor means when the signer paraphrases without producing the sign for the concerned concept	Collect specific instructions, recommendations, wishes, etc.	Understand abstract concepts, for example in scientific, medical, social, cultural fields, referring to the appropriate context
		Se rendre compte d’un désaccord	Provide details about an appointment, the place, the time, the people involved, and information about the purpose of this appointment.	Provide lexical paraphrases, for example via size or shape transfer or other proforms	Express ideas, actions, objects and their relationships using different proforms (one- or two-handed)	Understand complex information on varied topics, ask questions to clarify meaning, and reformulate to make explicit what is meant
			Describe the essential characteristics of a person or an object using the appropriate handshapes		Infer the meaning of unknown individual signs through context	Express ideas in signs to convey abstract notions and concepts, particularly in academic, scientific, or medical fields.
			Use mouth movements precisely to convey the meaning of the message.		Understand the meaning of facial expressions within a given context.	Represent a complex action or information using a personal semi-transfer, that is, producing with one hand a proform or a lexical sign (for example, expressing the idea of “search” with a proform or the lexical sign “search”) while using the other hand as part of a personal transfer (for instance, scratching one’s head to mimic searching for something).

3. Convey

A0	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
No assessed competencies	No assessed competencies	Sign a series of instructions clearly and slowly	Transmit by signs factual information summaries on topics in one’s professional domain	Transcribe information, an argument, methodically, highlighting the main points and relevant supporting details	Present complex subjects clearly and in a well-structured manner, highlighting significant, relevant points	Present, from different perspectives, information, instructions or directives, clearly distinguishing one’s own ideas and opinions from those of professional sources
		Give and follow simple directions and instructions, e.g. how to get somewhere, and assist colleagues or team as needed with formulations	Sign using simple language to list pros and cons, give and justify an opinion	Develop an argument by explaining advantages and disadvantages of different options	Make relevant comparisons with things, images, circumstances known to the recipient, to facilitate shared understanding of a situation	Anticipate and manage effectively possible misunderstandings (including cultural), communication problems, and emotional reactions during an exchange

Ask for opinions from participants, make proposals and understand responses, provided one is able, from time to time, to ask for repetition or rephrasing

Clarify misunderstandings by asking questions or requesting additional information

Realize misunderstandings and disagreements during interaction and contribute to resolving them

4. Consult & Assist

A0	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
No assessed competencies	No assessed competencies	View signed documents and understand their general meaning, without going into details	Grasp the main information in a signed description, if needed by viewing it several time	Explain information, events, experiences, and contextualize them in one’s professional interest area	Handle specific information with ease, whether or not related to one’s field of expertise	Understand a formal, specialized signed intervention on complex subjects requiring extensive expertise

Understand information, instructions or directions presented clearly and in an orderly manner by signs

Understand specific terms, idiomatic expressions, in registers familiar to the signer

Identify opinions, emotions and attitudes expressed through gestures and facial expressions

Updated on: 12/09/2025

Was this article helpful?

Thank you!