For 30 years, Bright Language has been
the preferred language proficiency assessment partner
of a very large number of organizations worldwide.
An American by birth but a Parisian at heart, Cathleen has always had a passion for languages.
Prompted by her Italian and Irish heritage, Cathleen decided to study in Europe at the Sorbonne and at the University of Madrid.
After graduating with a joint degree in French and Spanish, she settled in Paris and began to teach languages for a training organization. Her skills quickly became apparent; she won major corporate contracts, and was invited to become a partner by her manager. When he moved on, she acquired the training company and rapidly grew the business.
During this period, Cathleen became aware that there was no standardized assessment available on the market. Each organization had its own grading system. She began to devise the idea of a digital test to give candidates an objective assessment of their language proficiency level.
Cathleen launched the project when a training manager for a bank sought her help, in the context of a recruitment process, with an urgent request to assess the successful candidate whose CV claimed “fluency” in a language. It quickly became apparent to Cathleen that the candidate did not meet the language requirements for the role, much to the frustration of the recruitment manager.
This was the start of the journey !
Bright Language test development
Cathleen was convinced that it was necessary to develop a low-cost, flexible and objective tool for the recruitment and training sectors to assess applicants’ language proficiency. Bright Language tests were born.
Cathleen worked long and hard to demonstrate the benefits of her assessment system. At the outset, the technology required for rapid development was not yet available. She had to canvass potential customers with hard discs. Floppy discs provided greater flexibility and, eventually, widespread internet access transformed the training and assessment landscape and allowed the full realization of Cathleen’s vision.
That was almost thirty years ago. Today, Bright Language tests are the most frequently used tests in the majority of CAC 40 listed companies and in the corporate training sector, and our tests have been adopted by colleges and universities.
Bright Language has developed a partnership with the French Air Force and Air France Industries to deliver technical English tests to meet their specific requirements.
Cathleen is committed to ensuring that Bright Language remains at the cutting edge. The language solution is developing in parallel with technological advances and there are plans for new tests targeting specific professional areas in order to stay fully aligned with market needs.