The impact of the ICAO LPRs on the ATC profession: the benefit of hindsight and what the future holds

What Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) are asking air traffic controllers (ATCOs) to do is to demonstrate the ability of language use which goes beyond the boundaries of phraseology. Phraseology as a language tool is an integral part of controllers’ competencies. ATCOs can not separate traffic without the use of this formalized code. Communication in an international aeronautical environment is provided in English which for the majority of ATCOs is a foreign or second language. Whenever exchange of information within a given traffic situation requires controllers to cross well-defined parameters of phraseology, they as language users find themselves in the realm of non-algorithmic nature of human communication. As far as our experience has led us to believe, it is in the domain of this non-algorithmic foreign language use that one of the biggest challenges associated with LPRs can be found. We have also noticed that these challenges primarily stem from the affective perspectives of ATCOs as L2 language users and recognized the importance of English language skill maintenance as the best approach to dealing with this issue. Language testing is another side of the coin and here attitude again is a variable which can not be neglected. Even though the test that we use for licensing purposes is considered valid and the overall results across our controller population are satisfactory, there is still a fair share of doubt over the face validity of the test. We would like to urge test developers to give more attention to the issue of test acceptance by the controllers or pilots for that matter. Finally, in this highly structured aviation industry the importance of individual responsibility, be it at personal (I) or organizational (we) level, can never be overemphasized