Multilingual Leaders, Thinkers, and World-Builders
Multilingual staff are the cornerstone of every mission-driven organization working with or on behalf of diverse populations. They often translate, connect with communities, offer culturally relevant insights, and bring nuance to every space they enter.
At The Multilingual Project, we operate at the intersection of Language Transformation, Language Accessibility, and Language Education— each a pillar in our mission to create a more robust and responsive multilingual education system.
As the product of that system, Colorado’s multilingual staff reflects the very talent its schools and institutions produce. Multilingual learners (MLs) become multilingual leaders, thinkers, and bridge-builders, creating a more linguistically rich workforce.
At TMP, our research and advocacy efforts are designed to offer insights into critical questions like:
- What does it mean to recognize multilingual learners, and multilingual staff by extension, for the unique skills they bring?
- How do businesses and organizations implement this as a principle of language accessibility?
Skills, Competencies, and Everything in Between
The skills and competencies that multilingual staff bring to their roles are only multiplied by their linguistic abilities. And in a state like Colorado, where Spanish is recognized as one of the top 10 most in-demand technical skills among employers, it’s never been more important to recognize multilingual workers for the assets they are.
At TMP, we believe this starts with the multilingual learner. By building education and workforce systems that support the complete ML continuum, representing Second Language Learners (L2s), Heritage Learners (HLs), and Native Speakers (NS), and supporting these students strategically, Colorado has a unique opportunity to leverage its multilingual workforce to its advantage. In practice, this means:
- Expanding access to immersion programs for K-12 and postsecondary L2 students aligned with in-demand industries.
- Expanding access to resources for heritage language education for K-12 language teachers; and
- Aligning language education and workforce development so every ML has access to upward economic mobility.
Pay, Professional Development, and Language Upskilling
At the micro level, recognition for multilingual staff often means increased pay for performing job functions in two or more languages. Accounting for staff capacity, language proficiency, and technical skill, the compensation associated with these responsibilities is a direct reflection of the value they bring to any organization working to meet diverse populations where they are.
By extension, professional development for multilingual staff must account for both personal, organizational, and workforce needs as well as linguistic growth. Within TMP’s framework, Language Accessibility and Language Transformation encompass not only access for communities but also guiding principles for institutional connectedness with multilingual professionals.
When businesses and organizations invest in language upskilling for multilingual staff, they provide employees with opportunities to engage with broader multilingual ecosystems, maintain their language use, and utilize language in their roles in creative and organizationally strategic ways. To that extent, recognition for multilingual staff becomes more than a wage premium, but a bridge beyond words and into worlds.
Multilingual Research, Advocacy, & Translation
The Multilingual Project is a nonpartisan, multimedia research, advocacy, and translation company on a mission to create a more robust and responsive multilingual education system.
Through our research efforts, we investigate cutting-edge insights on multilingualism and share them across channels. Through advocacy, we contribute to critical thought leadership on multilingual education and workforce systems. And through translation, operationalize language accessibility by expanding the reach of those contributing to a better education system.
Multilingual learners benefit from workforce environments that are linguistically accessible and professionally transformative. Employers benefit from clear, research-informed guidance on how multilingual skills are cultivated, recognized, and sustained from K–12 through postsecondary education and into the workforce.
This alignment represents the path forward—one that treats multilingualism not as supplemental, but as essential infrastructure within education and labor systems.