Words of Positivity
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Bilingual

adj.capable, kindprofessional

What it means

Able to use two languages, or presented in two languages.

Reach for it when describing a person's language ability or a two-language service

A bilingual mediator explained the agreement in Romanian and Hungarian.

Choose between these

5
  • everyday

    fluent in two languages

    actual speaking ability should be explicit

    not when Fluent makes a stronger proficiency claim than bilingual always warrants.

  • professional

    dual-language

    a document, program, or school uses two languages

    not when Dual-language normally describes a service, not a person's ability.

  • professional

    multilingual

    two or more languages are used and the exact number is unimportant

    not when Multilingual may imply more than two and loses bilingual's precision.

  • formal

    biliterate

    reading and writing skill in two languages is specifically verified

    not when Biliterate says nothing about speaking or listening.

  • literary

    ambilingual

    equal command of both languages is the intended rare distinction

    not when Ambilingual is unfamiliar and claims balanced proficiency that may not exist.

Said against

3
  • monolingual
  • untranslated
  • linguistically inaccessible

It naturally appears in

3
  • bilingual speaker

    A bilingual speaker reviewed the recording for regional clarity.

  • bilingual education

    Bilingual education lets pupils develop literacy in both home and school languages.

  • bilingual edition

    The bilingual edition prints each poem beside its translation.

Where this comes from

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.