Fluent vs Proficient vs Native
I have a question/suggestion, is it possible to edit the options of "levels" of Spanish or English? As in, add new options? My suggestion would be for there to be a couple extra options, something like this:
Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced - Fluent - Proficient - Native Tongue
I know for myself, though I'm fluent in Spanish, English is my native tongue... and even though I can speak Spanish fluently, I would not yet say I'm proficient, nor will it ever be my native tongue. Perhaps something close to it if I end up living in Spanish speaking country for 20 more years, but it'll never be quite the same.
If it's possible, perhaps it's something that could be considered. I know I often check what people "rate" themselves just to double check the validity of some answers... just thought this might be able to help us our journeys to "proficiency" in Spanish and English.
Thanks for reading, -Kiwaiano
6 Answers
Para mí, "fluent" no es un nivel. Hablar con fluidez no es lo mismo que hablar como un nativo. No es sinómino de perfección. De hecho, he leído que la fluidez se adquiere en un nivel intermedio-alto. Yo personalmente prefiero la escala MCER (A1-C2).
Ojalá que nos dieran más opciones para definir nuestros niveles de inglés y español.
For me, fluent is not a level. Speaking fluently is not the same as speaking like a native. It is not a synonym of perfection. Actually, I read that you acquire fluency at a high intermediate level. I prefer the CEFR scale.
I wish they gave us more options to define our English and Spanish levels.
I hear what's being said about how we define the words... but I believe if we look at the actual definitions of the words and really think about it, it makes sense what I'm proposing.
Fluent - adjective 1. spoken or written with ease: 2. able to speak or write smoothly, easily, or readily 3. easy; graceful:
Proficient - adjective 1. well-advanced or competent in any art, science, or subject; skilled 2. (Noun) an expert.
I started thinking about this about a year ago, as people began to ask me if I was "Fluent" in Spanish. Knowing I still had years of learning ahead of me, I was hesitant to confidently say I was fluent. My perspective changed when my brother came to visit and was around me and my wife as we interacted with others in Spanish. Another conversation came up about fluency and my brother made the simple point, "I see you interacting, speaking and having conversations, laughing at jokes, doing it all with ease... that's fluent!"
Fluency to me is about your ability to communicate smoothly or "easily" ...or maybe this works as an example... if you where thrown on the streets in a Spanish speaking country(with no smart phone!), would you feel comfortable? or uncomfortable? Obviously this is a hyperbolized situation so please don't tear it apart, but do you get what I mean?
Proficiency to me is like mastery... or the point when your grammar and vocabulary meets with the average vocabulary and grammar of a native speaker... or it may even surpass them as you continue to spend more time learning. However you'll never be the same and speak or think exactly as a native would in their language.
Obviously there's a lot of opinion and discussion that could go into this... I'm sure it's debatable how most of us rate ourselves with the current four options. My idea of intermediate may be your idea advanced. What's important to me is just the ability to specify with a little more accuracy where we're at, to be able to be the most help possible to learners.
¡Lo siento que no tengo tiempo para traducir esto! Si alguien quiere, puedo tratar de hacerlo cuando tengo tiempo.
This is tricky. I am a native speaker of English but sometimes a fluent non native has learned more grammar. I haven't filled in my profile but perhaps it would help if people added whether Spanish or English was there native tongue [or a lucky person who is bilingual] I don't see any useful difference between fluent and proficient.
The problem comes from the definitions. For example, I would say beginner, intermediate, proficient, fluent, native.
I say this because I live day to day in Spanish. I have lived in Mexico for seven years and speak 95% Spanish as none of my friends or family here speak any English. So I think I am proficient in that I can communicate with anyone on almost any topic while understanding and being understood 90% of the time without additional explanation. Yet I make many grammar errors which are offset by my large vocabulary.
I cannot say that I am advanced because my grasp of the subjunctive and certain aspects of grammar are lacking. Also I will never rise to the fluent level as there are just so many expressions that are new to me each week.
So how do you define the levels?
Thank you for your suggestion. This is something you will need to send on through feedback. They are the only ones that can make that kind of decision and make changes. 
It's a good idea in principle, but definitions are tricky (say I on a language forum, doh ¡!). For me 'proficiency' and 'fluency' mean different things as opposed to being lower/higher standards. You can be proficient without being fluent and vice versa.
