Thank you for digging up this thread, I though I'd never read any reaction! So if you allow me, I'd like to go a bit deeper into my thoughts concerning languages.
First, I think that the levels of prioficiency (currently five, or to be more precise four plus one, as the "can only say welcome is not really a level) should be reconsidered into 6 levels (okay, maybe 6+1 if you want to keep the "can only.."), and this for a very good reason: there is a precise, useful (and extensively used) tool created by the UE, heavily documented, that acknoledges six levels. For those who haven't heard about the CEFRL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages
You can imagine something like (I obviously excessively simplify the CEFRL, for practical reasons):
- Mother tongue (C2)
- Expert (C1)
- Upper-intermediate (B2)
- Lower-intermediate (B1)
- Upper-beginner (A2)
- Beginner (A1)
Considering the language filter, it would be now very important to take the level proficiency into account, and not only the ability to really speak the said language. I'll give my own example: more often than once, I traveled to Hungary to practice the language with the locals, and wanted to find there people who would not speak English. On CS, I had to open a page, and look for someone with Englishbeg with CTRL+F, assuming that everyone would speak at least a bit of English. Same situation, I also looked for people with "French intermediate" to offer them linguage exchange (with Hungarian)
Some people might also be looking for learners of a said language. Like Traveler A who doesn't want to feel uncomfortable with his not-so-good English, and is looking for someone with the same level of proficiency.
As a traveler, I've always felt very strongly about this. I hope it's doable and will be done in the future, though I've no idea how (I'm learning Hungarian, not PHP)! Care to comment?
