ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to understand the implications of a translingual orientation to language in relation to the evaluation and evaluability of 'different' Englishes in the so-called 'real world'. It examines how notions of legitimacy in Englishes are reinforced and reconstituted beyond classroom contexts, in particular, in workplace contexts in the US. Scholarship tends to focus on the undesirable outcomes of a job candidate being negatively evaluated on the basis of their inability to use English according to the expectations of the potential employer. Common knowledge and indeed common sense might dictate that in many workplace contexts in 'English-dominant' countries a high proficiency in English is a baseline requirement. Professionals, including recruiters and managers, based in Southern California with experiences hiring employees in a range of professional fields, were interviewed in order to try and determine the extent to which one's proficiency in English is valued in relation to multilingual competence.
