What is the difference between being fluent in a language and speaking it to a professional level?

Fluent means that t you can understand films , songs read newspapers with ease

otherwise you can  use it in your field only as  professional speakers wether you are doctor or accountant or engineer

If you are in fluent in a language it means not only do you speak it well but that you understand all the "nuances" of that language and to a degree much of the slang. Understanding a language at a professional level general means that that person can speak it well, has a good vocabulary is grammatically correct but wouldn't necessarily understand or be able to tell a joke in that language, fluency is as much about knowing the people and their ways, as it is about knowing the language well. Marc has summed it up well!

Being fluent to a langgauge simply means that you can speak, write and understand the langguage well but bringing it to a professional level is going beyond its fluency. One, bringing it to professional level means you passed the profficiency of the langguage and you are able to teach the langgauge itself. Second bringing it to a proffessional level when you use the langgauge in a professional manner, especially when you are doing business with other people, use the technicality of the lanngguage and the decency it can portray as a professional as well.

Fluent  means you are the native speaker of that language , it means the spoken language is your mother tounge.

If you do not fulfill the abobe criteria the you are professional speaker.

Fluent means ability to communicate on a social level. Professional level means ability to communicate on a professional level.

The difference between fluent and professional speaking in secondary languages is less about the ability to speak, read, and write, but more about the use of formality versus colloquialism.

Fluent encompasses all the possible ways through which communication can made(writting, speaking etc), and the second one just pertain to speaking.

Professional speaking is making the both the party listener and speaker understand correctly what you mean. There is no need to use vocabulary which the other person doesn't understand. Fluency is speaking with good grammer having good vocabulary clear thoughts, and both can be achieved by regular practice,

I think it can be said in one word (( practice )) as most of us didn't learn english but speak better than the one who joined any higher study , it depends on how much you can use the language even if you don't speak well but by practice you will reach the top by learn from other around you.

Hi Miss Alia Hammami !

Answer for you Only From Waleed()!

Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency go,[1] there is little consistency as to how different organizations classify it. Additionally, fluency and language competence are generally recognized as being related, but separate controversial subjects. In predominant frameworks in the United States, proficient speakers demonstrate both accuracy and fluency, and use a variety of discourse strategies.[2] Thus, native speakers of a language can be fluent without being considered proficient. Native-level fluency is estimated to be between20.000 -40.000 words, but basic conversational fluency might only require as little as3.000 words.[3]

Haji Waleed()

The differences exist in the ability, and easiness of comprehending and communicating in the organisation. This gives the person in a fluent language more credibility in understanding which satisfy most of employees, while the professional level will focus mainly in how to deliver his specialities only.