This issue of foreign language requirements has been discussed quite a bit since I entered UNH as a freshman three years ago. Although I believe my opinion on this topic is a very biased one considering the fact that I am a Spanish major, I still think it's important to push the idea that it is crucial that universities across the country have a language requirement for their students.
It is evident that my opinion on the need for a language requirement has only gotten stronger since I studied abroad in Spain last year. For five months I had the opportunity to live and observe the European lifestyle. I ended up leaving the country with a new perspective on how their society is run in comparison to the American way of life, which had been my only source of reference on how a seemingly "successful" nation operates. If the Europeans that I interacted with during my semester abroad had not known English, I wouldn't have felt even remotely safe and comfortable as I had. This is not to say that I couldn't communicate with them in Spanish, but if you have a chance to speak your native language with others in a new places, it is definitely more comfortable especially in times of urgency and stress. Once I realized that just about everyone has to learn English at some point during their schooling, I was embarrassed to admit that we Americans hardly put emphasis on the importance of other cultures and languages outside our own. There's no doubt that as a collective nation, we are viewed as selfish and narrow-minded by other developed countries. The fact that almost every person I came in contact with while in Spain could articulate some form of a conversation with me in English, caused me to feel humiliated that most Americans are not interested or competent enough to do the same in a second language.
The benefits to learning a foreign language are so significant especially in today's society where we have access to products, services, and information from around the world that may only be taken advantage of if someone knows and understand the language and/or culture of that source. Living in America, it's very easy to forget that there are other people who live a different life from us thousands of miles across the globe. To me, learning a foreign language is all about networking with others. It doesn't mean you have to agree with their cultural values or beliefs, but it does help us all as human beings to continue to relate to each other and work together regardless of where we are from or how we were brought up. People of foreign cultures will always have something unique to bring to the table, just as us Americans have great ideas and opinions to share as well. Making connections and bridging cultures, we can all progress as one.
Although there are almost no negative aspects to learning a new language, the only one that I consistently hear is that it is "too difficult" or "it takes years to become fluent". Both of those assumptions carry truths; yes it is very difficult and time consuming when one decides to take on another language. I understand that language-learning is not a strong skill for everyone, just as I don't have any scientific skills in my entire body. However, what I do not tolerate is when others simply don't put forth any effort to learning new languages. I don't sympathize with those people who claim language-learning is "too hard" or "doesn't stick" in their mind when they didn't attempt to get something out of their 7th grade Spanish class or a one hour French lesson. Simply put, those who don't try will never learn, regardless of the subject matter.
To conclude why I believe foreign languages should be required at the university level, it is my hope that one day I will never hear the "everyone should just learn English" argument. Not only is that one of the most egotistical comments I have ever heard an American say (and I've heard it quite a few times...), it is unrealistic. Not everyone is as fortunate as us to have the resources to perfect their English or even their own native language, nor is it one of their priorities to conform to English learning practices and adapt the culture that comes with the language. Everyone should have the right to preserve their own language and culture, regardless of how many people they do or do not share it with. I cannot emphasize it enough-- foreign languages are what bring character and diversity to a society. If we could unite people of different backgrounds together through simple communication techniques, we would create stronger bridges from one culture to another and that's something we can all benefit from.
I like the fact that you brought up the issue of resources. Living in the United States provides us with many opportunities that other countries may not have. If we have the resources to teach other languages I think that we should. I do acknowledge the fact that not every part of the US has these resources, but overall we are capable of creating great language programs across the nation. Right now it would seem that many people simply do not want to learn. I think that if it were the norm to know more than your native language, as it is in many places in Europe, then we would dedicate more time to developing more comprehensive language programs.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post, and I agree with you strongly. I SO wish that our education system here in the United States put a stronger emphasis on foreign language learning. I've heard before that the "prime time" to learn a foreign language is somewhere between the ages of one and twelve. If a student is not exposed to foreign language learning until high school and all of a sudden they're struggling with this new subject, they might just decide that it's "too hard" and give up on it. I really hope that we'll start to see a new trend in the United States of introducing kids to languages sooner. I think it would be very successful, and I think the implementation of this idea would do wonders for our country as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Caitlin and Marie because they both bring up good points. The resources required for a school to hire one foreign language teacher, let alone run a whole department, is a lot, and some schools simply cannot afford to do it. I think the issue isn't that so many people don't want to learn, its that so many people refuse to pay for that learning.
ReplyDeleteI totally can sympathize with you about being in Spain and being embarrassed over the lack of interest by Americans have in learning foreign languages. I'm positive that every Spaniard I met had a least some small understanding of the English language in some way or another. I was embarrassed myself when I was in a high school working with students learning English and their English was better than my Spanish. It really is a pity that we are unable to put as much emphasis into learning languages as we are into learning STEM curriculum. I feel as if the funding needs to be better distributed to areas such as languages, especially in the public school system so that students can really start learning at an early age and will put more emphasis into it.
ReplyDeleteI was definitely embarrassed too in Spain when almost EVERY Spaniard knew at least a little bit of English or could at least get the gist of what someone was saying when they spoke in English and I completely agree with you that America as a whole needs to be more willing to learn other languages since lets face it, English will NOT be the dominant language for very long
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