A Subcommitte of the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on 1/27/07 to examine "examine the government's efforts to increase foreign language education to meet our federal workforce, national security, and economic competitiveness needs." The hearing was titled "Lost in Translation: A Review of the Federal Governments Efforts to Develop a Foreign Language Strategy."
Senator Akaka said:
"...However, strengthening national security should not be the only reason for improving the country’s language proficiency. The basic economic and career security of many Americans is now tied to foreign language capability. Increased globalization allows Americans to compete for jobs in a marketplace that is no longer confined to the boundaries of the United States. One basic skill required to thrive in this new economic environment is fluency in foreign languages...
Senator Voinovich said:
...Without an educated applicant pool of Americans proficient in critical foreign languages, we cannot meet the needs of our twenty-first century workforce, nor can we maintain America’s position as a global leader.
According to the 2000 Census, only 9.3 percent of Americans speak both their native language and another language fluently, compared with 52.7 of Europeans. I think the fact that so many people around the world have learned to speak English is wonderful, but it has also had the unfortunate effect of lessening Americans’ incentive to learn a foreign language...
Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness Michael L. Dominguez said:
...Foreign language skill, cultural awareness, and regional expertise are emerging as core competencies for our 21st Century Total Force. The Active and Reserve Component military personnel and our Department of Defense civilians who make up the Total Force, as well as our supporting contractor personnel understand that these are essential war-fighting skills and vital force capabilities for mission accomplishment...
Rita Oleksak, President to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, said:
...In this age of instant global communication, worldwide economic competitiveness, and challenges to our national security, we need to rethink how we prepare students for work, how we prepare the military, and how we prepare our diplomats to interact with other nations. While other nations around the world are producing a citizenry that can communicate with others in their languages, the U.S. remains largely monolingual in its approach to education, as well as its approach to business, national security and international relations...
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